Accessible College with Annie Tulkin, MS, CEO
In this episode, I sit down with Annie Tulkin, MS, Founder and CEO of Accessible College, an organization that supports students with physical disabilities and health conditions as they prepare for and navigate the transition to higher education. Annie’s work may not be occupational therapy per se, but the intersection with OT is undeniable. We talk about self-advocacy, executive functioning, independent living, healthcare and medication management, environmental accessibility, accommodations, routines and meaningful participation in college life. Sound familiar, OTPs? This is exactly why I wanted Annie on the podcast. Her work is a powerful reminder that we do not have to remain inside an “OT bubble” or wait for a position with occupational therapy in the title. We can bring our occupational lens into new spaces, collaborate with professionals whose work is adjacent to ours and help create more complete systems of support for the people we serve.
Q & A with Annie:
Please tell us a little about yourself and a few favorite occupations.
I'm a mom, wife, maker, and entrepreneur. On the side, I'm a Spin instructor at my local YMCA. I enjoy hiking, biking, being outside, spending time with friends and family, and being outside.
What motivated you to contribute to this podcast series?
All the guests on the podcasts are filling a gap. They saw a space where expertise was lacking and shined a light on it. I too am filing a gap. I support students with physical disabilities and health conditions with college preparation and transition and I'm the only person focused on providing support for this group of students.
Please describe the UncommonOT work that you do and the setting in which you work, the population you serve and the needs that you address.
I'm actually not an OT! I am, however, OT adjacent. The work that I do compliments the work that OTs are doing with students who are preparing to transition to college. I work directly with students and families across the country. I do all of my work virtually. Many of the students I support have physical, chronic health, and/or sensory impairments. I created online courses on preparing students with physical disabilities and health conditions for college that have AOTA CEUs attached. I'm an AOTA approved provider. Often, the students I work with are also working with an OT, or have worked with an OT in the past. I think the OTs are in a unique position to speak with students about the transition to college and ensure that they are thinking through their needs and plan holistically.
What inspired you or drew you to this type of OT work?
My experience working as a university administrator in a disability support office, seeing students who were not prepared for the transition to college inspired me to start Accessible College. Additionally, I bring personal experience as a person with health conditions.
How did you get there? Can you describe your path?
My undergraduate degree is in Secondary Education. I spent most of my 20s trying not to have a "real job". After college, joined the Peace Corps in Mongolia. I decided to pursue a masters in Special Education after finishing my service. I through I was going to go into something related to disability and international development, so I applied and received a Fulbright fellowship to go back to Mongolia and study Mongolian teachers perceptions of disability in the classroom. After finishing my Fulbright, I finally had to get a "real" job. I moved to Washington, DC (from Chicago) and started a position at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities. I was working on grant management, and training and technical assistance. I missed working with students directly, and was lucky enough to be hired as the Associate Director of the Academic Resource Center at Georgetown University (GU's disability support office). There I worked with undergraduate, graduate, and medical students with physical disabilities and health conditions who were seeking accommodation and oversaw academic support services for the entire student body. A few years into this position I started Accessible College as a side hustle to work on supporting students with physical disabilities and health conditions during their college search to ensure that they were asking the right questions and thinking through their needs before getting to campus. After getting married and having a baby, I transitioned to a new position as a Regional Disability Coordinator for Humanitas, Inc. working on the Job Corps disability support contract for The Department of Labor. I travelled to Job Corps centers across the US to evaluate ADA compliance and provide technical assistance. For the last 6 years, I have been focusing on Accessible College full-time. I have partnerships with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation (students with any type of limb paralysis can work with me for free through the Reeve Foundation), the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation, The Perkins School for the blind and other foundations and organizations. I also have online courses for parents, educators, and OTs (AOTA CEUs).
Please describe a typical day or OT session at your uncommon setting? What OT skills do you utilize?
I usually start my day with exercise and then getting my kid off to school! After I log into email, I usually start my day with meetings. Most students get referred to me by their high school counselor, college consultant, OT, or another healthcare provider. Throughout the day I meet with students and families via Zoom. I also have consulting and contract work that I do for organizations on the topic of postsecondary transition for students with physical disabilities and health conditions.
Can you talk about some recent highs (successes) and lows (challenges) of your current role?
