The Military Police Fund for Blind Children and an architect donated funds to the Ottawa Children's Treatment Centre to purchase an interactive floor and pressure mapping system. The interactive floor will help children with special needs in therapy by engaging them through play. The pressure mapping system will help therapists more accurately assess seating pressures and reduce risks of pressure ulcers. Sonia Zouari, whose daughter receives treatment at OCTC, advocated for and helped raise funds for the interactive floor as it will help stimulate her daughter's vision and assist in her development.

1.
Military
Police
Fund
for
Blind
Children
and
Architects
give
to
the
Ottawa
Children’s
Treatment
Centre
Assistive
Technology
Program
May
4,
2016
-­‐
Ottawa,
ON
–
Today,
the
Ottawa
Children’s
Treatment
Centre
(OCTC)
recognized
the
generosity
of
the
Military
Police
Fund
for
Blind
Children
and
the
Cerebral
Palsy
Sponge
House
design
team
led
by
Sonia
Zouari
for
their
generous
donation
towards
the
purchase
of
an
interactive
floor
for
the
Assistive
Technology
Program
at
OCTC
and
an
X-­‐Sensor
Pressure
Mapping
System
for
the
Assistive
Technology
Program.
The
interactive
floor
will
assist
children
and
youth
with
special
needs
and
will
enable
children
to
engage
in
therapy
through
play.
Sonia
Zouari,
a
mother
of
an
OCTC
client
and
Architect
with
Parks
Canada,
saw
the
value
in
obtaining
this
equipment
and
campaigned
to
raise
the
money
“to
integrate
this
state
of
the
art
technology
to
stimulate
vision
and
assist
therapists
in
creating
a
rich
fun
environment
for
children
to
practice
and
improve
various
skills.
The
interactive
floor
will
also
create
opportunities
for
children
with
or
without
challenges
to
play
together
and
socialize
and
help
remove
the
stigma
around
disability.”
Sonia
says.
The
X-­‐Sensor
Pressure
Mapping
System
will
give
OCTC
therapists
a
simplified
and
more
accurate
tool
to
asses
seating
surface
pressures
and
reduce
the
risk
of
pressure
ulcers
in
wheelchair
users.
The
Ottawa
Children’s
Treatment
Centre
(OCTC)
supports
families
who
have
a
child
or
youth
with
multiple
physical,
developmental,
and
associated
behavioural
needs.
More
than
4,200
families
in
Eastern
Ontario
receive
services
from
the
Ottawa
Children’s
Treatment
Centre
annually.
Also
sharing
her
story
was
Sonia
Zouari.
“It
is
hard
to
keep
faith
when
life
hits
you
very
deep.
Our
daughter
is
diagnosed
with
an
extremely
rare
genetic
disease
affecting
her
brain,
vision,
hearing,
and
serious
developmental
delays.
We
are
struck
by
incredible
fear,
confusion,
vulnerability,
and
heavy
sadness
…
But
we
often
took
the
time
to
stop
and
think
along
this
difficult
journey.
We
have
a
lot
to
be
grateful
for.
We
have
an
outstanding
medical
support
coupled
with
very
early
multidisciplinary
therapy
intervention…
Marwa
has
never
stopped
blooming
and
we
kept
busy
learning
how
to
support
her
and
enjoy
her.
The
OCTC
team
helped
us
translate
the
uncertainties
and
the
unknowns
into
opportunities
to
tap
into
brain
plasticity.
Access
to
an

2. interactive
floor
is
an
example
of
the
tools
offered
to
us
to
tap
into
these
opportunities.
With
the
interactive
floor,
the
vision
of
a
child
with
cerebral
vision
impairment
like
Marwa
is
stimulated
with
contracting
colours,
lights,
movements
and
reflections.
Games
are
programmed
to
suit
the
visual
challenges
of
each
child
and
stimulate
movement
accordingly.
Visual
stimulation
is
vital
to
assist
with
movement.
For
Marwa,
the
interactive
floor
encouraged
her
to
learn
to
crawl
and
practicing
with
a
motivation
helped
her
progress.
These
floors
are
fun,
interactive,
therapeutic
and
provides
a
lot
of
opportunities
for
a
child
with
development
challenges.
Today,
I
am
so
happy
to
be
part
of
this
and
thankful
for
the
MPFBC
for
their
support.
Being
able
to
advocate
by
actually
doing
and
making
a
difference
is
a
real
privilege
for
me.”
The
Military
Police
Fund
for
Blind
Children
was
established
in
1957
by
Colonel
James
Riley
Stone,
the
Army
Provost
Marshal,
to
aid
blind
and
visually
impaired
children
and
to
support
charitable
organizations
and
individuals
involved
in
the
education
and
recreation
of
blind
children
and
young
adults.
The
charity
is
maintained
by
military
police
and
other
support
volunteers
and
strives
to
assist
as
many
visually
impaired
children
as
possible.
“I
am
so
pleased
today
to
see
how
this
Military
Police
Fund
for
Blind
Children
donation
will
benefit
our
local
community,
said
Colonel
Rob
Delaney,
Provost
Marshal
of
the
Canadian
Forces
Military
Police.
It
truly
is
about
giving
back
to
visually
impaired
children
in
hopes
of
making
their
lives
a
little
better.
I
am
so
pleased
that
the
Military
Police
Fund
for
Blind
Children
was
able
to
work
with
the
Ottawa
Children’s
Treatment
Centre
to
help
achieve
this
aim.”
Quick
Facts:
The
Ottawa
Children’s
Treatment
Centre
was
established
in
1951.
Betty
Murphy,
the
parent
of
a
child
with
a
disability,
had
a
dream.
She
wanted
a
place
that
would
provide
rehabilitation
treatment
and
school
services
for
children
with
cerebral
palsy
in
Ottawa.
Under
her
leadership,
a
concerned
and
committed
group
of
parents,
friends
and
community
members
worked
to
make
the
dream
a
reality.
The
Cerebral
Palsy
Society
of
Ottawa
and
District
opened
in
a
small
bungalow
on
Breezehill
Avenue
with
a
converted
garage
in
1951.
As
provincial
funding
is
limited
and
demands
for
resources
grow,
the
fundraising
work
done
by
the
OCTC
Foundation
becomes
increasingly
important.
It
allows
for
children
and
families
to
access
the
supports
and
activities
that
might
not
otherwise
be
available
to
those
with
special
needs.
The
Ottawa
Children’s
Treatment
Centre
provides
care
and
services
to
more
than
4,200
families
annually.
The
Ottawa
Children’s
Treatment
Centre
has
centres
in
Ottawa,
Kanata,
Cornwall
and
Renfrew,
and
provides
rehabilitative,
therapeutic
and
educational
programs
for
children
and
youth
with
disabilities.

3. The
services
provided
by
the
Ottawa
Children’s
Treatment
Centre
may
include
speech,
recreational
or
occupational
therapy,
blind
or
low-­‐vision
care,
or
respite
programs
for
families.
In
recent
years,
the
demand
for
services
has
increased
significantly
as
more
children
with
complex
care
needs
are
diagnosed.
Associated
Links
and
to
donate
to
these
organizations:
www.octc.ca
www.mpfbc.com
-30-
Media
Inquiries:
Evelyne
Paulauskas,
Communications
Coordinator
613-­‐688-­‐2126
x4316
Epaulauskas@octc.ca