This podcast introduces you to cutting-edge research, technology, and innovation that make real-life impacts on people with cerebral palsy and the whole disability community. Scientists are tackling crucial questions for every age and stage — the earliest interventions for at-risk babies, how to screen and classify chronic pain for more than 18 million people with cerebral palsy of all ages, how to use technology to advance research, and more.
Startup founders around the world are creating new products to make technology more accessible and more affordable to more easily facilitate mobility, communication, and participation in everyday life.
To dovetail with its life-changing cerebral palsy research, CPARF runs the Remarkable US program — part of the global Remarkable program founded and run by Australia’s Cerebral Palsy Alliance. Through this work, CPARF supports the development of new assistive devices and technology to improve the lives of people with cerebral palsy and the broader disability community.
During our seasons, you’ll hear from scientists focused on cerebral palsy research, entrepreneurs and experts who help bring life-changing products to the market, people with disabilities who share their valuable perspectives and lived experience using these innovations each day, and additional prominent voices in the disability community.
Listen and subscribe to learn more about how you or someone you care about can benefit from today’s latest advances in cerebral palsy research and disability technology.
Changing What’s Possible: The Disability Innovation Podcast
Remarkable Stories of Life-Changing Science and Tech
Latest Episode:
Season Three | Episode Twenty Three | Research Roundup: Shining A Light on Vision Problems in People With Cerebral Palsy
It’s estimated that anywhere from 75-90% of people with cerebral palsy (CP) have vision problems, and research aimed at better understanding vision in people with CP could help improve care and quality of life for these individuals. To wrap up our third season, Dr. Marie McNeely hosts this Research Roundup episode featuring three recent studies examining aspects of vision in people with CP. These studies highlight that cerebral (brain-level) visual impairment can change over time in people with CP, strabismus is very common in CP and affects millions of people worldwide, and different aspects of a person’s vision relate to and can impact how they move and use their hands.
Jocelyn Cohen, CPARF’s Vice President of Education, emphasizes the relevance of vision research and discusses why these studies matter for people with CP.
The three studies featured in this episode weren’t funded by CPARF, but they represent other interesting, innovative work that investigators are doing in the CP research space.
Links to the abstracts of the studies featured in this episode:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39316724/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38635869/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39018791/
Latest Episode:
Season Three | Episode Twenty Two | Research Roundup: Expanding Our Understanding of Physical Activity in Individuals With CP
Substantial and growing evidence supports the wide-ranging benefits of physical activity, but cerebral palsy (CP) and other disabilities can affect how a person engages in physical activity and what activities they should do to maximize their benefits. In this Research Roundup episode, Dr. Marie McNeely talks about three new studies that focused on physical activity in people with CP. The results from these studies give insights on physical activity and exercise in children with CP who can walk, children with CP who can’t walk, and adults with CP. The studies also draw attention to gaps in the literature that need to be addressed with future research. To highlight why these studies matter for people with CP, Jocelyn Cohen, CPARF’s Vice President of Education, shares her perspectives.
The studies featured in this episode weren’t funded by CPARF, but they represent other interesting, innovative projects that investigators are doing in the CP research space.
Links to the abstracts of the studies featured in this episode:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39363968/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38758603/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39180329/
Season Three | Episode Twenty One | Feel the Rush of Action-Packed Parasports with the Game Phenoms from Big Karma
Adaptive sports are filled with thrilling moments and jaw-dropping athletic feats from amazing athletes. But these sports and the phenomenal athletes who are at the top of their game remain a relatively untapped source for game developers. Pascal Clarysse kicks off this episode by sharing more about Big Karma, one of the startup companies in the 2024 Remarkable US Accelerator Program. As a founder of Big Karma, Pascal is passionate about gaming and dedicated to improving representation of disabled people in gaming and entertainment. Their flagship game, Phenoms, features a diverse group of real-life Paralympic athletes who leverage their disabilities to win.
Later, you’ll hear from Matt Scott, a five-time Paralympic athlete and two-time Paralympic Gold Medalist for Team USA Wheelchair Basketball. Matt is also an Olympics/Paralympics Presenter for NBC and Executive Director of Fly Without Limits, a global disability empowerment organization. He’s had a chance to play the game Phenoms from Big Karma and is one of the playable characters in the game as well. Matt shares how becoming a character in this game has been a dream come true, and how the game has the potential to shatter stereotypes and change people’s perceptions of disabilities.
Season Three | Episode Twenty | Research Roundup: Postural Differences May Impact Pain and Other Aspects of CP
The separate parts of our body are connected, and problems in one area can affect other aspects of our physical and mental health. Researchers are working to better understand the relationships between different symptoms of cerebral palsy (CP) and the impacts these symptoms can have on the everyday lives of people with CP. In this Research Roundup, Dr. Marie McNeely discusses three new research papers that examined relationships between posture and other aspects of CP like pain, balance, and quality of life. These studies investigated postural asymmetry, spine and pelvis alignment, and rib-on-pelvis deformity in people with CP, and their results provide valuable data to inform treatment approaches and future research. CPARF’s Vice President of Education, Jocelyn Cohen, also discusses why results from these new studies matter for people with CP.
