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The iDAPT Centre for Rehabilitation Research Opens Aerospace technology meets rehabilitation research to help people living with the effects of aging and disabling injury and illness
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There is nothing else like it in the world. A six-degree-of-freedom motion simulator located four storeys below ground that can recreate different environments, like winter blizzards and bustling streets, and outperform most flight training simulators. That is just one feature of what is the most technologically-advanced rehabilitation research centre in the world. And it is here in Canada.
The Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (Toronto Rehab), part of the University Health Network (UHN), today officially opened its $36-million-dollar research centre - iDAPT (Intelligent Design for Adaptation, Participation and Technology). Located in the heart of Canada’s ‘Discovery District’ in downtown Toronto, iDAPT is approximately 65,000 square feet of new and renovated space.
Led by Dr. Geoff Fernie, Institute Director, Toronto Rehab/UHN, iDAPT laboratories will help “revolutionize rehabilitation science.”
“iDAPT research will produce new knowledge, more practical technologies and innovative treatments that will reduce accidents and illness and help people overcome disability. We can help people live healthier, more active and more independent lives,” said Dr. Fernie. “This research will push the boundaries of rehabilitation science in Canada and beyond.”
Scientists and research students from a broad range of engineering and clinical disciplines all work collaboratively to develop solutions that will help restore independence and quality of life for people recovering from injury or illness. Falls are a major cause of injury and disability for older adults so researchers at iDAPT are studying how people walk up and down stairs, and how they walk on icy sidewalks in order to determine how to prevent falls.
“We are redefining rehabilitation. It is now about preventing you from having an illness, accident or injury in the first place,” said Dr. Fernie. “And if you get sick or have an injury, rehabilitation is what will get you back home, back to work and back to the activities you enjoy doing.”
The number of Canadians over the age of 65 will double in the next two decades. Globally we are facing a healthcare challenge: how to care for a rapidly aging population when long-term care is not an option.
“Our research includes a big focus on finding ways to help family members care for each other and remain in their own homes as they age,” adds Dr. Fernie.
“Much of the work Toronto Rehab is doing here will help people remain in their homes longer. The HomeLab, for instance, is a living environment where new assistive devices and adaptive technologies are being developed to help people stay safely in their home for longer,” said Nancy Lefebre, Senior Vice President, Knowledge and Practice, Saint Elizabeth. “Supporting people to stay in their homes will reduce the burden on the healthcare system.”
“I know iDAPT research will have a remarkable impact on preventing injuries and disabilities. I'm confident that this new centre will lead to advancements that will make a real difference for patients and their families. I’m excited to see how this research will enable Ontarians to thrive in their homes longer and live healthier lives,” said Minister Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.
“Our government knows that investing in the people and ideas that will produce tomorrow’s breakthroughs will keep Canada’s economy growing,” said Dr. Kellie Leitch, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour, on behalf of the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology). “Researchers at this state-of-the-art facility will develop leading-edge treatments and assistive devices to help people with disabilities live healthier, more independent lives.”
iDAPT’s integrated network of 13 different state-of-the-art laboratories, workshops and other research spaces, are housed at the hospital’s University Centre (550 University Ave., Toronto) and Lyndhurst Centre (520 Sutherland Dr., Toronto) and in the Rehabilitation Sciences building at the University of Toronto (500 University Ave., Toronto).
The iDAPT Centre is part of Toronto Rehab’s multi-million dollar capital redevelopment of its University Ave. site. This project, funded by the Ontario government and Toronto Rehab Foundation involved the construction of a new patient care tower, with expanded inpatient and outpatient areas and renovations to the existing facility – the recent integration with University Health Network will mean that additional rehabilitation beds will be opened within the University Centre. Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care supported this renovation and expansion and the hospital remains publicly owned, publicly controlled and publicly accountable.
iDAPT is funded by the federal government through the Canada Foundation for Innovation and by the Province of Ontario through the Ontario Innovation Trust and the Ministry of Research and Innovation. Local, national and international private sector partnerships provided in-kind contributions. The growing research program at Toronto Rehab is supported by the Toronto Rehab Foundation and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (Toronto Rehab), part of the University Health Network (UHN), is one of North America’s leading academic rehabilitation sciences centres. It is a teaching and research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto. For more information, visit www.torontorehab.com.
