‘Tis the season for Halloween decorations to remind us of the importance of supporting lower extremities when tilting.
It’s planning season, the time of year to take stock of what we’ve achieved and to make new plans for 2025. Specifically for Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) professionals — clinicians, providers, repair technicians, etc. — might be looking for upcoming (and current) educational opportunities.
— The Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) is launching the ATP Guidance Program, a collaboration among RESNA, the Assistive Mobility Repair Group, and U.S. Rehab. The program provides a career path for rehab technicians to gain the knowledge and skills to prepare them to take the Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) exam.
The ATP Guidance Program pairs trained CRT mentors with repair techs. The program starts in January.
— Speaking of RESNA, its annual conference is scheduled for May 13-15 and will be part of RehabWeek 2025 Chicago. RESNA is now calling for scientific papers and student scientific papers, with a deadline of Nov. 30 and Dec. 11, respectively.
“RESNA accepts papers focused on education, service provision, research, practice and public policy,” the organization said in an Oct. 21 news announcement. “Accepted papers will be assigned to either a 15-minute platform session or an interactive poster session. In 2025, scientific posters will be eligible to compete in RehabWeek’s Poster Fast Forward competition for prizes.”
Full-time students in undergraduate or graduate academic programs can submit papers for the student competition. “Six authors will be invited to attend the RESNA conference and present their papers in either a special platform session or an interactive poster session,” the organization said. “Accepted student scientific papers will be published in the RESNA proceedings on-line, and abstracts will be published in RESNA’s scientific journal, Assistive Technology.”
— VGM Heartland is also calling for papers for its June conference in the association’s hometown of Waterloo, Iowa. Educational tracks include CRT, billing and reimbursement, business operations, regulatory and audits, and leadership and people strategy.
— The International Seating Symposium (ISS), hosted by the University of Pittsburgh returns live and in person at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, March 20-22. Pre-conference workshops take place March 18-19.
The ISS team said the newly revised schedule for 2025 offers “more exhibit hours and fewer interruptions.” The expo hall will be open for 14 unopposed hours — with no concurrent educational sessions — and a new Hands-On Zone will offer simulated environments and different terrains to try out equipment.
March 19 is Community Day, when consumers, family members, and immediate caregivers are invited into the expo hall and will be offered “four 45-minute educational sessions presented by some of the industry’s best.”
ISS registration opens in the fall.
— For immediate, on-demand education, check out Mobility Management’s latest webinar, sponsored by Stealth Products. Filipe Monforte Correia and Bart Van der Heyden, PT, present “Heads Up! Innovative Head Positioning Hacks for Wheelchair Users,” which includes innovative new ways to optimize wheelchair riders’ head positioning for improved function and social interactions.