I am lucky to get to work with brilliant students. Right now many of my clients are getting accepted to college. It's great to be a part of that process and then support them in thinking through their needs to determine which college they will say "yes" to. It's great o be with a student as they prepare for college and see them succeed in college. The challenges for me, are more in terms of running business! There are always things to learn and fine-tune.
How do you continue to learn in order to stay on top of things within your role?
I'm a member of numerous professional organizations: American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), and Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD). Being in these spaces helps me learn and grow.
Can you share a little bit about salary and compensation in this setting? How do OT or the services you provide get funded?
For my 1 on 1 work with students I offer package and families pay me directly. In my program with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, the foundation funds me working with students. For my consulting and contracting work, organizations compensate me directly based on the work outcomes.
Any career advice for our followers and listeners on how to get started on this path?
Ask for help! Whether it's getting support with starting a business or learning more about the specifics of the role, use your networks and reach out.
What’s a common myth or misconception about your job/role you’d like to call out or demystify?
I think a lot of families don't understand why they need a person to coach them in the transition to college. The reality is that so much changes when a student goes from high school to college and it's really important for students and families to be prepared.
Contact & Resources:
Website: www.accessiblecollege.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/accessiblecollege/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accessiblecollege/
Online Courses: https://accessiblecollege.thinkific.com/collections,
Online Courses:
1. Signature Course: Preparing Students with Physical Disabilities and Health Conditions for College: This self-paced course is designed for parents, educators, counselors, and healthcare providers. American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) CEUs. https://accessiblecollege.thinkific.com/courses/Accessible-College
2. Dorm Life and Daily Routines: Preparing Students with Physical Disabilities for College Independence: On-Demand. Designed for OTPs, healthcare providers, educators, students, and parents. Instructor: Christie Cyktor, OTD, MS, OTR/L. American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) CEUs. https://accessiblecollege.thinkific.com/courses/College-Dorm-Daily-Disability
3. College Preparation Bundle: "Preparing Students with Physical Disabilities and Health Conditions for College" + "Dorm Life and Daily Routines: Preparing Students with Physical Disabilities for College Independence". https://accessiblecollege.thinkific.com/bundles/preparation-bundle
Accessible College’s Physical Disability Resources
1. Partnership with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation: Accessible College has a partnership with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. Students with any type of paralysis can work with Annie Tulkin for free for up to 3 hours. https://accessiblecollege.com/2025/09/04/accessible-college-dana-christopher-reeve-foundation-celebrating-5-years-of-collaboration/
2. Navigating the Transition to College with Paralysis: A comprehensive guide written by Annie Tulkin for the Reeve Foundation. https://s3.amazonaws.com/reeve-assets-production/Navigating-and-Transitioning-to-College-with-Paralysis.pdf
3. A Wheelchair User’s Guide to Preparing for College and How to Secure Housing and Manage PCA Services at College.
https://accessiblecollege.com/2022/03/08/wheelchair-college/ and https://accessiblecollege.com/2022/03/31/pca-services-in-college/
4. United Spinal: Wheels on Campus-20 wheelchair friendly campuses guide: This is a guide that United Spinal and New Mobility Magazine put together. It features the most wheelchair accessible campuses and discusses college options for wheelchair users. https://newmobility.com/category/wheels-on-campus/
5. Accessible College and the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA): Working Together to Support Students: A series of resources and webinars created by Accessible College with MDA. https://accessiblecollege.com/2024/10/23/accessible-college-and-the-muscular-dystrophy-association-mda-working-together-to-support-students/
Health Conditions/Visual Impairments:
1. When Students with Health Conditions Transition to College: This post talks about executive function skills that are essential for students with health conditions in the college setting. https://accessiblecollege.com/2019/06/24/when-students-with-health-conditions-transition-to-college/
2. How Can Students with Health Conditions Successfully Navigate the College Transition?: This post focuses on preparing students with health conditions to be able to self advocate in college. https://accessiblecollege.com/2020/01/21/how-can-students-with-health-conditions-successfully-navigate-the-college-transition/
3. Perkins School for the Blind-College Readiness Resource Center: Accessible College worked with the Perkins School to create this site to support students, families, and educators. https://www.perkins.org/transition-center/college-success/resource-center/
As always, I welcome any feedback & ideas from all of you or if you are interested in being a guest on future episodes, please do not hesitate to contact Patricia Motus at transitionsot@gmail.com or DM via Instagram @transitionsot
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