09/08/2026
👋🏼 It’s time for a reintroduction!
It’s been a while, and somewhere along the way, a bunch of half baked ideas, scribbled notes, “what if we tried this?” conversations, and slightly chaotic brainstorming sessions turned into real programs, partnerships, services, and a much clearer vision for Functional Link & I'm really excited to share more of what I've been building over the last year.
Functional Link started as a pediatric occupational therapy practice, focused on helping children and families navigate barriers in everyday life. And I still love that work. But as Functional Link grew, so did the scope of the work.
The same kinds of questions I was asking in pediatrics kept showing up across the lifespan: What is making this harder than it needs to be? What in the environment is helping or getting in the way? What needs to change so someone can participate more fully in the things that matter to them?
And the longer I did this work, the harder it became to ignore one very important thing: Most of the time, the problem to solve is not the person’s abilities. Sometimes it’s the environment, the way information is communicated, the expectations built into a program, the sensory or cognitive demands of a space, or the way a service is designed. Sometimes it’s a system that technically checks the “accessible” box while still being incredibly difficult to actually use.
And once I started noticing those gaps, I apparently decided I needed to do something about them. 😅 That’s where Functional Link has been growing.
Today, Functional Link has expanded from pediatrics to across lifespan with children, teens, adults, older adults, families, groups, organizations, programs, and systems to make accessibility, inclusion, independence, and meaningful participation more practical and achievable in everyday life.
Occupational therapy is still the foundation underneath all of it. My view of accessibility is shaped by the way OT looks at the relationship between the person, the environment, what they need or want to do, and what is helping or getting in the way.
Accessibility isn’t just whether someone can get through the door, qualify for a service, or receive an accommodation. It’s whether they can understand what’s happening, make choices, engage, contribute, participate, and actually use what is being offered in a way that works for them.
Functional Link exists to connect the dots between good intentions, good ideas, evidence, and what actually happens in practice. Because a recommendation sitting in a report is not especially useful if nobody knows how to implement it when it matters.
The goal is practical change that can be tried, adjusted, integrated, and sustained. That means the work goes beyond identifying barriers and saying, “Here are some recommendations. Good luck!” Functional Link can help with the assessment, development, implementation, integration, evaluation, and sustainment of accessibility solutions that actually have to work in the real world.
That might look like:
• Occupational therapy and individualized consultation
• Accessibility assessments of spaces, programs, services, and events
• Inclusive program and event development
• Staff education and training
• Sensory, cognitive, communication, and environmental accessibility strategies
• Transition support and family consultation
• Collaborative problem-solving and implementation support
• Figuring out what is working, what absolutely is not, and what needs to change
There’s still plenty happening behind the scenes, including a major website update, new partnerships, new services, and probably a few more half baked ideas waiting to become something real. 🧠✨
If you’re curious about where Functional Link is headed, check out the updated website functionallinkpgh.com - more updates added daily! 💚💙⛓️💥
