20TH ANNIVERSARY NEWSLETTER (FALL '09) A Celebration of the School of Rehabilitation Science - 1989 - 2009

Welcome to the Fall 2009 newsletter of the School of Rehabilitation Science (SRS) at McMaster University.

We are very pleased that 2009-2010 is our 20th anniversary. The SRS was founded in 1989 offering two-year second-degree problem-based OT and PT programs. We have grown considerably and now offer a number of MSc programs as well as PhD in Rehabilitation Science.

Without a doubt, our greatest success is the SRS community. The dedication of our faculty, students, and staff to innovation, exploration, and collaboration in rehabilitation sciences remains the backbone of SRS. Through our partnerships with community-based therapists, we continue to develop and strengthen our educational programs and research. Our alumni reunion, in conjunction with the Helen Saarinen Annual Fun Run, continues to grow.

What a significant achievement. Congratulations to all our students, staff, and faculty both past and present.

Please join us on October 6th as we kick off the festivities at the SRS 20th Anniversary Celebration.

Remember to stay connected and share your recent activities (including photos) with us.

As always, we welcome your feedback and stories - please send them to lruss@mcmaster.ca.

With Best Wishes,

Mary Law, Associate Dean, School of Rehabilitation Science

DR. JOHN BASMAJIAN (1921-2008): REHABILITATION PIONEER, MENTOR, AND FRIEND

Dr. John Basmajian was in many respects the "father" of Rehabilitation Science in Hamilton, and throughout the world. He was a trusted colleague, teacher, researcher and enthusiastic mentor to many. From his early years in medicine, Dr. Basmajian was an ardent supporter of allied health professionals (particularly physiotherapists and occupational therapists) and to the School of Rehabilitation Science.

Dr. B (also known as "Bas" to the clinicians who worked with him), was born in Constantinople to Armenian parents and was brought to Canada at the age of 2 in 1923. His early years were spent in Brantford, and he studied Medicine at the University of Toronto, interrupted by the Second World War. On discharge from the Canadian Army, Dr. B was appointed a lecturer in Anatomy at U of T, and by 1956 he was a professor. He subsequently spent some years at Queens University and then at Emory, In Atlanta, Georgia. In 1977 he returned to southern Ontario, becoming Director of the Rehabilitation Centre at Chedoke Hospital, and Professor of Medicine at McMaster.

Dr. Basmajian pioneered innovative research in electromyography, neuromuscular control, biofeedback and more recently evidence-based rehabilitation. His research led directly to the development of new interventions for individuals with disabilities. He authored nearly 400 scientific papers, and approximately 66 books, including the 24 volume Rehabilitation Medicine Library. He was an invited speaker and numerous medical meetings and symposia around the world. He received many honours, including the Order of Ontario (1995), Order of Canada (1991), and Honorary Doctorate from McMaster in 2001. He was awarded the Faculty of Health Sciences Community of Distinction in 2003. He was a member of many Editorial Boards, including Physiotherapy Canada (1979-83). He was the editor of the first edition of the Physical Rehabilitation Outcome Measures text, published by CPA in 1994. Dr. Basmajian and his wife Dora were well known for hosting visiting scholars who would travel from around the world to work with him.

In the first years of SRS he attended many faculty meetings and provided thoughtful advice. In 1999, he met with school administration and the Associate Dean to found a travel award which is named in his honour. He donated sufficient funds to allow awards to be distributed biannually, to faculty and students who were presenting the results of their research at conferences.

Dr. B "retired" in Ancaster and later in Burlington although long after his "retirement" he continued to write and he remained active at Chedoke and the SRS as a mentor and colleague. Sadly, Dr. Basmajian died in March of 2008 leaving behind his lovely wife of 60 years, Dora, their three children, and four grandchildren.

--- Jean Crowe & Dianne Russell

2009 SPRING BASMAJIAN AWARD WINNERS

Carri Hand, PhD (RS) student, attended the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists Conference in Ottawa in June 2009, to present a paper entitled: Occupational therapy for adults with chronic conditions: A systematic review.

