AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PHYSICAL THERAPY ARKANSAS (AAPTAR)

Our parent organization, The AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PHYSICAL THERAPY (AAPT) (http://www.americanacademypt.com), a 501(C)(3) Nonprofit Anti-Racism Organization, was spearheaded by seven including Dr. Lynda D. Woodruff and Leon Anderson Jr., but was chartered by 63+21 smart inventive courageous minority men and women in the Physical Therapy profession on September 16, 1989, in Chicago, Illinois, to address minority inequities in Physical Therapy Profession (http://www.aaptnet.org/charter-members.html). The focus of AAPT is Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), as well as research, advocacy, and education in the Physical Therapy profession. On August 16, 2020, the current President of AAPT, Robert C. Tillman, FAAOMPT, FAAPT, in consultation and agreement with the leadership of AAPT, created its first state chapter in Arkansas, called American Academy of Physical Therapy Arkansas (AAPTAR) and Idumange T. Idumange (popularly known as C1 at AAPT conference) was unanimously voted first President of the Arkansas Chapter. The state chapter was created to better reach the communities we live and work in.

 

 

 

 

According to 2019 APTA WORKFORCE ANALYSIS (https://www.apta.org/contentassets/5997bfa5c8504df789fe4f1c01a717eb/apta-workforce-analysis-2020.pdf), there are 440,466 Physical Therapists (PTs) and Physical Therapist Assistants (PTAs) in the United States, which is a significant increase from 2016-2017. In 2016-2017 American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) demographic survey of PTs and PTAs found about 249, 000 PTs/PTAs in the United States, of whom 1.5% of PTs are African American or black and 1.8% of PTAs are African Americans or black, while 88.5% of the profession is Caucasian or white. This translates to 31 PTs and 25 PTAs who are African American or black in Arkansas in 2016-2017 (https://www.apta.org/your-career/careers-in-physical-therapy/workforce-data). These percentages have recently improved to about 3-4%, but there is still gross under-representation and inequities in delivery of services to our diverse communities. According to Ubuntu (African Philosophy of Humanity), "I am because we are," which means my existence is intricately tied to your existence: I exist because we exist. Therefore, the inequity of one community is an inequity to all communities and all communities suffer the consequences of inequities. This is why we must all unite to fight for diversity, equity, and inclusion everywhere.

For more info: 1. https://www.zippia.com/outpatient-physical-therapist-jobs/demographics/  2. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physical-therapists.htm 3. US Bureau of Labor and Statistics: (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291123.html 4. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home.html)  5. https://www.capteonline.org/globalassets/capte-docs/aggregate-data/2020-2021-aggregate-pt-program-and-salary-data.pdf