The Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) is honoring longtime member Denis K. Anson by launching an endowment fund in his name. Donations are now being accepted for the fund, whose creation is being led by past RESNA Presidents Gregg Vanderheiden and Roger Smith. The award will be given each year…
RESNA Seeks Donations for New Denis K. Anson Innovation Award
Accessibility Advocates: WestJet Power Wheelchair Weight Limit Excludes CRT Consumers
The Canadian-based airline has a 300-lb. weight limit for power chairs it transports.
Accessibility advocates say Calgary, Alberta-based airline WestJet has published weight limits that prevent many Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) wheelchair riders from bringing their Group 3 power chairs with them when they fly. WestJet’s website says wheelchairs and scooters that weigh more than 300 lbs. (approximately 136 kg) are not allowed on its Boeing 737 or…
Shepherd Center Webinar to Demonstrate WC-FIT Assessment Tool
The Feb. 17 presentation is free to attend.
The Wheelchair Functional Impact Tool (WC-FIT) has an illustrious origin story, having been developed by Shepherd Center seating and wheeled mobility clinicians, including Mandy McDonald, MS, OTL, ATP, and Tori Fallgren, PT, DPT, NCS, ATP, as well as Stephen Sprigle, Ph.D., PT, professor of the School of Industrial Design & School of Mechanical Engineering, the…
Ultralightweight Upgrade Bill Called ‘Common Sense’ at Congressional Meeting
H.R. 1703 would reduce the financial barriers for Medicare beneficiaries.
The bill that would create a more accessible path for Medicare beneficiaries wanting to upgrade their ultralightweight wheelchairs was described as “common sense” during a Jan. 8 Energy and Commerce Health subcommittee meeting. The meeting centered on several bills related to durable medical equipment and funding barriers such as competitive bidding. Tom Ryan, president/CEO of…
Gauge Capital Invests in Reliable Medical, Sets Sights on Next Phase of Expansion
The move demonstrates continued investor interest in the Complex Rehabilitation Technology and mobility sector.
Private equity firm Gauge Capital has acquired Reliable Medical. Broadly, the move signals continued investor interest in the Complex Rehabilitation Technology and mobility sector amid demographic tailwinds and persistent demand for specialized care. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. “[Reliable CEO Charles Sargeant] and the broader Reliable management team have done an excellent…
Briefly: RESNA Introduces Anson Innovation Award; ABLE Account Eligibility Changed Jan. 1
Featuring the Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America and the ABLE National Resource Center.
RESNA Fundraising for Denis K. Anson Innovation Award The Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) is honoring longtime member Denis K. Anson by launching an endowment fund in his name. Donations are now being accepted for the fund, whose creation is being led by past RESNA Presidents Gregg Vanderheiden and Roger…
Ekso Bionics Pursues Merger, Possible Separation of Exoskeleton Business
EKSO produces the Indego personal exoskeleton to support walking.
EKSO Bionics (Nasdaq: EKSO) has signed a non-binding term sheet to combine its business with Applied Digital— a move that raised questions of what a merger could mean for EKSO’s exoskeleton business. EKSO’s Dec. 29 announcement said the deal would merge “Applied Digital’s cloud computing business, Applied Digital Cloud, with EKSO, which, once closed, will…
Commentary: End the ‘Band-Aids’ for Telehealth Flexibilities
It’s past time for a permanent and reasonable solution.
The current telehealth extension, the one that includes occupational and physical therapists working in the seating and wheeled mobility industry, ends Jan. 30, 2026. If you’re thinking that this latest extension seems to sped by, maybe that’s because it passed on Nov. 12, as part of a continuing resolution that restarted the federal government. The…
CES 2026: 4 Assistive Technology Exhibitors to Watch
Mobility is on display in Las Vegas this week.
The first week of January can mean only one thing (beyond the fact that those holiday decorations really need to be put back into the garage): CES is lighting up Las Vegas once again. Formerly the Consumer Electronics Show, CES says it “connects innovators, decision makers, media, influencers, visionaries and potential customers across the entire…
Congressional Subcommittee to Discuss Ultralightweight Upgrade Bill on Jan. 8
The House Energy & Commerce’s subcommittee will also discuss bills related to durable medical equipment funding.
The House Energy & Commerce’s subcommittee on health will be discussing H.R. 1703, the titanium/carbon fiber ultralightweight upgrade bill, among other bills during a Jan. 8 hearing. The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) called for constituents of health subcommittee members to reach out to their representatives’ health care staffers by Wednesday, Jan. 7, “and ask…