Bonny Jung, Assistant Professor, SRS attended the International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences in Athens Greece in July 2009, where she will present a paper entitled: Examining the experiences of student occupational therapists with disabilities in Canada: Implications for health sciences education.

Norma McIntyre, Assistant Professor, SRS, attended the Canadian Physiotherapy Congress in Calgary, Alberta in May 2009, to present a paper entitled: The modified Safe Functional Motion test - Short form is reliable for assessment of movement patterns in individuals with low bone mass.

Dianne Russell, Associate Professor, SRS attended the 3rd International Cerebral Palsy Conference in Sydney, Australia which took place in February 2009, where she presented three papers, two related to knowledge brokers and one related to the GMFM-66.

The 2009 Fall Basmajian Award Winners will be announced along with the SRS Recognition Awards at the 20th Anniversary Celebration on Tues. Oct 6, 2009.

HELEN SAARINEN: 2008 INDUCTEE, FHS COMMUNITY OF DISTINCTION

Helen Saarinen-Rahikka, MHSc, was a physiotherapist and educator with an international reputation as a leader in physiotherapy. As inaugural chair of the Physiotherapy BHSc program (1989-1992), she pioneered an innovative, problem-based curriculum, the first of its kind in the world. She taught for 24 years (1972-1996) as the program evolved from a diploma at Mohawk College to a master's degree at McMaster University. Known for her ability to recognize potential and facilitate excellence, she encouraged and mentored two generations of students and physiotherapy clinicians. The Helen Saarinen Lectureship is held annually in her honour in the School of Rehabilitation Science.

Helen was inducted into the Faculty of Health Sciences' Community of Distinction in a ceremony on Nov. 7, 2008. The Community of Distinction, a 120-foot gallery in the Health Sciences Centre, presents a pictorial history of McMaster's Faculty of Health Sciences by honouring alumni, faculty and staff who have brought distinction and recognition to McMaster University and the Faculty of Health Sciences through outstanding scholarship and innovative research.

The gallery was established in 2003 and honoured nine members. Annually, up to five individuals may be selected for inclusion in the Community of Distinction.

Please scroll down to read about the 11th Annual Helen Saarinen Lectureship as part of the SRS 20th Anniversary.

UPCOMING SRS EVENTS

SRS 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
11th Annual Helen Saarinen Lectureship
SRS Awards. 

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 - 4:00 pm
Ewart Angus Centre, Room 1A6
Health Science Centre
Reception to follow

The SRS 20th Anniversary Celebration will take place in October in a new location: the Ewart Angus Centre, located in the south-west corner of the McMaster Health Sciences Centre. The celebration also will include the 11th Annual Helen Saarinen Lectureship and the SRS Awards.

The Helen Saarinen Lectureship was established as a memorial to an outstanding colleague who was dedicated to the advancement of rehabilitation practitioners in general and physiotherapists in particular.

Helen devoted her professional life to the development of caring and capable clinicians in Canada and around the world. With the Mohawk-McMaster Program, and more recently the School of Rehabilitation Science, her leadership, knowledge and compassion served as a paradigm for two generations of students. Through this lectureship, current clinicians and future generations of rehabilitation professionals continue to benefit from Helen's devotion to her work.

The 2009 Helen Saarinen Lecturer is Julie Hard. Julie works at the Canadian Working Group on HIV and Rehabilitation providing clinical education to help support rehabilitation for people living with HIV.  She also continues to work as a physiotherapist at St. Michael's Hospital. Currently, she is Chair of the International Health Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association. She is also involved with the Kenya Working Group, a volunteer group within the International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation at the University of Toronto to coordinate volunteer rehabilitation professionals and students to go to Kenya and provide services within resource-poor settings."

An exhibit by photographer Michael Willekes will be in the Ewart Angus foyer with photos of the people, places, animals and landscapes that make the African continent such a unique place to visit. Also included are photos of disability and rehabilitation in Kenya. The photos were taken during a six-month trip by the Kenya Working Group in 2006.

