Kate Sheehan is a well-respected Occupational Therapist with 36 years of clinical experience, having graduated from the Derby School of Occupational Therapy in 1987. Her specialist area of practice is accessible housing design, championing the need to understand the meaning of home to an individual and how poorly designed modifications can have a significant impact on the well-being of clients.
Kate has been an active member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapy (RCOT) and the RCOTSS-Housing group since its formation, having held posts on the NEC including Chair and has used this platform to develop close links within government to advocate on the benefits of occupational therapy in housing and the wider built environment. To this day she continues to work with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the development of an accessible built environment.
In 2018 she co-authored the Wheelchair Housing Design Guide for the Centre for Accessible Environments, publication in March 2018, supported by the then Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, having previously authored Minor Adaptations without Delay and written chapters for The Essential Guide for occupational therapist.
Kate continues to have a small clinical caseload to keep her up to date with the needs of her clients, she provides clinical mentoring for a number of local authorities and works closely with our consultancy companies, forging better design for all.
Kate is internationally known and has presented her work in Australia, Italy, the USA along with the first accessible housing courses in Bosnia and Croatia.
Kate was awarded a Fellowship from the RCOT in 2022 for her outstanding work in the field of occupational therapy and in 2023 was bestowed a fellowship from the University of Worcester.