SIG-17 Anthologies

Jamie Noon, Several Countries, 1994 to Present

Jamie doing an assessment	A child in Romania	A group shot during an assessment

How I became involved

My girlfriend and I used to read "Where there is no doctor" and we were captivated. I wanted very much to be involved in something like that, even if it was only as a spectator. I met a physical therapist named Jean Ann Zollars and a small group of us went on a short seating training to Ajolla Mexico. Through Jean Ann I later was introduced to W.W.I, Motivation, Beneficial Designs, and REC at Stanford. Over the next 10 years I worked with all of them in the area of seating services, training, and design.

Where I went

With Motivation I've worked on design and clinical training on short and long projects in: Russia, Romania, Lithuania, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Africa, and the UK.

With WhirlWind International I've worked on short and medium sized projects in: Siberia, Mexico, and Nicaragua.

What I did there

The work that I have been involved in has been seating. This includes designing seating products and wheelchairs and training production in the project country. A major focus has also been in clinical training, usually training a group of therapists to assess for custom seating for children with disabilities (mostly CP).

My favorite things

Being involved with the creation of a new industry in a place that didn't have it before, or didn't have adequate services. Spending quality time with people through this training activity.

Challenges

The biggest challenge is funding. The local teams can learn how to provide the service but finding the money for the chairs is not so simple, especially within the country.

Why is this information important to RESNA members and others?

There are many, many people who would love to somehow be involved but have limited access to this type of activity. One of my goals is to help to establish systems to coordinate these types of training activities through various organizations so that there is a coordinated approach and those interested can participate in a lasting and meaningful way.

Contact Jamie Noon with any questions.