RecTech is a rehabilitation engineering research center intended to identify strategies and solutions for improving the accessibility of parks, trails, fitness centers, and swimming pools for persons with disabilities. The National Users with Disabilities Group on Exercise (NUDGE) is a research project assessing the extent to which current knowledge concerning recreation technology is transferred into practical application, assisting people with disabilities to engage in recreational activities. To participate in the NUDGE survey, click on http://www.rectech.org/surveys/index.php. For general information on NUDGE, click on http://www.rectech.org, and to join, contact Dr. Barth Riley at nudge@uic.edu or call 800-900-8086.

Staff participated in RESNA's (Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America's) 27th International Conference on Technology and Disability in Orlando, FL, June 18-22. Three items were displayed this year that we thought would be of particular interest to RecTech-NUDGE readers:

1. The IKAN Bowler from MGT Corporation is billed as the world's first and only barrier-free, dynamic wheelchair bowling system that allows even persons with high-level quadriplegia to compete in bowling without the need for special lanes or retrofitted bowling center accommodations. This device allows the person using it to control the speed, direction, position, and timing of the release of the ball from either a moving or stationary wheelchair. For more information, click on http://www.ncpad.org/681/3004/2004-08-01#6 or call 1-800-675-8598.
2. The Freedom Tent from Eureka and BlueSky Designs. This innovative tent features a new, patent-pending zipperless door design that requires much less dexterity or reach to operate than the conventional zippered tent door. The 36" door opening is flush with the entry and affords easy entry for persons who use wheelchairs, and the entire tent can be set up from the seated position. Eureka, a mainstream tent manufacturer, has licensed the design and will debut the "Freedom Tent" at the 2004 Outdoor Retailer Show in August with availability in stores scheduled for early 2005. For more information, go to http://www.ncpad.org/681/3004/2004-08-01#7 or call 1-877-603-0828. Also see the "The Garden Rocker," an ergonomic sitting support for use while gardening or engaging in other lower-level work. The patented shape of the base allows the person to lean forward, moving closer and lower to the work. It reduces strain and eases pressure on a gardener's knees and back during prolonged weeding or planting.
3. Finally, the prototype of an exciting new design for manual wheelchairs was shown, the Simpulsion EZ from Lifegroup International Corporation. This chair features an innovative propulsion system that uses handles in place of pushrims. Research has shown that persons who use manual wheelchairs with the conventional pushrim propulsion experience high rates of shoulder, arm, and wrist injuries including carpal tunnel syndrome and rotator cuff tendonitis. The Simpulsion EZ design will all but eliminate these common problems experienced by wheelchair users. Learn more about this innovative approach to manual wheelchair propulsion at http://www.ncpad.org/681/3004/2004-08-01#8 or by calling 407-529-9920.