FICCDAT Conference flyer

1. June 10, 2009 Bulletin 2011-1
Seven conferences for the price of one!
Book your calendar now!
June 5 – 8, 2011
Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Welcome to the first newsletter of the next Festival! Festival Co-chairs
Andria Spindel and Dr. Geoff Fernie have been busy laying the groundwork
and are delighted to share significant highlights with you:
Sally Horsfall Eaton has again
graciously agreed to serve as
Honorary Chair.
New website, registration and
conference management software has
been selected and we will be ready to
launch soon.
Seven conferences have been
confirmed. The registration process
will be simple – registering for any
ONE of the conferences will give you
access to all SEVEN conferences!

2. Caregiving in the 21st Century – Co-chairs are Dr. Jane Barratt,
Secretary General of the International Federation on Ageing, and Dr.
Janet Fast, Co-Director of Research on Aging, Policies and Practice at
the University of Alberta. The Caregiving Conference in 2007 included
very significant representation from the UK and Australia. A major
objective of this conference in 2011 will be to increase participation
from other parts of the world.
34th Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Conference
(CMBEC34) – Co-chairs are being confirmed by the Canadian Medical
and Biological Engineering Society (CMBES), which intends to hold its
annual conference again as part of FICCDAT. The presence of CMBES in
2007 provided an opportunity for caregivers, consumers and
researchers to learn more about medical technologies that are
increasingly being used in the home environment with, for example,
home dialysis and drug infusion. This was also an important
opportunity for medical engineers involved in device development to
gain an understanding of the needs of people in the community beyond
the walls of hospitals. This conference attracts a large number of
medical device exhibitors.
Growing Older With A Disability – Co-chairs are Ms Sandy Keshen,
President and CEO of Reena and Dr. Margaret Campbell, Senior
Scientist for Planning and Policy Support at the National Institute on
Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Education.
This conference will further explore the nexus between aging and
disability. This topic is increasing in relevance year by year now that
people with disabilities are living longer. The disciplines surrounding
both fields, and the people involved in all aspects; policy, research and
practice, have much to learn from each other.
3rd International Conference on Technology and Aging (ICTA-3)
This conference will be chaired by Dr. Alex Mihailidis, Assistant
Professor, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational
Therapy, University of Toronto and Scientist, Toronto Rehabilitation
Institute, who is a world leader in the development and application of
intelligent systems to assist people with dementia. The 2nd
International Conference on Technology and Aging in FICCDAT 2007
attracted large numbers of overseas participants. We hope to increase
the scope of the assistive technology that is represented to include all of
rehabilitation technology and to attract a larger presence of
occupational therapists, physiotherapists and rehabilitation engineers.

3. Advances in Neurorehabilitation-2 – Co-chairs are Dr. William
McIlroy, Professor in the Department of Kinesiology, University of
Waterloo, and Senior Scientist, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Dr.
Milos Popovic, Chair, Spinal Cord Injury Research and Senior Scientist,
Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and Associate Professor, Institute of
Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto, and
Prof. Molly Verrier, Associate Professor, Department of Physical
Therapy, University of Toronto, and Senior Scientist, Toronto
Rehabilitation Institute. The Conference was an enormous success in
2007 presenting the very latest research from around the world in
treatment resulting from recent advances in neuroscience. There is
also early discussion about the potential involvement of organizations
involved with head injuries.
Independence, Community and Empowerment (ICE) – Co-chairs
are Ms Nora Rothschild, Speech Language Pathologist at Bloorview Kids
Rehab and Ms Donna Mackay, Associate Director of National and
Provincial Programs at March of Dimes. March of Dimes has organized,
supported and participated in the precursor conferences for people who
rely on various forms of augmentative and alternative communication.
The conferences have attracted up to 200 people who rely on
technology to enable them to communicate, along with specialists in
augmentative communication.
Participants and speakers may use augmentative and alternative
communication for their interactions during the conference. Reports of
the first conference indicate that participants and their families were
often overwhelmed by the emotional experience of encountering a
whole community of people using communication technology, including
role models who were presenting at the conference. The opportunity
for researchers and practitioners attending other conferences to
participate in this extraordinary event is likely to have a very powerful
impact on their awareness of the importance and opportunities that
these technologies provide.
The International Conference on Best Practices in Universal
Design – Co-chairs are Edward Steinfeld, Professor of Architecture and
Director of the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access
School of Architecture and Planning at the University at Buffalo, State
University of New York, Dr. Peter Blanck, University Professor and
Chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, and Dr.
Aaron Steinfeld, Systems Scientist in the Robotics Institute (RI) at
Carnegie Mellon University.

