Expo Highlights Innovations for People with Spinal Cord Injuries

Stony Brook University hosted a Technology Innovations Expo on July 23, part of a two-week summer program that ran from July 14-27. Photos by John Griffin.

Spinal cord injuries affect a person's life in unfathomable ways, with no bodily system left untouched. Each year, 17,000 people in the United States have to confront this life-altering condition, which carries significant physiological and emotional challenges.

Stony Brook University hosted a Technology Innovations Expo on July 23, aimed at bettering the lives of individuals with spinal cord injuries. The Expo was part of a two-week summer program that ran from July 14-27, following a well-received program that took place in 2023.

"We're so glad to be back this year," said Hannah Mercier, an assistant professor in the Occupational Therapy Programin the Stony Brook School of Health Professions. "We got a great response from students, faculty, and also from the community. Some clinicians are also here to learn about some of the new technology available to those with spinal cord injuries."

The program was presented by Empower SCI, a non-profit corporation established to enable individuals with spinal cord injuries to lead happier, more meaningful and more independent lives. Empower SCI works to fill the gap in the rehabilitation industry that has been created by a decrease in length of stays at rehabilitation hospitals and outpatient services during the recovery from a spinal cord injury.

"This great event is an opportunity to bring community members in to see a little bit of Empower's magic," said Christina Burke, clinical associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy. "One of the things I love is that since it happens here on campus, my students can be part of this amazing program. When we talk about experiential learning, there's nothing better than hands-on experience. This is so important for the community because of the scarcity of services for people who have spinal cord injuries, whether it's research or therapy or adaptive sports."

Program peer mentor Robert Brown, who first participated as a 16-year-old, provided first-hand insight of what the program means to attendees.

"Before I attended in 2017 when I was 16, I didn't have much experience with people with disabilities," said Browne, who suffered a spinal cord injury at age 13. "I had no community and I was just succumbing to my injury. I didn't think there was much quality of life left for me. I was unaware of what I was getting myself into, and I mean that in a great way. I quickly realized that there's this whole family of people out there that wants what's best for you and will push you to do your best and start achieving your goals. That was my first experience with Empower."

Browne returned as a participant in 2018 and it reaffirmed what he had learned the year before.

"After those two years as a participant, I had an overall realization that there's a life out there and I had to go and make it happen for myself," he said. "I was able to come back as a peer mentor in 2019 and it was great to be able to take all the things that I had learned those first two years as a participant and do for others what the peer mentors did for me."

Vendors and attendees gathered in the Dallas Bauman Center to learn about the latest technology designed to meet the needs of those who've experienced spinal cord injuries and take in live presentations.

Self-Initiated Living Options, Inc. (SILO), Inc. a Long Island company dedicated to helping people with disabilities gain effective control and direction of their lives, exhibited a range of assistive 3D-printed products.

"We loan out assistive technology for anyone with a disability from birth and up," said Ryan Criscione, director of SILO's Technology Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities (TRAID) Program."We have bottle openers for people with arthritis, key turners, tactile dice, check-writing guides for people who are visually impaired. We try to address a little bit of everything."

SILO's assistive products are available for free, funded through the Justice Center for the Protection of People With Special Needs, an organization established in 2013 by the Protection of People with Special Needs Act. The agency was created to restore public trust in the institutions and individuals charged with caring for vulnerable populations by protecting the health, safety, and dignity of all people with special needs.

Wellspect®, one of the event's sponsors, showcased a new bladder and bowel irrigation management product.

"A lot of us struggle with long bowel programs," said Jesi Stracham, a Wellspect ambassador and wheelchair athlete who lost the use of her legs after suffering a spinal cord injury in a 2015 motorcycle accident. "That process can take up to three hours. That adds up to 34 days a year. The Navina Smart irrigation system can give people part of their life and quality of life back."

Other sponsors included Pajunk®, Permobil, Quantum®, and Wandercraft.

In addition to the Expo, the two-week program also included physical activities like kayaking, cycling, surfing, and yoga as well as cooking, 1:1 occupational and physical therapy sessions, rehabilitation counseling, and wheelchair assessments. "Life Hacks" featured clinician volunteers and participants sharing information and resources that have enabled greater independence in their daily lives, and specialized educational topics addressed sexuality, advocacy, and vocational skills.

"This has evolved into a wonderful training opportunity for students who are becoming occupational and physical therapy clinicians and we're so glad to bring this to the Stony Brook campus," said Mercier. "A student was telling me that it was a valuable clinical training opportunity that she hadn't had in the classroom. And of course, we love the opportunity to give them this hands-on experience."

- Robert Emproto

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