Date: Friday, April 25, 2025
Category: General
How did you first become interested in the world of rehabilitation engineering and assistive technology?
Honestly, I’ve always been interested in gadgets, and I love hardware stores! I was first introduced to the field when an OT helped us adapt my son’s stroller to give him more support since he was very premature and couldn’t sit up on his own. We moved on to adaptive strollers, wheelchairs, standing frames, gait trainers, voice output switches, augmentative communication devices, and eventually a power wheelchair with head controls. I was in school to become an OT and was learning the foundational concepts at the same time we were trying to solve real-world problems about what he liked and what fit in our house, our neighborhood, and our vehicles. I love how assistive technology makes it more possible for the people who need it and their families.
What drives your passion for AT?
I love how assistive technology makes “more” possible for the people who need it and their families. To me, “more” means more participation, more engagement, more social connection, and more fun!
Another great thing about assistive technology is that it can help people to do the things that are important to them all the time, not just during the 50 minutes once a week when they have a therapy session.
Assistive technology can also help protect people from secondary complications. For example, AT for 24-7 Posture Care Management (PCM) can help protect people from pain, body shape distortion, and disturbed sleep that can result from being in unsupported, uncomfortable, asymmetrical positions.
What is your proudest accomplishment you’ve achieved during your career as an OT?
I have had the privilege to do so many fun things and be a part of finding solutions to problems for many different people, so it’s hard to say which is my proudest.
One of the recent things I’m very proud of is working with a great team of clinicians that included Tamara Kittelson, Lee Ann Hoffman, Jennifer Hutson, and Kourtni Bopes to publish the RESNA Position on Assistive Technology for Lying Posture Care Management. This is the first position paper to address the importance of posture care in the lying position, and I hope it will really spur progress in applying these concepts.
I’m also grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the new Seating and Wheeled Mobility: A Clinical Resource Guide in the chapter on 24-7 Posture Care Management along with Guðný Jónsdóttir.
What advice would you give to anyone to get more involved with RESNA?
Attend a conference! I know it is a big commitment with travel and registration, but it is so great to be in person with so many people who share your passions. People are willing to help, and it's easy to find someone you can get excited to talk shop with.
If you can’t attend a conference, definitely join a special interest group (SIG)! Make it a habit to show up and start getting to know people and consider volunteering for something- that’s what worked for me. Back in 2018, I attended my first RESNA conference, learned about how a SIG is started, and then partnered with others who also had a passion for 24-7 Posture Care Management to help get our SIG off the ground.
What are your main goals for 2025?
My life is changing now that my youngest is out of the house, so I have some goals that will hopefully take me away from home a little bit more. I am a volunteer with Joni and Friends Wheels for the World, and I hope to go on a trip to fit, deliver, and provide wheelchair training. I also hope to be a part of gathering wheelchairs from the Pacific Northwest region to be refurbished and provided to people who need them around the world. Professionally, my hope is to work to promote greater application of LPCM through education and outreach, while continuing to serve patients through my private practice, Clear Path Occupational Therapy.
What excites you the most about the field of assistive technology?
I love that it is becoming more accessible. AT users and families can learn about new technologies, not just in the clinic, but also through connecting in online communities and in-person events such as Abilities Expo and Here and Now events. I love projects such as the Pacific Northwest Adaptive Technology Lending Library in Seattle, where people can try out new things before they decide what works best for them. I love that I get to work with such a generous, big-hearted group of professionals who love helping people connect with the technology they need to be more engaged in all the ways they want to be.
Anything else you would like to share?
I encourage you to check out the RESNA position papers. There are some great new ones, including the RESNA Position on Assistive Technology for Lying Posture Care Management.