4. The concept of universal design is becoming better known and being
adopted more enthusiastically around the world. However, the practical
guidelines that are needed to help architects, designers and others
achieve successful universal design are still under development and this
conference will provide a major stimulus internationally to their creation
and application. Topics will include the design of housing,
transportation, public spaces, furnishings and every other product and
service field where the philosophy is to design not just for a percentage
of the population, but to be inclusive of all.
In addition to these conferences, there are plans for instructional
courses and special symposia.
We are delighted that the following organizations have agreed to serve on
the Steering Committee, which is accountable for the entire Festival:
Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
March of Dimes Canada
Canadian Hearing Society
Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society
International Federation on Ageing
Ontario Accessibility Directorate
Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation
Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat
Reena
The Health Technology Exchange
University of Toronto, Rehabilitation Sciences Section
VON Canada
FICCDAT 2007 Facts
Did you know there were….?
160 organizing committee volunteers
200 onsite volunteers, including attendants
1275 delegates from 36 countries represented
898 peer reviewed accepted abstracts
767 presentations and posters
87 exhibitors: home health care, assistive devices, technology,
governments – municipal, provincial, federal, not-for-profit and
caregiver organizations, manufacturers, hospitals
2 symposia
2 Festival morning panel discussions

5. Representation of Delegates by Country
Australia 48 New Zealand 7
Cameroon 3 Nigeria 5
Canada 879 Northern Ireland 4
China 3 Norway 2
Cuba 1 Pakistan 1
Czech Republic 1 Portugal 1
Denmark 3 Republic of Ireland 5
Estonia 3 Russia 1
Finland 1 Singapore 2
France 4 South Africa 2
Germany 3 South Korea 4
Ghana 9 Spain 3
Greece 1 Sweden 18
Guyana 1 Switzerland 3
India 1 Taiwan 5
Israel 14 Uganda 1
Italy 2 United Kingdom 40
Japan 8 United States of
Kenya 2 America 143
Lithuania 1 Zimbabwe 1
Namibia 2 Not identified 21
Netherlands 6
Proceedings
Selected presentations from the 2nd International Conference on Technology
& Aging were published in book form, Technology and Aging. Mihailidis A,
Boger J, Kautz H, Normie L, eds. Amsterdam: IOS Press 2008. To read the
publication overview and purchase the proceedings, copy and paste this url
into your browser
http://www.iospress.nl/loadtop/load.php?isbn=9781586038151
Caregivers: Essential Partners in Care produced a summary of proceedings.
To download a copy in pdf, available in English and French, copy and paste
this url into your browser
http://www.ficcdat.ca/Conference/Default.aspx?ConfID=5&lang=en-US

6. FICCDAT Sponsorship opportunities not to be missed!
Through the advancements of technology and research, more people will be
able to continue to live in their own homes, participating in society, while
receiving effective care.
What does a FICCDAT sponsor get?
Opportunity to participate in a multi-faceted event bringing delegates
from around the world together under one roof!
Experience international brand exposure.
Opportunity to interact with opinion leaders from around the world.
Understand the aging and disability markets and learn from consumers.
Exhibit with world-class corporations and leaders in the fields of
disability, aging and technology. Sponsors of $10,000 and up will
receive exhibition space.
Prominent identification and recognition.
To obtain a copy of the full sponsorship proposal, please contact
info@ficcdat.ca
Some FICCDAT 2007 photos...

8. Don't miss FICCDAT 2011!