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Susan Pierce , OTR, CDRS
Graduating in 1977 from the University of Alabama in Birmingham with a B.S. degree in occupational therapy, Susan has 27 years of full-time experience in driver evaluation/education services. She started new driving programs in Georgia and Louisiana before moving to Orlando, Florida in 1983 where she was a driver rehabilitation specialist in Humana Hospital Lucerne Rehabilitation Center for 10 years. Susan first began to informally teach small groups of interested occupational therapists about the field of driver rehabilitation in 1984 and formally in structured workshops by 1986. Susan received charter certification from ADED in 1988 in specialty areas of neuro-sensory, adapted car and van; and then certification as a Driver Rehabilitation Specialist in 1995.
Susan has been involved in issues related to driving evaluation on a state and national level. She was chairperson of a Florida Vocational Rehabilitation committee from 1984 to 1988 to establish state standards for driving programs and vehicle modification procedures. She has been active in the ADED – The Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists (ADED), serving as secretary in 1984 and president 1986, 1987 and again in 1995. She also served on its certification committee for 7 years, being chairperson from 1989 until 1991 and chairperson of the test development committee in 1994 and 1995. She was President of the Florida Chapter of ADED in 1991.
In April 1990, she founded Adaptive Mobility Services, Inc., where she serves as CEO and President, Senior Driver Rehabilitation Specialist and occupational therapy consultant.
She has been published in numerous professional journals, magazines and books including Team Rehab Magazine, AOTA Specialty Section Newsletters, AOTA Occupational Therapy Practice Magazine and Advance Magazine for Directors. She has published chapters on driver rehabilitation in the WORK Journal, in the 1999 edition of Rehabilitation Guide by AHAB Press, in the 1998 and 2004 editions of Mosby’s Stroke Rehabilitation Book, in AOTA’s self-paced clinical course, “The Role of Occupational Therapy With the Elderly,” and the 2002 5th edition of Trombly and Radomski’s, Occupational Therapy for Physical Dysfunction. She was primary co-author of the AOTA’s 2006 online course entitled “Driving and Community Mobility for Older Adults: Occupational Therapy Roles.”
Susan served on an SAE task force committee to develop national standards on adaptive driving equipment and vehicle modification. She was an associate member of the European Manufacturers Group from 1988 to 2000. In the local community, she has served on the board for the Center for Independent Living in Orlando, Florida from 1997 until 2000, serving as secretary in 1998 and 1999 and vice president in 2000. She also served as their consumer advocacy committee chairperson in 1997-1998. Susan was the leader in organizing and developing the first annual Occupational Therapy Symposium on Community Mobility and Driving held in Orlando, Florida in December 2006 presented in collaboration with AOTA which has since been an annual symposium.
She served the AOTA as an occupational therapy driving expert at the Older Driver Consensus Conference in December of 2002 and was invited to serve as an expert on the Older Driver Initiatives Panel in 2003-2004 where she worked on committees for developing a position paper on driving and community mobility and a proposal to the AOTA specialties board for considering a certification in driving and community mobility. She served on an AOTA expert panel for developing a speciality certification in driving and community mobility in 2006-2006. She also was a speaker at a series of workshops sponsored by AOTA in 2006-2006 for “Occupational Therapy and the Older Driver: Addressing the IADL of Community Mobility and Driving.”
Susan has received recognition for her devotion and work in the field of driver rehabilitation both in her state and nationally. She was honored by the Florida Occupational Therapy Association in 1987 with the Annual Award of Recognition. In 1994, ADED awarded her the Scholar Award for her scholarly achievement in the field of driver rehabilitation services. In 1992, ADED gave her an award of recognition for her dedicated effort and foresight in the initiation and development of the ADED certification process. In June 1999, the Florida Alliance for Assisted Services and Technology (FAAST) presented Susan an appreciation award for her dedicated service, commitment, and support for persons with disabilities in Florida. The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) gave her two Recognition of Achievement Awards in 2006 for “Mentor and Pioneer of Driver Rehabilitation for the Disabled” and “Occupational Therapy Pioneer in Educating Therapists in Driver Rehabilitation.”
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