To book an interview with our researchers, please contact: Carolyn Lovas Media Relations Specialist Toronto Rehab 416 597 3422, ext. 3837 lovas.carolyn@torontorehab.on.ca
For more information on iDAPT facilities, please contact: Bruno Maruzzo Commercialization Officer 416-597-3422 ext. 7898 maruzzo.bruno@torontorehab.on.ca
Dr. Edward Steinfeld will be one of the keynote speakers at the 2012 Universal Design Summit. Each keynote speaker was asked to answer the following question: “What is the biggest challenge for universal design today from your professional viewpoint?" According to Dr. Steinfeld, "the primary challenge in the field of universal design is to clarify the concept and demonstrate its benefits to all. By broadening outcomes from usability to include social participation and wellness, we can overcome the perception that universal design is a narrow technical specialty. And, by addressing diversity and social justice issues beyond disability, we can expand the constituency for universal design practice and also emphasize that disablement is a universal human experience that intersects with many other conditions. Ultimately, the goal should be to develop a sustainable and global community of practice that serves as a home for those interested in design that empowers people and addresses the diversity in human populations. Getting from here to there will require establishing an infrastructure for communication, information sharing, and effective tools for research and practice. A twin focus on evidence based practice and encouraging innovation will provide a strongest foundation for this field to prosper in the context of contemporary civilization." He will expand on this issue in his lecture entitled "The Goals of Universal Design" at the conference.
The Global Universal Design Commission (GUDC), a not-for-profit corporation established to develop Universal Design (UD) standards for buildings, products and services, is pleased to announce the appointment of James Schmeling as its interim executive director. Schmeling is managing director of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University (SU), which he co-founded. He will coordinate collaboration between these and other organizations to benefit stakeholders.
In his role with GUDC, Schmeling will collaborate with the board of directors and the committees working on standards and ratings, focus on creating opportunities for current and new members, and promote use of the standards by business and industry, non-governmental organizations and others. Schmeling has extensive experience with the GUDC, having worked as the liaison to GUDC from the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at SU since GUDC’s inception. As managing director of IVMF he will bring a special focus on Veterans and their families, and inclusion of wounded Veterans and caregivers.
“This is a natural focus for my volunteer service activities, given my background work at BBI in disability law and policy,” says Schmeling. “As executive director of GUDC, I will give voice to the needs of the Veteran and military families’ community as they relate to Universal Design (UD). UD workplaces will attract the best and brightest Veterans and their families as employees. Further, my appointment positions GUDC to have direct and immediate impact in the Veteran services community.”
University Professor and BBI Chairman Peter Blanck, also GUDC chairman, said “James has been at the forefront in the creation and growth of other university research centers, and it is a great privilege to partner with James again, given his strong expertise in building organizations; he will be instrumental in helping the GUDC continue its growth and impact.”
Also joining the GUDC staff is Jordana Maisel, MUP, to serve as interim deputy director, a position in which she will continue her work with the standards committee and ratings subcommittee as well as expand to other committees as they form. Maisel is director of outreach and policy studies at the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDeA Center) at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York (UB). She has been instrumental in the progress of the standards committee and in development of the proposed ratings system, working extensively with ratings subcommittee chair Greg Patterson of Procter & Gamble. Maisel also serves as co-director of the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Universal Design in the Built Environment at UB, a project director for the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Accessible Public Transportation (RERC-APT), and is adjunct assistant professor in the School of Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning at UB. With her new appointment to the GUDC, Maisel brings skills as an urban planner and interests in improving the built environment to foster neighborhood development and revitalization and developing public policy. Maisel also is editor of the IDeA Center's e-newsletter and is responsible for the monitoring and assessment of RERC programs.
“I am eager to take a leadership role within the GUDC. My eight years at the IDeA Center and my GUDC committee work over the past three years have reinforced the importance and need for Universal Design standards,” Maisel notes. "I believe this will allow me to support ongoing efforts, and work closely with James, the board, the committees and other experts to explore new and exciting strategies to ensure GUDC’s continued success.”
