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CATEA Rehabilitation Engineering and Research Center on Wheeled Mobility (Mobility RERC)

The goal of the mobilityRERC is to promote new ways of conceptualizing and understanding wheeled mobility -- from a focus on the device itself, to a focus on a broad range of interventions that impact device use and activity performance. The research and development work of the RERC will not be limited to wheelchairs but will consider the users and all of their interactions including seating, environmental barriers, and interactive training techniques.

In the long term, this approach will successfully enable as many individuals as possible to actively participate in everyday life. Such a goal not only requires unique ways of thinking, but unique approaches to wheeled mobility and a unique and diverse team to implement these approaches.

The Mobility RERC is comprised of rehabilitation engineers, researchers, engineers, clinicians and physicians, product designers, architects, and environmental accessibility specialists at Georgia Tech, Georgia State University (GSU), Duke University and the Shepherd Center. This team has a long history of joint, interdisciplinary collaboration. This multidisciplinary approach is essential to the RERC's mission and is mirrored in the project teams and in the external Advisory Board members who will collaborate in R&D activities.

Of equal importance are industry partnerships that will be established, as appropriate, to collaborate on specific development efforts. Our industry collaborators have included the firms SilAir, PostureWorks, Ti Sport, Sunrise Medical, and Invacare. These collaborations ensure that RERC R&D efforts result in usable, appropriate, and marketable products.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Mobility RERC is to undertake a major shift in the way wheeled mobility is conceptualized and understood -- from the design of assistive devices that enable individuals to perform activities, to the design of a broad range of interventions that enable as many individuals as possible to actively engage and participate in the everyday community life.

Through research, we identify the needs of a wide variety of wheelchair users and develop appropriate products to meet their needs. The research and development work at the RERC will not be limited to wheelchairs but will consider the users and all of their interactions including seating, environmental barriers, and interactive training techniques.

What is a RERC?

Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs) conduct programs of advanced research of an engineering or technical nature designed to apply advanced technology, scientific achievement and psychological and social knowledge to solve rehabilitation problems and remove environmental barriers. Each center is affiliated with one or more institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations. Involved at both the individual and systems levels, RERCs seek to find and evaluate the newest technologies, products, and methods that ultimately can benefit the independence of persons with disabilities and the universal design of environments for people of all ages.

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