Outcome Measures in Musculoskeletal Practice Workshop
November 7-8, 2009
McMaster University, Hamilton, ON

This free two-day workshop offered by Joy MacDermid, will teach clinicians how to use outcome measures such as the COPM, DASH, Patient-Rated Wrist/Hand Evaluation.  Sessions will focus on using outcome measures to improve communication with patients, other health care providers & payers; demonstrate treatment effectiveness; and better monitor patient progress.

This workshop is part of a larger research study, "Defining the effect and mediators of two knowledge translation strategies designed to alter knowledge, intent and clinical utilization of rehabilitation outcome measures" and participants will be asked to complete pre- and post-assessments for the workshop.  An online version of the course will also be offered in the fall.

For more information or to register, please contact Margaret Lomotan at 905-525-9140 Ext. 27328 or lomotam@mcmaster.ca.

2009 MacHANd Day of Evaluation and Management of Disorders of the Upper Extremity
November 25, 2009
Liuna Station, Hamilton, ON

The objectives of MacHANd Day are:

• To understand the evaluation and diagnosis of selected upper extremity disorders.
• To understand the therapeutic, surgical, and current evidence in the management of selected upper extremity disorders.

The second annual MacHANd Day promises to be an excellent event with plenary sessions dedicated to both Ulnar Nerve and Rotator Cuff Disorders and 'breakout' physical examination sessions of the peripheral nerve, shoulder and wrist included in the program.  Space is limited and the course sold out quickly last year so please register early!

For more information, please visit:  http://www.machand.ca/.  You can also contact Margaret Lomotan at 905-525-9140 Ext. 27328 or lomotam@mcmaster.ca.

Mark your calendar

SRS STUDENT ACTIVITIES

STUDENT PLACEMENTS NEAR AND FAR

Our student OTs and PTs are currently in practica throughout Ontario including the northeast and northwest in Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Huntsville, Parry Sound, North Bay and Kenora, and across the country in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Alberta and British Columbia.

Several student OTs and PTs are currently completing their final clinical placements in international settings, which this year includes:

• Kenya (3 student OTs 4 student PTs)
• Tanzania (3 student OTs 4 student PTs)
• Australia (1 student OT 2 student PTs)
• Britain (1 student OT)
• Hawaii (1 student PTs)
• New Zealand (1 student PT)
• Bermuda (1 student PT)
• Ireland (1 student PT)

To date, these students report tremendous clinical learning experiences in their placement settings, as well as important exposure to unique health care and sociocultural facets of rehabilitation and health promotion to gain expanded national and global perspectives."

TURNING IDEAS INTO ACTIONS: MY PLACEMENT IN UGANDA

Completing the final term/unit placement in another country is a unique and very exciting opportunity. Applying the skills and knowledge gained in the OT/PT program in a different environment enables a student to really test their independence and adaptability.

When my classmate, Debbie Lund and I decided to plan our last placement in another country, we considered several options. We both wanted to travel to a developing county where our skills could really be put to good use. Both Debbie and I had an interest in learning more about rehabilitation in Africa, and through several different contacts and a long, sometimes frustrating series of events, we ended up choosing Uganda, in East Africa. The population of Uganda is similar to Canada in size; however there is only one OT and one PT school in the country. Primary healthcare is the focus in Uganda, and while there are excellent rehabilitation facilities, they are under staffed and lack resources.

Once we arrived in Uganda we found that there were many different organizations and people who were anxious to share ideas with us and to inform us about what services were thriving and where there were areas of need. While our eight-week placement did not resemble any OT experiences we'd had in Canada, the learning that occurred in Uganda was unique and will stay with both of us throughout our careers. In Uganda, there is a small number of dedicated rehabilitation professionals who tirelessly work to change the prevailing negative attitude about disability and to improve the lives of those living with a disability. This work is not glamorous or well-paid. The people who work in rehabilitation in Uganda do it because they believe that disability should not prevent a person from living their life to the fullest.

Of course, we faced many challenges during our placement. Many people in Uganda live in poverty. Access to basic healthcare and education is something that Canadians often take for granted, but in Uganda, such things are seen by many as luxurious. We often felt worried that we were taking more from Uganda than we were giving. Ugandans offered us an exciting stay in their country and routinely expressed great thanks for our services, but we learned that is difficult to affect any real change in such a short period of time. Now, as we both have entered OT practice, we often reflect on our experience in Uganda. The people we encountered taught us to keep a positive attitude no matter how difficult the circumstances may seem, and to be creative with whatever resources are available. Most of all, our international placement demonstrated to us the impact that rehabilitation can have on the lives of people living with disabilities when a few passionate people come together and turn ideas into action.

