Thomas B. Kidner

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Thomas B. Kidner (1866–1932) was an early leader in occupational therapy. He helped found the National Society for the Promotion of Occupational Therapy (NSPOT), which later became the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). He served as NSPOT president from 1923 to 1928.

Kidner was born in Bristol, England, to Robert Kidner and Mary Ann Bessell Kidner. In 1890 he married Emily Edith Allen, and they had three children. He moved to Canada in 1900 as one of three teachers chosen to bring technical education to elementary schools. In Canada he held many education jobs and strongly believed in using manual training and crafts as part of learning and rehabilitation.

During World War I, starting in 1916, Kidner was the vocational secretary of the Military Hospitals Commission in Ottawa. He created programs to help soldiers recover from injuries or tuberculosis and return to work. Even while bedridden, soldiers could do meaningful tasks, and as they improved they moved from curative workshops to industrial workshops, eventually finding suitable jobs. His work drew attention from leaders in the United States, including Eleanor Clark Slagle.

In NSPOT/AOTA, Kidner focused on building the organization. He supported creating a registry of therapists and standards for education, and he argued that occupational therapy should stay within the medical field. He helped align the OT insignia with medical symbols and is credited with introducing crafts as a key therapy in occupational therapy.

After leaving NSPOT/AOTA, Kidner worked with the National Tuberculosis Association as head of the Advisory Service on Institutional Construction until 1926, then returned to architecture until his death. He died suddenly at his son Arthur’s home in Beechhurst, New York, on June 14, 1932.