“Ms. Maisel has been a terrific asset to the GUDC over the past few years and has supported the standards committee and ratings subcommittee. This appointment recognizes her valuable contributions to date, and her ability to advance GUDC’s agenda,” says Joshua Heintz, GUDC co-founder, board member and treasurer. Professor Ed Steinfeld of UB, an international leader in UD and a GUDC board member, said “Jordana has been instrumental in the effort to develop consensus standards and a rating system for the GUDC. She has the knowledge of universal design as well as the leadership skills to help move the GUDC forward into further standards development activities, certification and accreditation programs. “
Universal design makes things easier, healthier and friendlier to use for everyone. The GUDC is currently developing UD voluntary consensus standards for commercial buildings, livable communities and products, which will expand access to buildings, communities, products and services for all people. The standards will guide corporations and government entities in the creation of environments free of barriers to social participation, providing diverse users with access to commerce, public services, entertainment and employment opportunities.
For more information on the GUDC, see http://globaluniversaldesign.com/.
Universal Design features implemented in University at Buffalo's new state-of-the-art Greiner Hall
Sustainable, Plyboo walls. Floor tiling made from recycled soda bottles. Man-made ponds designed to capture rainwater before it enters an overloaded sewer system. Electrical outlets high enough to be easily accessible to wheelchair users. Classrooms and lounges suitable for educational programs and social gatherings.The usability and effectiveness of Greiner Hall’s universally designed components will be tested as part of a research project that UB’s Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDeA Center) is conducting with the goal of evaluating and improving new universal design standards for public buildings. Read More >>
The Double Amputee Who Designs Better Limbs
Hugh Herr's legs were amputated below his knees in 1982 after a climbing accident. From his knees down to the floor, he's completely artificial.
"I'm titanium, carbon, silicon, a bunch of nuts and bolts," he tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross. "My limbs that I wear have 12 computers, five sensors and muscle-like actuator systems that able me to move throughout my day."
The American Institute of Architect’s (AIA) Young Architects Forum (YAF) and Committee on Design (COD) have selected the recipients of the second annual YAF/COD Ideas Competition, sponsored by TOTO. Results in addition to images of the awarded projects with brief narratives from the designers can be found after the break.
Submitting teams were asked to explore the principles of Universal Design as well as their overlap with the values of social and environmental sustainability. Read more >>
Sustainable Futures 2011
The Department of Architecture, University at Buffalo/SUNY plans to offer the Costan Rican professional continuing education course (36 CEU) this summer! Contact us right away if you are interested! Depending on your interest we will apply for formal AIA certification of the courses. The department has offered a summer study abroad program, Sustainable Futures, for students since 1993 in partnership with the Monteverde Institute. We are now offering you the opportunity to study architecture in a small community next to the pristine Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve.
Engage in lectures, workshops, and field trips
Cover two years of AIA required Health Safety and Welfare/Sustainability credits
Meet Costa Rica design professionals
Learn about successful eco-tourism development
Visit alternative energy generation facilities
Learn from experienced faculty who have worked in Monteverde
Develop competence in issues of design and sustainability in the tropics
Work with client groups and students on local design issues
*Includes course fee, faculty, facilities, housing, and in-country travel Many of your meals are also included. (Air fare and incidentals are additional).
Options: Bring your family! (Small additional cost for housing and food); see the country. Optional tours to beach and other tourist sites available for July 2 - 8.
The AIA Young Architects Forum (YAF) and the AIA Committee on Design (COD) invites architects, students, and allied design professionals to submit sketches to the international 2011 YAF/COD Ideas Competition.
In this unique sketch competition, submitters are asked to explore the concept of Universal Design as well as their overlap with values of social and environmental sustainability.
Winners will be announced and will have their work exhibited at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2011 National Convention and Design Exposition in New Orleans, Louisiana, May 12-14, 2011. Selected entries will be displayed on the AIA website.
BUFFALO FIRM HELPS MANUFACTURERS GET ON BOARD WITH ACCESSIBILITY
You might not have heard the term “universal design," but pass through a doorway, walk down a hall, or step into an elevator, and you're surrounded by it.
It's about making the world more accessible for people with disabilities (and everyone else), and a western New York organization has played a key role in spreading the principal. Read More >>
DEADLINE EXTENDED: FICCDAT ABSTRACTS NOW DUE JAN. 4 2011
Abstract submissions for The International Conference on Best Practices in Universal Design are now due January 4th! The conference is part of the Festival of International Conferences on Caregiving, Disability, Aging and Technology (FICCDAT), which will bring together six important and different conferences June 5-8, 2011 in Toronto, ON. Abstracts for all six conferences are due January 4, 2011.
Growing Older with a Disability
RESNA/ICTA
Advances in Neurorehabilitation
Caregiving in the 21st Century
34th Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Conference
The International Conference on Best Practices in Universal Design will be Co-Chaired by Ed Steinfeld, Director of the IDeA Center and Co-Director of the RERC on Universal Design and the Built Environment and the RERC on Accessible Public Transportation, Peter Blanck, Chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University, and Aaron Steinfeld, Systems Scientist in the Robotics Institute (RI) at Carnegie Mellon University and Co-Director of the RERC on Accessible Public Transportation. Click here for more information about FICCDAT, the International Conference on Best Practices in Universal Design, or to submit an Abstract.
THE NEXT GENERATION ACCESSIBLE BUS DESIGN COMPETITION
Public transportation plays an important role in creating an accessible society because it is critical for ensuring employment, citizenship, social role participation, and social interaction for people with disabilities. This design competition challenges the public (students, transit professionals, designers, and futurists) to think creatively about what they envision for “The Next Generation Accessible Bus” of 2030. Designs must incorporate advanced technologies and accommodate people of all ages and abilities equally.
Implanted chip 'allows blind people to detect objects'
A man with an inherited form of blindness has been able to identify letters and a clock face using a pioneering implant, researchers say. Miikka Terho, 46, from Finland, was fitted with an experimental chip behind his retina in Germany. Success was also reported in other patients. The chip allows a patient to detect objects with their eyes, unlike a rival approach that uses an external camera.Read More >>
Call for Papers on Universal Design in Play, Sport, and Travel
Design for All India features articles that apply Universal Design to concrete design problems whether that is in relation to products, space, or policies. The April 2011 issue of Design for All India will explore the issues covered in Article 30 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - leisure activities such as play, sports, and travel. Learn More >>
IPad Opens World to a Disabled Boy
OWEN CAIN depends on a respirator and struggles to make even the slightest movements — he has had a debilitating motor-neuron disease since infancy. Owen, 7, does not have the strength to maneuver a computer mouse, but when a nurse propped her boyfriend’s iPad within reach in June, he did something his mother had never seen before. Read More >>
Interactive Wayfinding Kiosk now installed at Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Touch Graphics is testing a new approach to making public way-finding information accessible to people with print disabilities. Two new talking map kiosks at Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired present multi-sensory information in many ways simultaneously. Kiosk users can consult a raised line map that speaks the names of places that are touched. Alternatively, users can scroll through alphabetical lists of departments, and staff members, and then listen to verbal way-finding scripts that explain in clear language how to reach various destinations. Learn More >>
(Thecityfix.com) Access for All: Transport for the Disabled Poor
Photo via Robin King
Ten to 12 percent of the world’s population lives with a moderate to severe disability — that’s about 700 to 800 million people, or more than twice the population of the United States. Eighty percent of those people are in developing countries; and among those who are of working age, unemployment hovers around 80 to 90 percent.
It’s not surprising, then, that having a disability makes a person much more likely to live in extreme poverty. Disabled individuals also face much greater challenges to escaping the poverty cycle. While many developing countries report reductions in poverty, and in some cases, inequality, disabled people too often continue to be economically and socially excluded, unable to take advantage of economic growth and new opportunities like the rest of society.
So how can sustainable transport be used as a tool to improve conditions and access to markets, capital and public services for disabled individuals? Read More >>
July 26th: 20th Anniversary of the ADA:
ADA National Network: The ADA National Network is your comprehensive "one-stop" resource to help you celebrate the Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in your workplaces, schools and communities.
MPR Conversation with on John Tschida and Bud Rosenfield: John Tschida is the Vice president of public affairs and research at Courage Center. Former research fellow at National Rehabilitation Hospital Center for Health and Disability Research in Washington. Former asst. dir. of the Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Office. Bud Rosenfield is a supervising attorney, Minnesota Disability Law Center.
Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Workplace Accommodations (Work RERC) at Georgia Tech:
Announcement of a new survey about workplace accommodations – technology, physical changes to the workplace, or policy changes that employees have used to help them be more effective in their jobs. We are most interested in the features that help an employee because of a limitation in his or her ability due to a loss of function or disability.