--- Kathryn Decker graduated from the OT MSc program in September 2008

SRS RETIREE ACTIVITIES

MURIEL WESTMORLAND CHAIRING ADIVSORY COMMITTEE FOR VETERANS AFFAIRS CANADA

Muriel Westmorland, as many of you know, retired from the School of Rehabilitation Science in August 2006. However, her retirement has been anything but quiet. Her new journey is incorporating her knowledge and experience in rehabilitation and community issues related to health care and social services. Muriel is the current Chair of the New Veterans Charter Advisory Group, a committee that includes representation from many veterans organizations, a member of the Department of National Defence, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and several Colonels. The committee also includes two academics (Muriel is one), a psychologist who treats military members and veterans, and a spouse of a deceased military member. Muriel's committee has been working on a report for the past 2 years that has been examining the suite of programs and services available to the newer, younger veteran in anticipation of an increase in numbers of ill and injured by 2011. The report will be tabled in the next couple of weeks and there will probably be media coverage as well as a request for Muriel to attend at least one standing committee of Parliament related to Veterans issues. The report has examined three major areas - the needs of families, the economic needs of the veteran and family and the rehabilitation/health care needs of both veteran and family. Stay tuned as I am sure you will hear more about this work in the weeks to come.

Muriel is also on two community boards - Community Living and the North Hamilton Community Health Centre and chairs committees on both of these. She is an active member of Zonta Hamilton II which is an organization of women supporting women and contributing to community programs for women in Hamilton and internationally. Muriel also chairs the United Nations Committee for this organization and assists with fund raising. Well done Muriel!

SRS FACULTY ACTIVITIES

OT & PT PRECEPTOR WORKSHOP: THE JOY OF STUDENTS: OPTIMIZING THE PRECEPTOR EXPERIENCE

Sixty (60) OTs and PTs gathered together on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 at the Olde Springer House in Burlington for a Preceptor Workshop. It was a lively and animated group of people which first re-connected with colleagues, enjoyed a luncheon, and actively engaged in an excellent afternoon of learning and dialogue led by Joyce Tryssenaar entitled: "The Joy of Students: Optimizing the Preceptor Experience".

Based on the feedback that day, and the evaluation forms provided by the attending clinicians, Joyce's leadership and topics were thought-provoking, and informative, with significant learning that could be immediately applied in our partners' clinical education work with students.

Thank you to our clinical partners who were able to attend this event, to Joyce for her skilled facilitation, and to Verna Pillai, Gioia di Vincenzo and Sara Gallagher who worked to bring this to fruition!

--- Bronwen Thomas & Lorie Shimmell

RECENT STUDENT AWARDS

BEATA BATOROWICZ: VANIER CANADA GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP
Congratulations to Beata Batorowicz on being awarded one of 166 inaugural Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship for doctoral studies. The value and prestige of the newly created scholarships put them on par with such highly renowned scholarships as the Rhodes scholarships in the United Kingdom and the Fulbright scholarships in the United States. The s cholarship program aims to attract and retain world-class doctoral students by supporting students who demonstrate a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and engineering, and health, as well as leadership skills. Scholarship recipients will receive $50,000 each year for up to three years. 

Beata practiced clinically as an occupational therapist for 11 years before becoming a faculty member at the University of Western Ontario in 2006. She then entered the SRS Research Studies PhD Program in January 2008. Prior to her admission she was a faculty member at the University of Western Ontario. Her research is in the area of augmentative and alternative communication for children with little or no functional speech. She is supervised by Dr. Cheryl Missiuna with Dr. Peter Rosenbaum and Dr. Gillian King as supervisory committee members.

