2012 Annual Report
ADVANCING MOBILITY RESEARCH
Mobility research focuses on improving movement, balance, and walking pattern in people with SCI, stroke, and other conditions. Some individuals have even taken their first steps since their injuries. Highlights include:
• Kessler Foundation is part of a large study designed to maximize independence among wheelchair users with SCI, titled, “Collaboration on Mobility Training (COMIT).” The study is part a five-year, NIDRR-funded SCI Model Systems Multi-site Collaborative Research Project that examines the impact of web-based training and group sessions on wheelchair skills and maintenance in 500 individuals. “For many people with SCI, the wheelchair is the single most important factor in their ability to be independent after their injury,” said Dr. Dyson-Hudson. “Our goal is to minimize obstacles to independence caused by environmental barriers
and wheelchair malfunction.”
• Research Scientist Karen Nolan, PhD, was nominated for the 2012 Novel Art in Science Award for her work in restoring function to stroke survivors. She is studying the effect of the WalkAide — an electrical stimulation device — in stroke survivors with foot drop.
IN 2012, KESSLER FOUNDATION SCIENTISTS SECURED $11.7 MILLION IN NEW EXTERNAL GRANT FUNDING — THE MOST FUNDING IN ONE YEAR TO DATE — TO ADVANCE COGNITIVE AND MOBILITY RESEARCH STUDIES AND CHANGE THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
ADVANCING RESOURCES
Assistant Director of Human Performance and Engineering Research Gail Forrest, PhD, released preliminary findings on Ekso—a robotic, battery-powered exoskeleton that enables wheelchair users to stand and walk. Results showed improvements in gait, balance, walking speed, respiration, heart rate, and muscle firing in the lower leg. “We’re looking beyond the abilities to stand and walk to the potential long-term effects of these activities on health and well being,” noted Dr. Forrest. She is conducting long-term research studies to accurately evaluate the exoskeleton’s effects on the muscles, heart, and lungs in individuals with SCI.
Karen Nolan, PhD, a research scientist from Kessler Foundation Research Center, demonstrates new devices available to improve walking in individuals whose mobility has been impaired by acquired brain injury. Dr. Nolan's studies show that by applying technological advances, braces can be enhanced to not only improve walking, but help individuals with such disabilities as stroke or traumatic brain injury be more active and independent in their community.