Prairie Seating Workshop 2024
This workshop was entitled “Paving the Way: Advancing Best Practices in Seating and Mobility” . We were honoured to have another great group of speakers present to us this year. The list of presenters and their topics were:
Brenlee Mogul-Rotman: Leading the Way Towards Independence in Pediatric Mobility, Practical Applications for Best Outcomes: Provision of a Seating and Positioning System, Wheeled Mobility and Pressure Injures and the Power of Power Assist Devices.
Christie Hamstra: Connecting the Dots: From Assessment to Functional Equipment Prescriptions, On the Move: An Introduction to Best Practices for Pediatric Manual Wheelchair Mobility, Changes with Age: How to Qualify your Geriatric Client for an Appropriate Manual Wheelchair and she closed of the workshop with Client Centered Prescriptions: Cultivating Teamwork for Improved Outcomes.
Jennifer Birt: The Mat Assessment
Josh Anderson: Rigid Chair Prescription: Creating a Design Template for Optimal Fit
Jessica Presperin Pederson: Orthotic Based Custom Contoured Seating: Principles and Indications for Use
Linda Norton: Pressure Injury Prevention Throughout the Client’s Day
Bill Randall: How do People Actually Use Their Manual Wheelchair: Equipment Factors to Optimize Efficiency, Optimizing a Wheelchair: Matching Evaluation Findings to the Technology to Ensure Ongoing Success, Transportation of Children with Special Health Care Needs: Understanding the User and Equipment Standards, Anatomy of a Wheelchair: Critical Measurements and Configurations for the Ultra Lighweight Manual Wheelchair and Tilting the Odds: Manual Tilt to Improve Rehab Outcomes.
Our trade show exhibitors showed up once again with great products and services and excitement to share and spread their knowledge. Click here for a listing of the 2024 Exhibitors.
Thank you to all of the registrants who showed up with energy and a passion to advance best practices in seating and mobility! The speakers and trade show exhibitors were extremely impressed with the engagement of the registrants and their excitement to learn. We are all looking forward to coming together again in 2026!
Prairie Seating Workshop 2017
This workshop entitled “Advancing Seating Practice” brought a number of exciting presenters to Winnipeg. Sheilagh Sherman, Ginger Walls, Gabriel Romera, Brenlee Mogul-Rotman and Paul Faucher joined us to speak on a variety of topics including: assessment basics, fitting the wheelchair like a prosthetic, alternative drive controls, power seat functions, standing wheelchairs, cushion materials and design, manual wheelchair set up for optimal propulsion, evidence based practice for pressure management, functional mobility for kids, and changes to wheelchair securement and safety regulations. Our trade show exhibitors did not disappoint again with their enthusiasm and massive display of exciting products and services.
Prairie Seating Workshop 2015
Registrants and Exhibitors provided excellent feedback on another exciting Prairie Seating Workshop in November 2015! We were lucky to have vibrant seating and mobility experts as our speakers, including Cher Smith, Brenlee Mogul-Rotman who joined us from Eastern Canada as well as Amy Morgan and Arlene James who joined us from the US. Our registrants learned Manual and Power Wheelchair Skills, the importance of seating to optimize mobility and function across multiple ages and disabilities. Our Trade Show continued to grow with exciting new products and international exhibitors. Sign up early for 2017 so you don’t miss out on another great conference!
Prairie Seating Workshop 2014
Therapy First was very pleased to welcome some amazing, international speakers to Winnipeg with the theme of “A World of Expertise at your Doorstep”. Speakers included Jane Fontein, Cher Smith, Roslyn Livingstone, Tedi Brash, Tricia Garven, Martin Tierney and Tina Roesler and topics were varied from Pediatric and Older Adults and from the Mat Assessment to complex clinical Seating and Mobility strategies. Our Trade Show continued to grow with bigger and brighter attractions and international exhibitors. We are excited to see what is up and coming for 2015!
