Rehabilitation Research and Development Center for Wheelchairs and Rehabilitation Engineering

There continues to be an influx of Veterans with disabilities (VwD) using mobility devices due to aging, improved medical care which has increased survival rates from severe injuries, and polytrauma resulting in multiple disabilities. The VA provided 99,100 wheelchairs and scooters to Veterans in FY21. Our Center, entitled Wheelchairs and Rehabilitation Engineering (WARE), will link capacity building and Voice of the Consumer (VoC) and Voice of the Process (VoP) recommendations by creating core activities in promoting an innovation environment assisting VwD and VA clinicians. Veterans are at the heart of everything that WARE does and strives to achieve. WARE has always been Veteran-led and Veteran-focused with a significant number of Veterans engaged at multiple levels. Participatory action design and engineering is and always has been the very heart of WARE’s research and development (R&D). WARE collects data from focus groups, interviews, surveys, meta- analyses, and peer-reviewed reports to generate roadmaps that address the needs of Veterans and technology domains in need of advancement. WARE’s roadmap is organized into 4 core activities and 4 R&D thrusts: Health & Well-being, Living in the Community; Education & Employment; and Travel & Leisure. We propose 9 core R&D projects that address the technology domains, research thrusts, and the VA 2022-2028 Strategic Plan. Training the next generation of rehabilitation scientists and engineers is one of the most important contributions a center can make to the long-term well-being of VwD. WARE is committed to mentoring new investigators (especially Veterans) to help them to successful careers focused on VwD. WARE is committed to remain a leader in assistive technology standards development and implementation. WARE’s proposed research, development, and core activities will result in improved function and mobility outcomes of VwD. WARE will leverage the expertise within VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS), industry partners, Veterans Service Organizations, and the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt). WARE has been and will continue to be focused on making tangible and measurable improvements for VwD who use wheelchairs and assistive technologies. An overarching goal is to translate findings throughout VA and into use by VA and Veterans. Keywords (Scientific Disciplines): Rehabilitation Engineering, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, and Physical Therapy. Keywords (Research Foci): Advanced Wheelchair Design, Assistive Robotics, Human Machine Interfaces, Participatory Action Design & Engineering, Rehabilitation Engineering, Wheelchairs