The International Seating Symposium 2020
A New Position Paper Moves Ahead!
Michelle L. Lange, OTR/L, ABDA, ATP/SMS
I just got back from the International Seating Symposium 2020 (ISS) in Vancouver and it was terrific, as always! Many people from all over the world gathered to learn and share about Seating and Wheeled Mobility.
The International Seating Symposium 2020 marked the third annual meeting of the International Dynamic Seating Workgroup (IDSW). A number of our members attended the conference. We discussed the status of the Position Paper on Dynamic Seating (see below!), some great ideas for Dynamic Seating education at ISS 2021, and some educational video topics. I love brainstorming!
A subgroup of the IDSW started work on a RESNA Position Paper on Dynamic Seating last Spring. What is a Position Paper? This is an official document of RESNA, the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America, a professional organization which has created a number of seating and wheeled mobility related position papers. The Position Paper includes definitions, clinical indicators, and a comprehensive literature review. We now have a draft of this paper complete. Part of the RESNA Position Paper process is to present this at a large conference, such as ISS, for feedback on content. Barb Crane and I did just that. About 80 people attended the session in which we summarized the Position Paper process and the current content of the Position Paper on Dynamic Seating. The attendees had a lot of great feedback to help our workgroup prepare the current draft for the next step of the process – a second level review by several RESNA members who are familiar with this area of intervention. After second level review and any necessary revisions, the paper will be submitted to the RESNA Board of Directors for approval! We look forward to this valuable resource being available to everyone!
Keep an eye out for future updates on the RESNA Position Paper on Dynamic Seating, as well as other work from the International Dynamic Seating Workgroup!