Wheelchairs and Seating for Stroke
Date: Saturday, September 26, 2026
Time: 8:00am – 4:00 pm
Location: Health Sciences North, 3rd Floor, South Tower, Physio Gym
Speaker: Cathy Choi, OT Reg. (Ont.), MTS, RESNA Certified ATP/SMS, Seating Clinic, Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital, Sinai Health, MSK Course Co-Instructor, University of Toronto Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
Target Audience: Occupational Therapists and stroke care providers in northeastern Ontario who assess and prescribe seating
Cost: $100/person
Workshop Description:
This workshop will provide participants with an overview of wheelchair seating and positioning considerations for individuals following stroke. Participants will explore how stroke-related changes in posture, tone, strength, sensation, cognition, and mobility can impact seating needs and wheelchair use. Through discussion and practical examples, the session will highlight key assessment considerations, common seating challenges, and strategies to support comfort, safety, function, and participation. Participants will leave with a better understanding of how appropriate wheelchair and seating recommendations can support recovery, independence, and quality of life after stroke.
Registration and Payment:
Best Practices for Managing Perceptual Impairments Post-stroke
Dates: October 20, 22, 27, 2026
Time: 12:00pm – 1:30 pm online via zoom
Speaker: Dr. Anita Menon, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Target Audience: Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Speech Language Pathologists working in stroke care in Northeastern Ontario
Cost: FREE
Workshop Description:
This interactive, hands-on interprofessional workshop will provide front-line clinicians with practical knowledge and skills for assessing and treating perceptual impairments following stroke, with a particular focus on unilateral spatial neglect. Participants will explore the prevalence and functional impact of these impairments, current Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations, and the roles of the interdisciplinary team. The workshop will also review the interpretation, psychometric properties, and clinical application of commonly used assessment tools, including the Behavioral Inattention Test, Line Bisection Test, Apples Test, and Catherine Bergego Scale. Through practical activities and group discussion, participants will identify gaps between best practices and current care and consider barriers and facilitators to improving early detection, rehabilitation, and the uptake of evidence-based approaches.
Registration:
Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance:
The CO-OP Approach™ Introductory Workshop
Date: November 7 and 21, 2026
Time: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm online via zoom
Final Consolidation Session (choose one):
- February 25, 2027 – choose either: 8:00 am – 10:30 am or 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm;
- or February 26, 2027 – choose either 8:00 am – 10:30 am or 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm.
(all sessions are offered online via zoom)
Speaker:
Sara McEwen, BSc(PT), MSc, PhD
Regional Research and Evaluation Lead, North East Specialized Geriatric Centre
Affiliate Scientist, Health Sciences North Research Institute
Target Audience: This CO-OP Approach™ workshop is for occupational therapists, physiotherapists and other allied health professionals who teach patients skills and enable the attainment of patient goals. There is an emphasis on using CO-OP with adults living with neurological conditions such as stroke.
Cost: $200/person
Workshop Description:
The CO-OP Approach™ is an evidence-based, person-centred, performance-focused method that helps individuals develop and maintain meaningful skills through problem-solving, cognitive strategies, and guided discovery. Supported by extensive research, it has been successfully used with people living with stroke, acquired brain injury, Parkinson’s disease, and other disabilities, and is increasingly applied by a range of rehabilitation professionals. The approach is built on five essential elements: collaboratively developed patient-centred goals, dynamic analysis of performance challenges, cognitive strategy use, guided discovery, and enabling principles that support therapists in coaching and collaborating with patients to achieve their goals.
For more information, check out the CO-OP website.
Registration and Payment:
An Introduction to the Neuro-Developmental Treatment (NDT) Approach
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
Time: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Location: Sault Area Hospital
Instructor: Tara Dingman, PT, C/NDT, NDTA™ Adult PT Instructor Candidate
Target Audience: Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and assistants working in stroke care in Northeastern Ontario
Cost: $100/person
Workshop Description:
This 1-day workshop will include a short didactic presentation, discussion of NDT concepts, problem solving and an introduction to handling. The emphasis of the course will be promoting recovery of function in individuals with neurological impairments.
The introductory lecture of the workshop will include discussion of the theoretical foundations and evidence supporting an NDT approach, framework for movement analysis and principles of intervention.
The second portion of this workshop will provide an introduction to handling and problem solving within an NDT approach.
The interactive hands-on practical session will give participants an introduction to typical movement specifically focusing on the importance of biomechanical factors, such as base of support, alignment, and their contribution to ease and efficiency of movement. Some basic handling skills will be introduced to promote more functional movement. The workshop will provide participants with additional skills to enhance consistency in patient care and contribute to the overall team rehabilitation efforts of achieving functional outcomes for patients.
Registration and Payment: