Laura Juel OTR/L, CDRS, Occupational Therapist
Laura Juel is an Occupational Therapist at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, and an Adjunct Lecturer in the Graduate Occupational Science program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist in the Duke Driving Program with a clinical interest in evaluating the older driver and community mobility. She has 22 years of experience working with adults with neurological illness and injuries in a variety of settings.
She earned her B.S. in Rehabilitation Science from Springfield College and a M.S. in Occupational Therapy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has firsthand experience in helping her own family members as they navigate through the health care system and in assisting in the management of a loved one with dementia.
Why I Care
"As an occupational therapist, I work with people to enable them to reach their highest level of independence while coping with impairments in mobility, cognition and/or vision. Driving is a key consideration for people to be independent in their homes and engage in the community. Many health care professionals do not feel comfortable talking about driving; therefore it is not routinely addressed. I received specialty training and certification in driver rehabilitation to have the knowledge base to help people make educated decisions related to their own situation, driving safety as well as exploring alternatives for community mobility. "