OT Week 2026 – Help us showcase OT impact

Participation changes everything ... what's your story?

OT Week takes place from Monday 2–Sunday 8 November 2026.

Your invitation to easily highlight the impact of OT

We're inviting all OTs, partner organisations, people with lived experience of OT, carers, families and supporters to share a short video about the difference participation makes in people's lives.

By taking part, you'll help raise awareness of the profession and share the real-life outcomes that make occupational therapy so valuable.

Download our simple OT Week contribution guide (PDF, 168KB)

Authenticity is more important than production quality. We're looking for genuine stories that bring the impact of occupational therapy to life.

Ella Leah, Social Media Lead

What to include

Start your video with ‘Participation changes everything...’

... then share one example from your practice that shows why.

Your story can be about a significant milestone or a seemingly ordinary activity. What matters is the difference it made.

Examples could include:

• supporting someone to return to work, education or volunteering
• helping someone participate in family or community life
• enabling someone to return to a hobby, sport or activity they enjoy
• supporting person to resume everyday activities
• building confidence after illness, injury or a life change
• attending a wedding, celebration or important life event
• a simple everyday activity that had a significant impact on someone's wellbeing or quality of life.

Filming tips

• Keep your video to 20 seconds or less.
• Film in a quiet location with good lighting.
• Clean your camera lens before recording.
• Use the back camera if possible – you could ask someone to film you.
• Speak clearly and directly to the camera.

If you’d like more guidance: 

Download our extended guide (PDF, 208KB)

Watch our example video

Don't want to appear on camera?

That's absolutely fine. You can instead:

• share a photograph or series of images related to your work on your personal social media channels
• use the caption to explain how participation made a difference
• tag RCOT so we can help share your story.

Know someone with a story to tell?

Help us showcase the power of participation by encouraging others to take part in the campaign.

We'd love to hear from occupational therapy colleagues, partner organisations, people with lived experience of occupational therapy, carers, families and supporters.

Please share this request with anyone who may like to get involved.

Before you share

Please make sure you:

• keep all clinical and personal information confidential
• have permission from anyone featured in your content
• only use photographs, videos or images with appropriate consent
• never enter service-user information into an AI tool.

When and where to share

Please share your video/photos/story during OT Week, Monday 2–Sunday 8 November 2026, on LinkedIn, Instagram and/or TikTok.

Please use: #RCOT #OTWeek2026 #ParticipationChangesEverything

And tag @RCOT so we can engage with and amplify your content.

Send your video to RCOT

We're also looking for member stories to help us bring the campaign to life across our website and social media channels.

Please send your video to [email protected] via WeTransfer by Monday 12 October 2026.

Please include your name and what you do in the message box on WeTransfer.

Due to the volume of submissions, we may not be able to use every video received. By submitting your video, you consent to its use across RCOT's website, social media channels and campaign materials. Consent can be withdrawn at any time by contacting [email protected].