ISS 2021 Rescheduled for Late October

• By Laurie Watanabe
• Oct 06, 2020

The University of Pittsburgh Rehabilitation Science and Technology Continuing Education (RSTCE) has rescheduled the 37th International Seating Symposium (ISS) for Oct. 26-30, 2021.

The conference is scheduled to take place in Pittsburgh.

In an Oct. 6 e-mail to stakeholders, Director Mark Schmeler, Ph.D., OTR/L, ATP, said the new dates “are the only option to reschedule the 37th ISS.”

After a summer RSTCE survey of the seating and wheeled mobility industry showed a strong preference for an in-person 2021 ISS, Schmeler and the RSTCE team looked for alternate dates next year. The 2021 ISS was originally scheduled for mid-March, but many survey respondents doubted they’d be able to attend in person at that time due to issues connected to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Several weeks ago, the RSTCE announced new September 2021 dates, but rescinded those the next day because the dates conflicted with Yom Kippur and the rescheduled National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) event.

Regarding the new October dates, Schmeler added that the University of Pittsburgh team, which hosts and produces the ISS in odd-numbered years, tried to avoid conflicting with other events. The in-person 2021 event will be dependent on the policies in place for large gatherings in late October.

“Remote attendance alternatives will be available for those who cannot or choose not to attend in person,” Schmeler said in the announcement.