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ACOTUP/ACPUE is a national organization that promotes and develops occupational therapy education and research with an understanding

of issues in a global context.

ACOTUP

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n innovative, interdisciplinary and intersectorial project entitled: A Rehabilitation Living Lab: Creating Enabling Physical and Social Environments to Optimize Social Inclusion and Social Participation of Persons with Physical Disabilities ” has recently been funded by the Fonds recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ).

Spearheaded by Dr. Eva Kehayia (McGill, SPOT) and Dr. Bonnie Swaine (Université de Montréal), Scientific Directors of the Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire en réadaptation du Montréal métropolitain (CRIR), this project brings together experts from different disciplines including an important number of OTs.

It aims to use the urban shopping mall, a societal microcosm for daily activities and interactions experienced by all members of our society, to understand potential barriers and obstacles and discover solutions that will enable full participation for individuals with physical challenges and activity limitations.

A number of local community and techonology partners (Altergo, OPHQ, Mise-au-Jeu, Adaptech, Dawson College-Disability Studies and the Interdisciplinary Institute for Technological Innovation, Sherbrooke) and collaborators at the national (University of Saskatoon) and international level (University of Siena, Italy; University of Haifa, Israel; Smith Kettelwell Rehabilitation Engineering Research, U.S.; MOTEK Medical B.V., Holland) join this project.

Crucial to its success is the partnership with CANMARK REIT Management Inc, owners of the Place Alexis Nihon, who have embarked on this enterprise to create an enabling and inclusive environment for individuals of all ages.

Occupational therapists from McGill (Philippe Archambault, Isabelle Gelinas, Barbara Mazer, Melissa Park and Laurie Snider) will work with OTs from the Université de Montréal (Carolina Bottari, Lise Poissant, Annie Rochette) and with other health care professionals to explore obstacles imposed by the physical and social environment of the shopping mall and identify facilitators to participation and inclusion.

Living Lab – Strategic Development Project

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he School of Occupational Therapy at Dalhousie University, in conjunction with therapists in Atlantic Canada, continued its popular Lunch & Learn Teleconference Series this fall.

The sessions offered an opportunity for attendees to learn about the innovative work that occupational therapists are doing in Atlantic Canada and beyond while connecting therapists with similar interests so they could exchange practice and theoretical knowledge and promote evidence-informed practice.

The Lunch & Learn Series included sessions related to fieldwork education, which were particularly interesting for student preceptors, therapists who are considering becoming preceptors and provincial fieldwork coordinators.

Registration was also easy with participants able to sign up through email. Once registered and prior to the session, participants were emailed a copy of the power point presentations/handouts and dial-in instructions.

The scheduled Lunch & Learn sessions continued throughout November and early December. The final 2011 session is being held on December 13 from 12:00-1:00 AT and 12:30 to 1:30 NL. The subject will be occupational therapy and housing and how OTs can address the inadequate housing challenges many clients face. The session will be given by Becky Marval, OT Reg(NS) of Mobile Outreach Street Health. During her discussion, Ms. Marval will highlight some of the unique aspects of her job including her involvement in acquiring appropriate housing, supporting ongoing tenancy, preventing imminent eviction, and influencing the availability of universally-designed housing.

For more information on the teleconference learning series at Dal, please visit http://occupationaltherapy.dal.ca.

Lunch & Learn

at Dalhousie University

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