DANIELLE LEVAC: CCHCSP DOCTORAL AWARD
Congratulations to Danielle Levac on receiving the prestigious Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program Doctoral Award. The CCHCSP is a training program through CIHR and is described as "a transdisciplinary training program for the next generation of clinical scientists in child and youth health research." The award is also supported by the McMaster Child Health Research Institute. As part of the program she will participate in a core curriculum, meet with other involved in the program at McMaster, attend some weekend retreats and, along with her supervisor Dr. Cheryl Missiuna, attend their annual Symposium. Danielle is a physiotherapist and a PhD candidate in Rehabilitation Science. Her study exploring the movement requirements of interactive video games was featured in the 19th SRS newsletter.

RECENT FACULTY AWARDS

CAROL DEMATTEO: JOHN C. SIBLEY AWARD FOR 2009
Congratulations to Carol DeMatteo who is co-recipient for 2009 of the John C. Sibley award for 2009. The John C. Sibley Award is named for the former associate dean who was one of the founders of the Faculty of Health Sciences. Sibley was known for his interdisciplinary approach to community health both locally and internationally. Established in 1986, the award is given annually to one (and occasionally two) part-time faculty members who demonstrate exceptional commitment to innovative teaching, interdisciplinary education and/or research to improve patient care.

Carol is a part-time faculty member in the School of Rehabilitation Science who has demonstrated superb commitment to our educational programs across many years. She is an excellent example of a clinician scientist who integrates clinical expertise with teaching and research. Carol is a leader in providing evidence-based health care for children; in teaching and mentoring occupational therapists, physiotherapists, nurses, physicians and social workers and in conducting research within the Faculty of Health Sciences and HHS. The Sibley Committee commended Carol for her dedicated and long term excellence to the university and health care community.

LORI LETTS: FELLOWSHIP AWARD
Congratulations to Lori Letts who received a Fellowship Award from the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists at the annual CAOT conference in Ottawa. The Fellowship Award recognizes and honours outstanding contributions and service made by an occupational therapist over an extended period of time.

In awarding this Fellowship, CAOT cited Lori's history of productive and creative service to the profession of Occupational Therapy in Canada and the impact of her work nationally and internationally. As they stated, "The outstanding accomplishments of Dr. Lori Letts over the past 20 years centre on her innovative approaches to education and service, her development of concepts and tools to support evidenced based occupational therapy, and her research focused on the creation of supportive environments for older adults and chronic disease self-management within primary health care."

PATTY SOLOMON: ENID GRAHAM MEMORIAL LECTURE

Congratulations to Patty Solomon for being award the 2009 Enid Graham Memorial Lecture from the Canadian Physiotherapy Association. The memorial lecture is the most prestigious CPA award and is given to individuals who have provided outstanding leadership and have made a distinguished contribution to the profession.

Patty presented the Memorial Lecture at the May 2009 CPA Congress in Calgary. The title of Patty's presentation was " Interprofessional Collaboration: Passing Fad or Way of the Future ". She spoke of the challenges of working collaboratively which range from a lack of priority to provide learners with collaborative practice skills, to professional territoriality, to a lack of evidence to suggest interprofessional collaboration makes a difference to patient outcomes. She challenged the profession to promote collaboration in new learners, to move beyond turf protection and territorialism and to be mindful of the ongoing need to educate others about our roles, skills and unique contributions as a profession.

CHRISTOPHER WINN: PRESIDENT-ELECT, ONTARIO PHYSIOTHERAPY ASSOCIATION
Congratulations to Christopher Winn (McMaster PT 2002), Assistant Professor, School of Rehabilitation Science - McMaster University & Physiotherapy Coordinator - Northern Studies Stream.  Chris was elected to the position of President-Elect for the Ontario Physiotherapy Association at the OPA Annual General Meeting in London, Ontario in March.

SRS ANNOUCEMENTS

LYNNE GEDDES: CLINICAL PROFESSOR & ASSISTANT DEAN, PT PROGRAM

Congratulations to Lynne Geddes who has been promoted to the rank of Clinical Professor and to Assistant Dean, PT Program on July 1 this year. Lynne obtained her Bachelors in Physical Therapy from the University of Toronto and joined the School of Rehabilitation Science in 1995 as Assistant Professor (Part-time).  In 2003 Lynne was promoted to the rank of Associate Clinical Professor and in October 2008 she took on the important role of Acting Assistant Dean (PT). Lynne will serve as Assistant Dean until December 2010.

