New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center

SCI Consumer Education - Annual Conference

2011 Stepping Forward-Staying Informed

November 12, 2011 (Saturday)
10 am to 5 pm

Topics

John D. Steeves, PhD, Founding Director of ICORD (International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries) at University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health

During this session, conference attendees will: understand the history of SCI research as well as the care and support of people living with SCI during the past 100 years; learn about the progress and challenges to translating a scientific discovery into a valid clinical treatment; and gain an appreciation of what can be accomplished now in terms of the functional recovery for activities of daily living through active rehabilitation.

Pain after Spinal Cord Injury: Insult Added to Injury

J. Scott Richards, PhD, ABPP, Professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

During this session, conference attendees will: gain an understanding of the two major types of pain associated with spinal cord injury; understand how pain contributes to depression and anxiety; learn about psychological approaches to pain management; and learn about various medications that may help neuropathic pain.

Some is good. More is better. Avoid inactivity: Exercise prescriptions to facilitate health in persons with SCI

Rachel Cowan, PhD, ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist, Post-Doctoral Associate, the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

During this session conference attendees will; learn the current exercise recommendations for individuals with disabilities; and identify one exercise program that is proven to improve chronic disease risk factors or reduce shoulder pain.

Universally Designed and Assistive Products and Technologies

Jennifer Otitigbe, MS Director of User Experience and Research, Institute for Human Centered Design

During this session of the conference, attendees will learn about new products and technologies that impact individuals’ opportunities for control and independence at home, work, and during recreation, as well as understand how to access these products and technologies. This session will also discuss the global developments in inclusive and universally designed products as well as provide attendees with approaches to communicate needs to designers, researchers and producers of inclusive and universally designed products and technologies.