Victor Calise: Plumber to Policymaker

04/30/23 • 35 min

Victor Calise has had a diverse career path—he has gone from plumber to Paralympian to Policymaker. He competed in sled hockey in the 1998 Paralympics in Nagano, Japan. He worked for the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation. He was appointed the Commissioner of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and then reappointed by Mayor Bill De Blasio, and reappointed again by Mayor Eric Adams. He recently took on a new role as Director of Global Culture, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Walmart’s newly formed Accessibility Center of Excellence.
Here are some additional links for the accessible accomplishments in NYC - Accessible NYC and Judy Heumann's #ManCrushMonday about Victor Calise.

Previous Episode

Filling the Gap in the Rehabilitation Model - Part 2

As occupational therapy practitioners, we understand disability within the context of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In this two-part episode, occupational therapy student Meaghan Lawrence discusses the program, Empower Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) which supports individuals who have had an injury to their spinal cord. In the traditional rehabilitation model in the United States, rehabilitation stops a few months after injury. Often after discharge is when true rehabilitation needs to occur because the initial shock and comorbid conditions have diminished. Through Empower SCI, the participants have the opportunity to take part in a more meaningful rehabilitation.

Special Thanks to Meaghan Lawrence for writing and interviewing and special thanks to Michael Manhardt for sharing the Empower SCI story.
For more information about Empower SCI, please visit their website.

Next Episode

Where are all the Black OTs?

Toni Solaru OT, OTD, OTR talks about the unknown history of occupational therapy. Dr. Solaru is a community-based mental health OT and the co-founder and Chair of Diverse-OT National, an organization dedicated to advancing the cultural climate within the OT profession and strives to create a community of critically reflexive OT(A)s and students.

To follow Diverse-OT National on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/diverseot_national/?hl=en

To access the full interview on YouTube – https://youtu.be/Au8sreLe8IE
References
American Occupational Therapy Association. (1953, November). Report of the Subcommittee on Schools and Curriculum. (Available from the Wilma L. West Library, 4720 Montgomery Lane, Bethesda, Maryland 20814)
Black, R. M. (2002). Occupational therapy’s dance with diversity. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 56, 140–148.
Black History Milestones. (2019). LifeHistory.com. Retrieved from https://www.history.com /topics/black-history/black-history-milestones
Bolden, J. A. (1993). Differential occupational outcomes among African American and white women in female-dominated professions: The case of occupational therapy. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Boston University.
Robinson, L. (2000). The Black occupational therapy caucus: The first 25 Years. Black Occupational Therapy Caucus.
Skyberg, R., Grubb, Rachel. (2019). Evolution of occupational therapy practice: Life history of Lela Llorens, Ph.D., OTR/Ret, FAOTA.. Oral History Student Papers. 54.
Wells, S. A., & Whiting, F. (1998, March). A celebration of diversity: Reviewing AOTA’s progress toward creating a more diverse profession. OT Practice, 2, 31–34.
http://www.otcentennial.org/
https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/10/ex-cleveland-schools-therapist-who-rioted-at-us-capitol-on-jan-6-seeks-mercy-from-court.html