ATRI Annual Conference

 

Second Annual Conference: Focus on Function

 

May 25, 2006
8:00am–4:15pm
Banks Student Life Center
Misericordia University
Dallas, Pennsylvania

The Assistive Technology Research Institute at Misericordia University is a regional resource to provide information and education in the application of assistive technology and universal design principles to allow individuals with limited function to participate in their personal lives and their communities to the greatest extent possible.

The Second Annual ATRI Conference: Focus on Function is suited for nurses, occupational and physical therapists, pre- and in-service teachers, student-services providers, and others who are interested in the application of assistive technology to increase the functional independence and participation of disabled individuals.

Whether seating a child with cerebral palsy, developing daily life skills for individuals with developmental disabilities, or helping elders stay in touch with family and friends through their computers, the focus of the clinician must be on the ability to perform the task.

The presentations of this conference provide guidance on the functional outcomes that must be at the heart of an assistive technology intervention.

You can register online or call 866-262-6363,

option 4 twice, or e-mail atri@misericordia.edu

Conference fee of $40 per person includes lunch and the workshops. Group rates are available upon request.

Featured Speakers

Katherine D. Seelman, PhD

Katherine Seelman has served as Director of the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research, on several National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health committees, and has represented the United States in international forums in India, Israel, New Zealand, and People’s Republic of China, among others. In 2003, she was keynote speaker at the 26th National Rehabilitation Conference and lecture before the World Health Organization Collaborating Center in Japan. Seelman, who is hard of hearing, is an honorary RESNA fellow and has received numerous awards. She is Associate Dean for Disability Programs and Professor in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Science at the University of Pittsburgh.

 

Karen M. Kangas, OTR/L

Karen Kangas has worked as an occupational therapist since 1973 in school systems and healthcare settings. In 1985 she was invited to develop programs to support integration and increased independence through the use of seating and assistive technology through the Pennsylvania Board of Education, Bureau of Special Education and, in 1990, at Pennsylvania State University’s University Hospital Rehabilitation Center. She has been teaching since 1985 on seating, alternative access, and powered mobility throughout the United States and in Canada, Sweden, Israel, and the United Kingdom. Kangas is currently in private practice, and is completing a book on seating, access, and powered mobility for children.

 

Julie Wells, MS, OTR/L, ATP

Julie Wells is an occupational therapist and assistive technology practitioner for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where she has worked for the past two years. A graduate of the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University, she has had an interest in the field of assistive technology for the past 6 years and has recently assisted in the program planning and implementation of an “Interdependent Living Suite” with a focus on high-tech AT users. She has presented at National Educational Computing Conference, Society for Applied Learning Technology, and American Occupational Therapy Association on topics incorporating the use of assistive technology for access to computers and the Internet.

Denis Anson, MS, OTR, RESNA Fellow

Denis Anson has been actively involved in computer and assistive technology applications for rehabilitation for 20 years. He has international recognition for his expertise and has presented numerous papers at conferences on assistive technology. A founding member of the Tech-SIS board, Anson is past member of the editorial board of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, publisher of the newsletter, The OT's Computer and author of Alternative Computer Access: A Guide to Selection. He received a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of Washington. Anson is the Director of Research and Development at Misericordia University’s Assistive Technology Research Institute.

Schedule

  • 8:00–8:30
    • Registration  
    • Banks Center
  • 8:30–8:45
    • Welcome
    • Michael MacDowell, President, Misericordia University
    • Helen Speziale, edd, rn Director of ATRI
    • Banks Center, Kennedy A and B
  • 8:45–9:45
    • New Challenges for Disability Policy: The Case of Smart Technology
    • Katherine D. Seelman, phd, Professor
    • Banks Center, Kennedy A and B
  • 9:45–10:00
    • Break
  • 10:00–11:15
    • Using Morse Code as an Information Technology Access Method: Who, How, and Why
    • Denis Anson MS, OTR, RESNA, Fellow
    • Library, Catherine Evans McGowan Room
  • 11:15–12:30
    • Lunch
  • 12:30–1:45
    • Applications of Assistive Technology to Improve Functions in People with Developmental Disabilities
    • Julie A. Wells, MS, OTR/L, ATP
    • Library, Catherine Evans McGowan Room
  • 1:45–2:00
    • Break
  • 2:00–3:15
    • The Elder Interface: Making Computers More Accessible for Typical Elderly
    • Denis Anson MS, OTR, RESNA, Fellow
    • Library, Catherine Evans McGowan Room
  • 3:15–4:00
    • Seating for Task Performance: Developing task performance postures for students in wheelchairs for increased and successful access to assistive technology and tasks
    • Karen M. Kangas, ORT/L
    • Library, Catherine Evans McGowan Room
  • 4:00–4:15
    • Wrap up and evaluation, Helen Speziale

See the 2005 Conference information here.

This conference is partially underwritten by a grant from the Administration on Aging.

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