A panel discussion led by Angie Kiger
- Watch or listen to the webinar at the Permobil site (please note: neither captions nor transcript are available)
VEM’s Takeaways:
GOAL: Students in wheelchairs are engaged in activities alongside their peers; their equipment does not define them as a student.
Evaluation
- EVERYONE on the team should be included in equipment evaluations
- Consider a trial at school as well as home/clinic
- Start early!
Communication and Collaboration
- EVERYONE is responsible for ensuring collaboration between team members
- Key collaboration is between SLP and PT/OT; consider AAC AND wheelchair access together
- Over communicating is not a bad thing!
Commuting
- Know the law for the state/district for what’s needed for bus transport
- Do a trial run
- Know and train multiple people to get the child on/off bus
School Environment
- Assess the ENTIRE school (inside and outside) for accessibility
- Have a solid evacuation plan
- Have a back-up plan in case the wheelchair breaks
- Use short, successful activities for training