Lynne is a superb educator and has conducted research and published extensively in the area of respiratory physiotherapy and students' ethically-based decision making. Lynne is also Senior Manager at the Therapy Health Care Clinic in Burlington. 

RECENT RESEARCH GRANTS

EXPLORING SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AMONG ADULTS AGING WITH HIV

Congratulations to Patty Solomon, Kelly O'Brien and Seanne Wilkins who have received over $200K for their study "Exploring Social Participation Among Adults Aging with HIV". Using qualitative methods, they will examine challenges to social participation in older adults living with HIV. The research will also explore strategies used to maintain participation and differences in participation among men and women living with HIV.

INNOVATIONS FOR CHILDREN'S SAFETY IN VEHICLES

Brenda Vrkljan, Assistant Professor in the OT program, in collaboration with a team from the University of Windsor has received $310,000 for research in innovations for children's safety in vehicles. The grant was awarded by AUTO21, a Network of Centres of Excellence, which focuses on Canadian automotive research and development.   As part of this project, Vrkljan has teamed up with a past graduate of the MSc (2008) and OT program in the School of Rehabilitation Science, Heather Boyd, currently a clinical specialist at McMaster Children's Hospital, are evaluating car seating protocols for those infants born at a lower weight.

A WORKSHOP ENGAGING KNOWLEDGE USERS AND RESEARCHERS IN AN INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION ON NECK (ICON)

Principal Investigator,  Joy MacDermid, along with co-investigators, Anita Gross and Lina Santaguida, have received a 1-year CIHR grant for the project:  A Workshop Engaging Knowledge Users and Researchers in an International Collaboration on Neck (ICON).

The goal of this workshop is to establish a process and committed team that would capitalize on recent evidence syntheses that address management of neck pain and would develop a process for making specific clinical recommendations that are actionable to clinicians and contextualized across different settings. These statements would be supported by a well-defined implementation process with supporting tools. This invitational workshop would bring together key individuals signifying international representatives from professional organizations that specialize in managing neck pain, Research partners (the Cochrane (systematic review) Cervical Overview Group and McMaster University's Centre for Evidence Based Practice) and Knowledge translation experts. During the workshop this ICON group will review the availability of relevant evidence and develop a process for international partners to collaborate on adapting evidence syntheses to make specific clinical recommendations; lastly they will determine a process for how to contextualize these across different healthcare settings and develop a joint knowledge translation plan with a common ''toolkit''. 

EVALUATION OF BARIATRIC SUITE ON PATIENT AND STAFF SAFETY AND SATISFACTION

Mary Forhan is an occupational therapist with clinical experience working in the area of obesity management. She is currently a PhD candidate in the School of Rehabilitation Science. Mary is part of a team of investigators that includes Dr. Valerie Taylor and Dr. Katherine Morrison who have been awarded a New Investigator Fund from the Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation to support the evaluation of a bariatric suite on patient and staff safety and satisfaction. A bariatric suite is a room that is designed to meet the needs of patients whose body weight exceeds 147kg up to 454kg (1000 lbs) or more. There are no such suites available for patients in Hamilton. Providing safe and accessible environments for patients living with obesity and their care providers is an important issue for rehabilitation practitioners.

This study will take place over the next year on the medical unit at the Hamilton General Hospital. Hill-Rom has donated all of the furniture and equipment for use in the suite for the duration of the study.

RESEARCH UPDATES

NEW LOOK AND FEEL FOR CANCHILD WEBSITE

CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research is a research and educational centre founded in 1989 with funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and located at McMaster University. Over the years, CanChild has emerged as a global leader in the field of childhood disability through its high-quality, innovative research; making research findings easily accessible to families, service providers, other researchers and policy decision-makers; and providing education for consumers, service providers, policy makers and students. United by the common goal of improving the lives of children and youth with disabilities and their families, CanChild's experienced team of researchers come together from a wide array of disciplines including pediatrics, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, physiatry, speech and language pathology, social psychology, epidemiology, biostatistics and health economics.  CanChild's systematic programs of research have secured more than $27 million in peer-reviewed funding since 1989 to expand the scope of available knowledge on childhood disability.

