It has been 43 years since Therapro’s President, Karen Weihrauch left her teaching position at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) for her new home in Boston.  In those 43 years a lot has changed, including the founding of Therapro! She reflected on those changes in her recent reunion message to her former occupational therapy students at their class of 1979 reunion in Milwaukee, WI.  Read on for her full remarks and to take a look back at the beginnings of Therapro!

Dear UWM OT Class of 1979,

It is hard to believe that it has been 43 years since we were all together in the OT pediatric class! I remember your class very well for many reasons but here are the two prominent reasons that come to mind. First, I remember your enthusiasm for learning which in turn made teaching all of you a joy. In addition, it was my last year teaching at UWM and my last year of living in Wisconsin. For all of us, it was the ending of something familiar and the embarking on exciting careers ahead. 

I cannot help but think how much pediatric OT has changed since I taught you 43 years ago. What I taught was based on a medical model, not a school-based model which is what we now know of pediatric OT.  School based OT was just emerging and we all have had to make many adjustments to our therapeutic approach. 

When I came to Boston to get my doctorate in OT at Boston University, I also began to work part-time in the Brookline Public Schools. The caseload and the number of evaluations quickly escalated. I could foresee that OT services would become an important part of the academic program for struggling students. We, as OTs, had much to offer. 

However, I noticed that there were some missing parts that we needed to become part of this practice area. I could not find any resources to help me nor were there any relevant supplies or equipment related to working in the schools. When I complained about this to my husband, Paul, he began to think of it as a possible business idea and we created Therapro, Inc. to fill this void. 

35 years later, and 76 years old, I am still an OT utilizing my OT skills to preside over a company that is considered “The Therapy Resource for Families and Professionals.”

OT is a great profession, and I am so glad that you are part of it!!

My Very Best to each of you,

Karen Conrad Weihrauch, PhD, OTR/L

2021, What a year! Through it all Therapro remained committed to its mission of being The Therapy Resource for Families and Professionals.   Take a stroll down memory lane with us as we look back at some of our 2021 highlights and all of the ways we worked toward our commitment to this mission!

Blogs

The very first blog post hit Therapro’s website way back in 2012; in 2021 they continued to go strong! This year we covered a wide range of topics including evaluations, movement based interventions, assistive technology, and adapting games for therapeutic uses.  We had guest bloggers, Gail Kushnir, MA OT, B.Ed and Laurie Gombash PT, M.Ed, contribute posts and this year we also tried something new, collaborative blog posts! Check out the archives for posts you may have missed!

New Products

Therapro’s team of occupational therapists and speech language pathologists spent much time during 2021 researching and trying out new products to bring to Therapro’s shelves! This year we had the chance to collaborate with new partners to bring you products like LegilLiners and Evac Chairs.  New and updated evaluation tools like the Feifer Assessment of Writing (FAW), SOSI M, and The Transition Planning Inventory – Third Edition (TPI-3) all made their way to Therapro’s website.  We greatly expanded the selection of wind ups and Fun Decks. The Sensory department saw updates with the addition of Sensory Paths, Fidget Boxes, The Sit to Stand Mobile Desk and Adjustable Wobble Chairs!  Therapro’s Assistive Technology department also saw some growth with additions like the Jelly Beamer, All-Turn-It Spinner, Switch Adapted Pluto, Switch Adapted Camera, and 9volt battery interrupter. Keep an eye on our New Products category for all of the new editions we have in store for 2022!

Conferences

Therapro continued with the virtual conference trend through 2021 but we were also excited to get out on the road again with two in person conferences. At the virtual 2021 Integrative Therapy Symposium, AOTA Inspire conference, and at the CAOT virtual conference we had the opportunity to meet attendees, show off our latest products, and give away some great prizes.  In August we stepped out to our first in person conference at the Ohio School Based Practitioners Summit and the response was tremendous.  ASHA 2021 was Therapro’s first large-scale conference of the year, and while it was scaled down from previous years, it was great to have the opportunity to engage with so many professionals in a face to face format again! We are looking forward to these continued opportunities in 2022!

Handy Guides

Therapro’s very first Handy Guide made its debut in 2020; these guides have received such a positive response that we continued adding new Handy Guides in 2021.  With Therapro’s focus on assistive technology, over the last year, it made sense to add an Assistive Technology Handy Guide to the collection!.  We also added a quick reference guide for the Eazy Holds, to help users determine the size that was just right for them! Be sure to check the Handy Guides section of our website for new additions in 2022.

Webinars

Therapro’s free webinars continued to go strong in 2021 with additional webinars and new speakers introduced into the already strong lineup. In 2021 Therapro hosted webinars on a wide range of topics including writing readiness, therapeutic activity ideas, visual skills, transition planning, evidenced based practice, and many sensory topics.  Our library of recorded webinars grew allowing families and professionals easy access to these resources.  Our 2022 lineup is already shaping up to be another great year full of new presenters!

Other highlights of 2021 included our very first video, new additions to the Therapro staff, and two new catalogs! Therapro is looking forward to welcoming in the New Year and continuing the commitment to our mission of being The Therapy Resource for Families and Professionals.

Happy New Year!