Access & Technology: RESNA's SIG-17 International AppropriateTechnology Elects Co-chairs for 2000-2001

RESNA's SIG-17 International AppropriateTechnology Elects Co-chairs for 2000-2001

Julianna Arva, BS, and Todd Lefkowicz, MSIE, were elected the new co-chairs of RESNA's Special Interest Group 17 (SIG-17) at the RESNA annual meeting on July 2, 2000. Arva, who is Hungarian, was only the second rehabilitation engineer in Hungary. Today there are about twelve. She received her professional training in Sweden and is currently employed at the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh. Lefkowicz, who works at the University of Washington, has also developed a special seating project in Peru. He is the author of a very useful computer assisted design (CAD) program which aids in the design of custom wheelchairs based on the Whirlwind Wheelchair Africa I model.

RESNA stands for Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America but the organization changed its name to just RESNA when it decided to include other rehabilitation professionals. RESNA Special Interest Groups (SIGS) were created to address the diverse needs and interests of its membership. Each SIG provides a network for the exchange of information within its own area of speciality.

Focus of SIG-17
SIG-17 focuses on appropriate assistive technology and services for people in developing countries and other limited-resource areas. It is a blend of several professional groups including rehabilitation engineers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, orthotists and prosthetists, and rehab technology suppliers. SIG-17's main goal is to assist in the development of self-sustaining technologies available in developing countries using locally appropriate methods and materials. Its main focus since 1992 has been on its "Project Sorebutts," whose goal is to improve the health of people with spinal cord injuries. The project focuses on two big killers in developing countries: pressure sores, and bladder infections.

Poster & cushion design competitions
Through Project Sorebutts, SIG-17 members organized a poster competition to create educational posters to make spinal cord injury survivors and their caregivers aware of the seriousness of pressure ulcers and the importance of pressure relief in their prevention. They also have established an annual international cushion design competition to encourage the creation of inexpensive seat cushions for the prevention of pressure ulcers in people with disabilities living in developing nations or impoverished areas of the world. Future goals include compiling a "Spinal Cord Injury Survivors Manual" and developing measures of effectiveness of organizations providing assistive technology to people with disabilities in developing countries. This tool would enable organizations to quantitatively assess the success of their programs or services in meeting the needs of their target user group.

Winning Low-Cost Cushion Designs
1st Place & People's Choice Moulded Coir Cushion by Motivation Charitable Trust in Sri Lanka (#00-66): Polyurethane foam over a molded coir base with a shower-proof cover ($12.00)	2nd Place & People's Choice Generic Contoured Foam Cushion by Motivation Charitable Trust in Sri Lanka (#00-01): Foam contoured cushion with water resistant cover ($4.38)
3rd Place (tie) Cushy Tushy by J. Tipton & J. Ysselstein in the U.S. (#00-07): Packing foam peanuts in socks, layered, with a t-shirt cover ($1.35)	3rd Place (tie) Low Cost ETOM (Easy to Make) Cushion by C. Thaodem & B. Chakardorty in India (#00-02): Plastic bags in a cotton cover with compartments ($.90)
People's Choice Recycled Comfort by J. Ysselstein & J. Tipton in the U.S. (#00-10): Plastic bags with bubble wrap base ($.80)
Other Low-Cost Cushion Designs
Paddy Straw Cushion by D. Nanda in India (#00-03): Three bundles of paddy straw wrapped with t-shirt material in a waterproof nylon cover ($1.38)	Jute Fiber Cushion by A. Kumar in India (#00-04): Jute fiber of different lengths in a t-shirt with stitched compartments with a waterproof nylon cover ($1.61)
Indian Hay Cushion by S. Abraham & S. Kumar in India (#00-05): Foam pieces and hay in separate layers, on a wooden base with a cotton cover ($0.03)	The Recycled Plastic Cushion by R. Catricala & J. Roberts in the U.S. (#00-08): Plastic bags and bubble wrap ($1.64)
Air Butt by J. Ysselstein & J. Tipton in the U.S. (#00-11): Air packets in a t-shirt ($3.00)	Orthopoise by D. Bain, M. Ferguson-Pell, G. Nicholson, P. Davies & P. Lennon in the U.K. (#00-09): Wooden cushion using a 2-tier mosaic of biaxial see-saws ($1.00)

At this summer's annual RESNA conference in Orlando, Florida USA, SIG-17 co-chairs Arva and Lefkowicz enthused about their goals for the coming year. "I would like to extend our work to Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, Arva said." She noted that up until now, SIG-17 efforts have focused on the "third world" areas of Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Lefkowicz was excited about further developing SIG-17 work in South America, especially in Peru where he currently has a project. Both co-chairs seemed to have a remarkable amount of energy and goodwill.

The outgoing SIG-17 co-chairs are Peter Axelson and Denise Yamada. They are both employed at Beneficial Designs, (http://www.beneficialdesigns.com) a Santa Cruz, California USA engineering and design firm specializing in technologies that enhance access for people of all abilities. Axelson may be best know for designing the first sit-ski for disabled skiers.