Housing LIN celebrates Occupational Therapy Week 2026: Participation Changes Everything

This year's campaign, 'Participation Changes Everything', highlights the vital role occupational therapists play in helping people overcome barriers and participate in the everyday activities, relationships and communities that matter most to them.

Occupational therapists make an invaluable contribution to housing, health and social care. From advising on accessible and adaptable housing design to supporting timely home adaptations and the use of assistive technology, their expertise helps people maintain independence, stay connected and live well in their own homes and communities. 

This is captured in a new Housing LIN guest blog by disabled activist and storyteller, Martha Hall, who shares her journey from her parents’, homelessness, into temporary accommodation before finally securing an accessible home and the invaluable support she received from her OT to navigate the adaptations process.

At Housing LIN, we recognise the importance of involving occupational therapists early in the planning, design and delivery of housing. Their understanding of how our homes and environments affect daily life is essential to creating inclusive places that support people's changing needs and aspirations.

This year, we have been particularly pleased to see the publication of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT)'s Building Health into Homes report and accompanying toolkits, developed in collaboration with Foundations. Building on Adaptations Without Delay, the influential 2019 guidance commissioned by RCOT and written by Housing LIN, these new resources broaden the focus beyond home adaptations to explore how occupational therapists can contribute to housing design, prevention and better integration across housing, health and social care.

To mark Occupational Therapy Week, we are delighted to share a selection of resources and insights that demonstrate the contribution of occupational therapy to better housing outcomes:

• We need a long-term vision on accessible homes, not more costly short-sightedness – blog by disabled activist Martha Hall describing the invaluable role Occupational Therapy, and calling for a long-term vision on accessible homes.
• Building Health into Homes: Strategic Report – Published by RCOT in collaboration with Foundations in June 2026, this report highlights the relationship between housing and health and calls for earlier intervention and greater integration across services.
• Building Health into Homes Toolkits – RCOT's Practitioner Toolkit and Operational Toolkit offer practical guidance to support preventative approaches and closer collaboration between housing, health and social care.
• Building Health into Homes: Moving Occupational Therapy Upstream – In this Housing LIN guest blog, Lucy Leonard explores why occupational therapists should be involved much earlier in housing planning, design and service development.
• Building Health into Homes: HAPPI Hour webinar – Catch up on our July 2026 webinar, featuring experts from RCOT, Foundations and The Occupational Therapy Service, exploring how occupational therapy can help create healthier and more accessible homes.
• The Inclusive Housing Design Guide – Written and peer-reviewed by housing occupational therapists, this guide offers practical advice on designing accessible, adaptable and inclusive homes for people of all ages and abilities.

We also encourage you to explore the dedicated Occupational Therapy topic pages of our website, featuring further resources, case studies and guidance on the contribution of occupational therapists to housing design and adaptations.

Find out more about this year's campaign, Participation Changes Everything, on RCOT's website.