Challenging Expectations Gaining Impact

In late October I had the opportunity to attend the 5th National Spinal Cord Injury Conference: Translating Neural Engineering and Novel Therapies. My interest in attending this conference comes from a position of a consumer and as a support to others with spinal cord injuries and it is from that perspective in this article originates, however it is not where it ends.

Attending this conference challenged my expectations of content and thought by providing an appropriate mix of the medical versus real life experience and/or real-life management. This mix acknowledges that people living with spinal cord injury will continue to experience life and the emphasis is to improve quality of life far beyond just onset of their injuries but holistically looking at the management of life after injury, from discussions of diet, involvement in physical activity and the treatment of pressure ulcers to a discussion of how important informal networks are for people with disabilities and lastly an understanding  of the progression of research pathways in spinal cord injury research. The challenge to my expectations was good because the challenge open my mind to new possibilities and reach the goal I set for myself.

 The goal, gain knowledge so I could better support those around me, was accomplished. But there was so much more. In the community it is sometimes difficult to see impact because it becomes a little like not seeing forest for the trees. Attending this conference allowed me to see the impact. The greatest impact to my knowledgebase was an understanding of the research pathway for spinal cord injury as explained by Dr. Brian Kwon and the introduction to research materials such as SCI-U and spinalcordessentials.ca.

Beyond the discussions and resources I must acknowledge the fabulous experience I had meeting people and connecting personally, making the whole experience an enjoyable one. Lastly I would like to thank CPA Ontario and conference organizers for supporting consumer participation and attendance.