The inaugural International Seating Symposium: Virtual Professional Summit (ISS:VPS) begins next week, with a full day of education on Wed., Feb. 7.
The second day of the VPS is Wed., March 6, though both days of the event will also be recorded for on-demand viewing.
The first ISS:VPS day starts at 10 a.m. Eastern with presenter Satish Mishra, DrPH, speaking on “Global Initiatives for Assistive Technology.”
Following a 15-minute break, the AM Supporter Spotlight will feature Sunrise Medical from 11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
After another 15-minute break, Bart Van der Heyden, PT, will present “Riders on the Storm: Seating Interventions for Children with Dyskinesia” from 12 noon to 1 p.m.
That session will be followed by a 15-minute break, and then a one-hour presentation from Amy Lane, OTR/L, CDRS, who will be speaking on “Innovations in Auto Mobility: Integration of Driving and Mobility for Clinicians and Industry Professionals.”
Another break follows from 2:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., after which the PM Supporter Spotlight will be presented by Merits Health Products.
Lead panelist Sivashankar Sivakanthan, Ph.D., will lead the 3:15 p.m. panel, “Updates, Advocacy, and Resources: What the Seating Team Needs to Know About Air Travel.”
After the day of education, the VPS team and iNRRTS will cohost an industry mixer and happy hour.
Rachel Hibbs, DPT, NCS, ATP/SMS, Co-Director of the ISS, said the schedule was created to apply and appeal to a wide range of seating professionals, including students and newer ATPs.
And the ISS team is hoping this virtual, split-day format will be a helpful alternative for those who find it difficult to travel to the in-person ISS.
“We’re attempting to access or invite people that wouldn’t normally come to something like ISS — like therapists who aren’t only doing seating, or students who are interested, but are not going to come to a full week, in-person event,” Hibbs said. “So we’re doing this virtually. We’re trying to make it more accessible for more people.”
Registration is now open.
