Page 8 - Mobility Management, June 2019
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ISS Returns to Pittsburgh
The “W” Word
Carol Shrader started off the ISS with the keynote address “The W Word:
A Parent’s Perspective.” Shrader is mother to triplets Benjamin, Claire and Mason; both boys were born with cerebral palsy (CP). Shrader said that upon hearing that her sons were developmentally delayed, “I was waiting for them to catch up developmentally. We were trying to get them to catch up.”
As her children grew, Shrader said, “I wouldn’t even allow the word wheelchair to be said in their presence. It was the ‘W’ word. It screamed this was not a disability we would outgrow. I was scared to death if I asked questions, what the answers would be.”
Poster presentations gave snapshots of recent research projects.
Shrader said, 60 percent walk unas- sisted. Another 10 percent walk with assistance, as Mason did. And 30 percent use a wheelchair. “Walking should not be the end-all, be-all,” Shrader said. “I pushed, cajoled and begged [her sons] to walk. I thought it was the goal to be ‘normal.’ But walking was never Benjamin’s goal; he knew who he was already and what he wanted to accomplish. To Benjamin, at 5 years old, a wheel- chair meant freedom.”
Behind Every Data Set, a Person
In addition to memorable keynotes, the ISS featured educational sessions, poster and paper presen- tations, and an exhibit hall that kicked off by hosting more than 500 assistive technology users and their families on Tuesday afternoon’s Consumer Day.
The theme of this year’s ISS was Bridging the Gap from Data to Value, and the presence of wheelchair
users was deeply felt, whether they attended the show or had their stories shared by those closest to them.
“Behind each data set is a human being,” Schmeler reminded attendees. “Behind each ICD9 or ICD10 code is a human being.”
That point was echoed by Shrader. Near the end of her keynote, she
Steve Mitchell and Rachel Hibbs presented “Physics for Therapists.”
Yamaha Motor Corp. showed off the new NAVIGO system, a power-assist system that includes an add-on joystick and an add-on attendant control for manual wheelchairs.
Carol Shrader’s keynote offered a parent’s perspective.
Benjamin was the more severely affected child, and by the time
he turned 4, Shrader said she “knew it was time to think about
a wheelchair.” But Benjamin, knowing Shrader hated wheel- chairs, protested: “I don’t need this, Mommy. I walk.”
Shrader pushed her own feelings aside, and at age 5, Benjamin got his first wheelchair. “He went to time out for the first time two days later,” she recalled.
Of children diagnosed with CP,
Industry legends in the HERL booth: Rory Cooper (left), Mehdi Mirzaie Damabi, and Michael Lain.
shared that all three of her children have graduated college and are passionately pursuing their profes- sional interests. “Find what lights your child’s fire,” she said. m
— Story & photos by Laurie Watanabe
8 JUNE 2019 | MOBILITY MANAGEMENT
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