CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - An upcoming symposium will bring health practitioners and researchers together to share recent innovations in the field of disability research. "Redefining Disability: New Directions in Research and Practice" will highlight the work of several Illinois researchers and share the insights of Dr. John W. McDonald, an expert in spinal cord injury and nervous system repair at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
The Center on Health, Aging and Disability, and the Health and Wellness Research Initiative at the University of Illinois College of Applied Health Sciences organized the event, to be held at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center, 601 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana, from 12:30 to 7 p.m. on Dec. 9.
The symposium will include a presentation on the role of exercise in growing and maintaining brain cells, a talk on future trends in the design of brain-machine interfaces for people with disabilities, a description of a program to provide wheelchairs to those with disabilities in Ghana, and a discussion of campus efforts to identify and address the barriers that hinder students with disabilities. Other presentations will focus on important aspects of managing or responding to multiple sclerosis and sensory disabilities.
More information and online registration for the free symposium is on the center's website.