This week’s technology report is on wheelchair seating products. For those who spend large periods of time in a wheelchair, finding the right seating enhancements that provide both comfort and support is of high importance.

There are a wide selection of seat cushions that take into account everything from moisture resistance to pressure relief. Some products include materials that are lightweight and contoured to fit your body, while others emphasize your degree of activity and how likely your lifestyle is to cause skin breakdown.

Other options to look for are whether or not the manufacturer provides a solid cushion such as those made with gels or foam or a liquid one that prevents bottoming out - a situation that can lead to skin sores. Most companies will take into account your size and shape, fitting you with the best seat for your situation.

Backrests are another important item to consider when shopping for optimal comfort and health. There are an assortment of wheelchair backs that are suited to a variety of lifestyles. For the active person, there are specifications such as flexible positioning systems, removable hardware and lightweight structure. For those with a more sedentary or indoor lifestyle, you can find backs that will align your posture, provide maximal support and easy release.

Backs come in as many different materials as seats do and can be found in either hard shelled form or with an upholstered structure. Some are created for a greater weight bearing ability and others specifically for those who want to travel quick and light.

Consider what sort of life you lead and under what conditions before buying a wheelchair and seating products. These run in a wide price range and it will pay off later to research first!

While we don’t endorse any specific manufacturer, Sunrise Medical may be a good place to start looking as they have over 30 years of experience providing assistive products to those with disabilities.

This week’s resource is the Assistive Technology Industry Association’s (ATIA) list of upcoming events that focus on new developments and accessibility in the area of assistive technology.

Some of the upcoming events include the ATIA 2009 Orlando celebration that will showcase new and innovative technology for both adults and children, the ATIA Leadership Forum on Accessibility that is designed to “help large corporations, government agencies and educational institutions derive business value through accessibility,” and the ATIA 2009 Chicago technology celebration.

ATIA has been focused for the past ten years on providing education and a forum for communication between those with disabilities, who work with the disabled and who provide assistive technology. They are a non-profit membership organization of manufacturers of assistive devices and services.

If you are interested in any of these or future events, please visit their Website here.

This week’s technology spotlight is on an interesting assistive device called a cerebral interface or brain-computer interface (BCI).

The BCI enables users to augment their ability to communicate. Created by Carmen Vidaurre Arbizu, the BCI interfaces with the user’s computer and electroencephalograms (EEG) to generate signals used for communication.

In only four hours of of training, the typical user was able to control the interface. If you are interested in using your mind to control your computer, this device is worth checking out! Perhaps a peek into the future of assistive technology, the BCI brings us a big step closer to easy communication.

Engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new device that will help those with severe disabilities, such as those who are immobilized by a spinal cord injury, live fuller and more independent lives.

Assistant professor Maysam Ghovanloo and graduate student Xueliang Huo developed The Tongue Drive system which allows users to direct a cursor on a computer screen or drive a powered wheelchair with just their tongues. A magnet is attached to the tongue by implantation, piercing or tissue adhesive since the tongue is directly connected to the brain by a cranial nerve and typically remains undamaged after a spinal cord injury.

The number of possibilities for this technology are just being discovered as researchers probe how many tongue movements can be applied to commands that are useful to someone with a high-end spinal cord injury. They are also working out additional applications such as delivering commands from the simple touching of various teeth.

For more information, please visit the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.