The survey is online and on average, it takes about 25 minutes to complete, though it might take longer depending on the number of accommodations used. You will have the option of saving your survey and continuing it at a later time. Individuals who have difficulty using the computer may also schedule an appointment with us to complete the survey over the phone. Contact information is listed on the survey site.
If you are interested in finding out more about this survey, please visit the link below, where you will find more information and can continue on to take the survey if you desire.
UB REACHING OTHERS: Presidential Award for Faculty Excellence
Edward H. Steinfeld, a professor in the University at Buffalo's School of Architecture and Planning received the university's second annual Presidential Award for Faculty Excellence. Steinfeld is a international pioneer in the field of inclusive design and environmental access. President John B. Simpson says Steinfeld's training and scholarly gifts have created a new world of possibilities for the elderly and disabled.
Dwell Magazine: An Introduction to Universal Design
Illustration by Raymond Biesinger
Mention universal design and see your companions’ eyes start glazing over. Though formally flashy chairs and posh penthouses may reside at the sexier end of the design world, universal design actually affects us all. So pay attention and prepare to learn something - your less hale days aren’t far off; none of ours is. Read More >>
Harvard GSD Lunch Box session: Inclusive Design in the 21st Century
Soldiers who've lost limbs in service face a daily struggle unimaginable to most of us. At TEDMED, Dean Kamen talks about the profound people and stories that motivated his work to give parts of their lives back with his design for a remarkable prosthetic arm.
Edward Steinfeld to receive UB presidential award
Edward H. Steinfeld, award-winning professor of architecture in the School of Architecture and Planning and an international pioneer in the field of inclusive design and environmental access, will receive the university’s second annual Presidential Award for Faculty Excellence from President John B. Simpson at 5 p.m. March 25 in 146 Diefendorf Hall, South Campus. Read More >>
Olympic Park inclusive design hailed as setting new standard for industry
The design of the Olympic Park has been praised for its inclusivity and accessibility, and highlighted as potentially changing the way future developments are designed. Read More >>
CNN Article on Web Accessibility
Advancement in technology and software enables visually impaired individuals experience the web with ease. Read more >>
Common Syringe is Redesigned by Oxo
The new design helps those with rheumatoid arthritis with the tricky task of self-administered injections. The design gives a level of comfort to patients who need to self adminitster shots.
Emporia Life has designed a cell phone for an older demographic. The phone’s simple shape, large buttons and large screen text allow users to navigate the features on the phone with ease.Read More >>
You might not have heard the term “universal design," but pass through a doorway, walk down a hall, or step into an elevator, and you're surrounded by it.
Public transportation plays an important role in creating an accessible society because it is critical for ensuring employment, citizenship, social role participation, and social interaction for people with disabilities. This design competition challenges the public (students, transit professionals, designers, and futurists) to think creatively about what they envision for “The Next Generation Accessible Bus” of 2030. Designs must incorporate advanced technologies and accommodate people of all ages and abilities equally.
A man with an inherited form of blindness has been able to identify letters and a clock face using a pioneering implant, researchers say. Miikka Terho, 46, from Finland, was fitted with an experimental chip behind his retina in Germany. Success was also reported in other patients. The chip allows a patient to detect objects with their eyes, unlike a rival approach that uses an external camera. 
Design for All India features articles that apply Universal Design to concrete design problems whether that is in relation to products, space, or policies. The April 2011 issue of Design for All India will explore the issues covered in Article 30 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - leisure activities such as play, sports, and travel. 
OWEN CAIN depends on a respirator and struggles to make even the slightest movements — he has had a debilitating motor-neuron disease since infancy. Owen, 7, does not have the strength to maneuver a computer mouse, but when a nurse propped her boyfriend’s iPad within reach in June, he did something his mother had never seen before. 
Touch Graphics is testing a new approach to making public way-finding information accessible to people with print disabilities. Two new talking map kiosks at Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired present multi-sensory information in many ways simultaneously. Kiosk users can consult a raised line map that speaks the names of places that are touched. Alternatively, users can scroll through alphabetical lists of departments, and staff members, and then listen to verbal way-finding scripts that explain in clear language how to reach various destinations. 
Harvard GSD Student Group for Social Change is hosting a lunch box special meeting on 
