Founder of the Practice and President of Rehab Educators, LLC
Mary Jo McGuire graduated from The Ohio State University's Occupational Therapy program in 1976, and earned a Master's in Health Sciences Education and Evaluation from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1980. Her 40+ years of practice in Occupational Therapy have included practice, research, education, consultation and administration.
Her career has included:
•Establishing the Occupational Therapy Department at Barberton Citizens Hospital (now Summa Barberton Hospital)
•Clinical Supervisor at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (now the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab)
•Clinical Education Specialist at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (now the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab)
•Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
•Director of Rehab Educators, a Continuing Education Company for rehab professionals
•Assistant Professor and Academic Fieldwork Coordinator at Walsh University
•Founder and President of Rehab Educators, LLC
Mary Jo has served the Ohio Occupational Therapy Association (OOTA) and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) in many capacities. She been awarded honors from both organizations, from AOTA's 1987 Cordelia Myers Award for the outstanding article by a first-time author in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy to the 2020 Lindy Boggs Award for her work with the American Medical Association. Mary Jo served AOTA as their representative to the American Medical Association's Health Care Professional Advisory Committee on Current Procedural Terminology (AMA HCPAC CPT Advisor) from 2012-2020.
As a therapist, Mary Jo is committed to occupation-based, client-centered, goal-oriented practice. She enjoys serving older adults aging-in-place and low vision clients, has a very special commitment to helping survivors of brain injury (TBI, Stroke, Brain Tumor) and clients with neurological diseases (Parkinson's, ALS, Alzheimers Disease, MCI) overcome their deficits and maintain a high quality of life through active participation in meaningful activities. Her years of work in studying, teaching and publishing about the management of cognitive-perceptual disorders and vestibular issues has placed her in a position to understand and help people with these "invisible" problems. Her most recent article, titled "Practice Guidelines: Addressing Vestibular and Visual Problems in The Neurologically Impaired Adult" was published in April of 2022 in the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/ojot/vol10/iss2/9/. Mary Jo has been actively involved with the Summit County Traumatic Brain Injury Collaborative for 20 years, and is on the Board of Directors for the Northeast Ohio Brain Injury Foundation (NEOBIF), of which she was one of the founders.
In 2009, she received an AOTA Mini-Grant, funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to address the issues of Occupational Therapy and Driving; subsequently, she co-edited an AOTA text on Driving and Community Mobility. In 2014, she was invited to participate in an AOTA/NHTSA sponsored Summit for Experts in Older Adult Driving, held in Bethesda, MD, to explore the problems and continue efforts to address the many issues in this area.
In addition, Mary Jo loves working with children who have developmental problems, as well as school-age children who have problems reading and writing. In graduate school, her studies of Auditory-Perceptual Disorders and Advanced Neurophysiology led her to explore the world of dyspraxia. Her graduate clinical work in a well-baby clinic was supported by special studies in the 'soft signs' of learning disabilities. As a clinician and parent she studied and practiced applying therapeutic strategies to address disorders of dyspraxia, dysgraphia, and dyslexia.
Mary Jo has been married to Jim McGuire for 36 years. Jim retired from teaching at the University of Akron, but still is teaching at John Carroll University. Their four children are now adults: Mike, Sara, Dan, and Beth. Mike and his beautiful wife, Hannah, have blessed the family with their children, Finn, Beckett, and Charlotte. Mike is Sr. Deputy Legal Counsel & Policy Advisor in the Ohio House of Representatives; Sara is an actress and dancer in New York City having most recently enjoyed being the dance captain in a Touring Broadway Musical titled "On Your Feet!" that crossed the nation and also performed in Canada.
Dan is an Assistive Technology Professional and the Director of Integrative Technology for LifeBridge Remote Services; he and his beautiful wife, Gaby, live in Cuyahoga Falls, and had their first child, Ronan, on January 12, 2024. Beth and her husband, Camden, live in North Canton, Ohio; Beth works as a teacher's aide at the Idea House serving children with special needs, and is a tutor for NorthCoast Educational Services.
Mary Jo's life is centered around her faith in God. Her belief in His eternal love for all the people He has created enables her to serve her clients with hope that God's love will continually guide every person. She is a member of St. Hilary Parish in Fairlawn. Mary Jo is deeply thankful to God for the exceptional therapists and support staff at Rehab Educators. She is dedicated to ensuring that every client receives outstanding services from the skilled members of this talented team..
