In this special OT Month episode, we are doing something a little different — a reunion episode! Just a couple of weeks ago, the four of us were on stage at SXSW, one of the world’s most influential festivals for tech, film, music, and culture, sharing our experiences, perspectives, and our passion for role-emerging and non-traditional OT practice. And today, we’re bringing the band back together to debrief, reflect, and process what that incredible panel meant to us — and where we go from here. So, I am thrilled to welcome back our three amazing panelists — Francisco Lasta, Dawn Heiderscheidt and Esther Bae— brilliant practitioners, storytellers, and changemakers in the OT design space. If you missed our SXSW panel, don’t worry — we’ll catch you up, dive deeper, and pull back the curtain on what it really felt like to share our message with such a dynamic and diverse audience.
Occupation-Centered Design: Unlocking Inclusive Experiences
https://schedule.sxsw.com/2025/events/PP146632
Francisco Lasta, OTR/L, Assoc. AIA
Inclusive Spaces & Design
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/flastaotr/
IG: @spinyfiredragon
Esther Bae, OTD, OTR/L, CPACC
Make Up, Beauty & Product Design
Website: https://www.modifiedindependent.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esthersbae/
IG: @modifiedindependent
Dawn Heiderscheidt, OTR/L, ECHM, CAPS, CHAMP
Aging In Place Specialist
Website: https://www.auroraindependence.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-heiders2024/
IG: @auroraindependence
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In this special OT Month episode, we are doing something a little different — a reunion episode! Just a couple of weeks ago, the four of us were on stage at SXSW, one of the world’s most influential festivals for tech, film, music, and culture, sharing our experiences, perspectives, and our passion for role-emerging and non-traditional OT practice. And today, we’re bringing the band back together to debrief, reflect, and process what that incredible panel meant to us — and where we go from here. So, I am thrilled to welcome back our three amazing panelists — Francisco Lasta, Dawn Heiderscheidt and Esther Bae— brilliant practitioners, storytellers, and changemakers in the OT design space. If you missed our SXSW panel, don’t worry — we’ll catch you up, dive deeper, and pull back the curtain on what it really felt like to share our message with such a dynamic and diverse audience.
Occupation-Centered Design: Unlocking Inclusive Experiences
https://schedule.sxsw.com/2025/events/PP146632
Francisco Lasta, OTR/L, Assoc. AIA
Inclusive Spaces & Design
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/flastaotr/
IG: @spinyfiredragon
Esther Bae, OTD, OTR/L, CPACC
Make Up, Beauty & Product Design
Website: https://www.modifiedindependent.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esthersbae/
IG: @modifiedindependent
Dawn Heiderscheidt, OTR/L, ECHM, CAPS, CHAMP
Aging In Place Specialist
Website: https://www.auroraindependence.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-heiders2024/
IG: @auroraindependence
In this episode, we will learn from Danielle Barbieri, OTR/L, an Associate Clinical Product Manager at Augment Therapy. As an Occupational Therapist with a background in the NYC public school system, homecare, and pediatric sensory gyms in pediatrics, Danielle possesses a keen understanding of the unique strengths and challenges faced by her young clients, as well as the needs of a therapist practicing under high demands and time constraints. Danielle is currently focused on growing her career, in digital health and health technology. As an OT, Danielle thrives on the challenge of developing creative and engaging activities to enhance the skills that her clients wish to improve. This experience carries over into her work at Augment Therapy, where she provides unique ideas for games, accessibility, and strategies to reach busy therapists. Danielle is an advocate for the voice of the customer, actively crafting ways to get feedback from users to drive product improvement. She harnesses her market experience to identify pain points for therapists, clients and their families. Working in a collaborative environment, she enjoys seeing how these ideas develop from multiple perspectives into solutions for Augment Therapy customers.
The Uncommon OT Series
In this special OT Month episode, we are doing something a little different — a reunion episode! Just a couple of weeks ago, the four of us were on stage at SXSW, one of the world’s most influential festivals for tech, film, music, and culture, sharing our experiences, perspectives, and our passion for role-emerging and non-traditional OT practice. And today, we’re bringing the band back together to debrief, reflect, and process what that incredible panel meant to us — and where we go from here. So, I am thrilled to welcome back our three amazing panelists — Francisco Lasta, Dawn Heiderscheidt and Esther Bae— brilliant practitioners, storytellers, and changemakers in the OT design space. If you missed our SXSW panel, don’t worry — we’ll catch you up, dive deeper, and pull back the curtain on what it really felt like to share our message with such a dynamic and diverse audience.
Occupation-Centered Design: Unlocking Inclusive Experiences
https://schedule.sxsw.com/2025/events/PP146632
Francisco Lasta, OTR/L, Assoc. AIA
Inclusive Spaces & Design
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/flastaotr/
IG: @spinyfiredragon
Esther Bae, OTD, OTR/L, CPACC
Make Up, Beauty & Product Design
Website: https://www.modifiedindependent.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esthersbae/
IG: @modifiedindependent
Dawn Heiderscheidt, OTR/L, ECHM, CAPS, CHAMP
Aging In Place Specialist
Website: https://www.auroraindependence.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-heiders2024/
IG: @auroraindependence