CanChild is consistently lauded for its knowledge translation initiatives that include producing and distributing evidence-based and user-friendly educational materials; maintaining an award-winning website ( http://www.canchild.ca/ ) which receives over 4,000 views per week by users in over 150 countries;

overseeing an interactive intranet site that links approximately 2,100 Canadian and international service provider members, and responding to daily inquiries from parents, service providers, researchers and healthcare decision-makers.

In April 2009, CanChild launched a newly designed website! Funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care helped CanChild to make it easier for users to navigate within the site and find resources quickly.  While the website address http://www.canchild.ca/ remains the same, one of the significant changes is the addition of three microsites for some of CanChild's content that is frequently accessed.  The home page contains three ‘hot buttons' which link directly to Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), Motor Growth Measures, and Lifecourse and Transitions resources.  

OT EXAMINATION PREPARATION PROJECT (OTEPP) NEARS COMPLETION

The School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University received funding from the Government of Ontario beginning April 2008 to develop an examination and practice preparation program for internationally educated occupational therapists (IEOTs). This project, the Occupational Therapy Examination Preparation Project (OTepp) led by Sue Baptiste, is nearing the conclusion of the second of two participant cohorts. Since the Project's beginning, the curriculum has been modified and subsequently approved by the Senate of McMaster University as an undergraduate certificate. It offers the core academic requirements to practice occupational therapy (OT) in Ontario and has been recognized by the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario (COTO). It also receives support from the Ontario Society of OTs, the Canadian Association of OTs and several employers in the greater Toronto area. The Project team is made up of Elizabeth Steggles, Shaminder Dhillon, Leah Dix, Pat McMahon and Usha Rangachari.

Registration in OTepp has been higher than anticipated but so has attrition. Attrition is attributed to two main reasons: a) IEOTs from countries with similar training and language do not need the intense academic curriculum provided by OTepp and they choose to drop out or transfer to a pre-existing examination practice program through McMaster University and b) A significant number of participants struggle to meet the academic requirements of OTepp despite being eligible to sit the national certification examination. In order to address these dilemmas funding is being sought to develop and add several key elements to the existing OTepp. In addition, a previously existing examination practice program offered through SRS will be integrated more closely into the overall project in order to offer a multi faceted service that is capable of addressing individual needs and abilities. The new program would be called The Occupational Therapy Examination and Practice Preparation Program (OTepp Program). The project team is currently waiting to hear about potential ongoing funding which will enable them to continue their work.

ENABLING AN ACCESSIBLE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

In March 2006, the McMaster Accessibility Audit Advisory Committee was successful in obtaining a grant from Refining Directions in order to develop an accessibility audit template. The template would be used to guide the identification of physical barriers to accessibility on the McMaster campus and assist compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) 2005. Accessibly Yours, a program of the School of Rehabilitation Science led by Elizabeth Steggles and Sue Baptiste, was asked to lead the development of the audit tool. To date, the team, working closely with SPH Consulting has produced not only an Audit Template but also the McMaster Accessibility Guidelines (that will be used to ensure the accessibility of new builds) and a Barrier Removal Action Plan that will be updated annually.

A total of 18 student OTs has been involved in practicum experiences, educational program development projects and evidence based projects. The students have identified two main foci. The first is a lack of awareness of disability issues on campus. In response to this the students have produced a video, a guide to the AODA Customer Service Standards and have begun to develop faculty awareness materials. The second main issue that has been identified is that, although there are many good accessibility services on campus, the organizational structure does not facilitate their delivery. In response to this a proposed organizational structure was developed. Feedback to date indicates that the students feel they are experiencing meaningful learning opportunities and the McMaster Accessibility Audit Advisory Committee is receiving practical information in a very cost effective manner.

Would you like to Sign up? or Update your email address? Please email rehab@mcmaster.ca indicating your name, program, graduating year, personal email and /or business email.