Prairie Seating Workshop 2012
Our registrants were treated to a great variety of topics and speakers this year at the Prairie Seating Workshop. We were delighted to have speakers that included Jennifer Birt, Stefanie Laurence, China Page, Jacquie Ripat, Ed Giesbrecht, Susan Johnson, Joe Bieganek, Amy Morgan and Milja Vaitilo. This year, our theme was “Thinking Outside the Chair” which encouraged participants to consider wheelchairs and other surfaces that their clients use throughout the day including cars, beds, commodes, bath tubs and sporting equipment to ensure proper positioning and pressure management throughout their entire day. We also had an afternoon with break out sessions specific to Paediatric and Adult seating issues and had great feedback from our participants that they’d like this option to continue. Our Trade Show was bigger than ever and we look forward to seeing you all in 2014!
Prairie Seating Workshop 2011
We were beyond thrilled to have Bengt Engstrom, world renowned Seating and Mobility specialist from Sweden (shortly after surviving the Japan Earthquake!) and he graced our audience with his humble and soft spoken words of clinical wisdom which inspired us to look at our clients and their seating from a totally new perspective and to “Do it, Feel it, Understand It”! The audience thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!
Prairie Seating Workshop 2009
We had another wonderful workshop this year with the theme of “Planting Seeds of Knowledge on the Prairies”. Our three exciting speakers, Elizabeth Cole from Colorado, Jessica Presperin Pedersen from Illinois and Mark Allen from California educated our registrants on topics ranging from the Mat Evaluation to Hot Topics for the advanced seating clinician, Seating for the Aging Population, Manual Wheelchair Set up, Standing as part of the clinical repertoire, Bariatric Seating, Physiological Considerations for Seating and Solving the Seating Puzzle using equipment from the Prairie Seating Trade Show. We were glad to welcome several new exhibitors from across North America to our Trade Show and it was another great success!
Prairie Seating Workshop 2008
This year’s workshop “Happy Seat” welcomed back Sharon Pratt who spoke on the importance of the hands on seating assessment and how to interpret the results, clinical best practice for pressure mapping and preparing letters of medical justification. Allen Siekman, from California presented on choosing back supports, positioning the pelvis, understanding tissue trauma development as well as dynamic seating to improve movement and posture. Our trade show boasted a record number of 33 exhibitors and our workshop registration this year totalled 110.
Human Factors in Design – March 2007
The Human Factors in Design Conference and Trade Show was held on March 1 and 2, 2007. Our vision for this conference was to unite all those involved in building/adapting/assessing homes and communities for individuals with mobility impairments. This two-day workshop, featuring Ron Wickman (Architect from Edmonton) and Kathy Pringle (Occupational Therapist and Architectural Technologist from Ontario) highlighted that it does not cost more to build homes that incorporate Universal Design concepts.
Our audience of 118 consisted of Builders, Architects, Interior Designers, Therapists, Engineers, City planners, Landscape Architects, Funders, Government officials and Consumers and any persons interested in Universal Design. Along with the two-day conference, a Trade Show was held and 18 exhibitors highlighted the equipment, modifications, and services they had available to make the homes and communities of people with mobility impairments more accessible.
Several articles were published as a result of this workshop. The Winnipeg Free Press edition of the Sunday Homes featured an article titled “Is your home fit for the future“. A Manitoba magazine entitled Building Connections published “Universal Design, Builders are you up for the Challenge?” and a follow up to the workshop and this article “Builders and Contractors, you are up for the challenge!” [Part 1 and Part 2]In addition, Glen Gordon, with help from Rick Klassen put together a unique obstacle course that gave attendees hands on experience using a wheelchair through every day “obstacles” such as ramps, narrow doorways and bathrooms.
Prairie Seating Workshop – November 2005
The conference this year featured Canadian Speakers, Linda Norton and Jane Fontein and we welcomed back Tom Hetzel. The theme of the workshop “Seating…it’s more than just Sitting” explored Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Management, 24 Hour Postural Care, The Hands On Assessment, Seating for Bariatric Individuals and Understanding Anterior and Posterior Pelvic Tilt. This year, we were pleased to have 107 registrants and 27 exhibitors in attendance. A post conference workshop featuring the Ride Cushion Certification Course was conducted following this year’s Prairie Seating Workshop.
Prairie Seating Workshop – November 2004
The conference consisted of a two day workshop featuring internationally known American speakers, Sharon Pratt and Tom Hetzel. The topics covered were Seating Assessment and Related Interventions and Seating Under the Influence of Gravity. 15 Exhibitors participated in the two day Trade Show and we were excited to have 105 therapists, insurance case managers, product vendors and students from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario and North Dakota attend the workshops.