The studies featured in this episode weren’t funded by CPARF, but they represent other interesting, innovative work that scientists are doing in the CP research space.
Links to the abstracts of the studies featured in this episode:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38608553/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38632183/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39325331/
Season Three | Episode Nineteen | Understanding the Healthcare Needs and Research Priorities of Adults with CP with Cristina Sarmiento, MD
The majority of people living with cerebral palsy (CP) today are adults, and more research is finally being done to better understand the unique healthcare risks and needs of adults with CP. However, many gaps remain in both research and healthcare for adults with CP. Dr. Cristina Sarmiento is a clinician and researcher who focuses on the transition from pediatric to adult healthcare for adults with lifelong disabilities, particularly CP, with the ultimate goal of promoting overall health, well-being, and quality of life across the lifespan.
She is part of a team of researchers investigating research priorities for adults with CP. In this episode, Cristina discusses a CPARF-funded research project she and the team are working on through a strategic partnership with the CP Research Network. This project is critical for ensuring that future research will address the needs of the CP community. Cristina is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
Season Three | Research Roundup: New Studies to Support Lifelong Management of CP
About 18 million people worldwide have cerebral palsy (CP). CP’s impacts span a person’s whole lifetime and will likely change with age. Thankfully, more recent research has been aimed at better understanding important issues related to managing CP throughout adulthood. This Research Roundup with Dr. Marie McNeely features three new research papers in this area.
They examine important factors for people with more involved CP to consider when transitioning from assisted to independent living, functional decline in adults with CP living in the community, and dealing with and managing falls. Jocelyn Cohen, CPARF’s Vice President of Education also joined the conversation to share why these new studies matter for people with CP.
The studies featured in this episode weren’t funded by CPARF, but they represent other interesting, innovative work that scientists are doing in the CP research space.
Links to the abstracts of the studies featured in this episode:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38591970/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38433033/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38994847/
Season Three | Episode Seventeen | Opening Doors for Greater Accessibility with We Hear You
Technology can make it easier for people with disabilities to access and engage with their communities, and We Hear You is dedicated to building a world with diversity and inclusion as the foundation of innovation. In this episode, you’ll hear from Pierre Paul and Ashley Schreck. Pierre is Founder and CEO of We Hear You, a startup company in our 2024 Remarkable US Accelerator Program.
Pierre shares the story of how the company began, the sign-language interpreter that got them started in disability tech, and their latest products, which focus on increasing accessibility by making it easier for people with disabilities to open doors and enter spaces. The Hero Door Opener can make virtually any door open automatically, and the Push Fob puts the power of opening automatic doors in your hands. This means you can say goodbye to struggling with wall-mounted push plates for automatic doors. Ashley joins us for the second half of the episode to talk about her experiences using products from We Hear You. As the Director of Marketing at EP!C, an organization dedicated to enriching the lives of people with intellectual/developmental disabilities based in Peoria, IL, Ashley and her team partnered with We Hear You to test their products and provide feedback.
Latest Episode:
Season Three | Episode Sixteen | Paralympian Jeff Butler Shares Innovations in Accessibility Solutions From the 2024
Tremendous progress has been made in the development of technology and other innovations to support people with disabilities and make the world more accessible, but we still have a long way to go. The Paralympic Games have been a key driver of innovation and are changing the way that people perceive disabilities and assistive technologies. In this episode, you’ll hear from Paralympic athlete Jeff Butler, a member of the USA Wheelchair Rugby Team and a three-time Paralympian. Jeff and his teammates took home the silver medal in the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, the 2020 Games in Tokyo, and the 2024 Games in Paris. He shares his story and gives us a behind-the-scenes look at accessibility and assistive technology from his experiences during the recent 2024 Paralympic Games, including mobility aids, adaptive clothing, and more.
Season Three | Episode Fifteen | Changing Clinical Care to Better Treat Pain for People with CP — With Dr. Amy Bailes and Dr. Mary Gannotti
The vast majority of people with cerebral palsy (CP) experience chronic pain throughout their life. Even though this pain is incredibly common, it’s often not adequately treated or managed in regular clinical care. Pain treatment delays can lead to more severe pain or other health problems later on. To improve how clinicians treat pain, it’s essential for them to regularly screen patients for pain, classify what type(s) of pain someone has, and measure changes in pain over time.
In this episode, Dr. Amy Bailes and Dr. Mary Gannotti discuss their ongoing CPARF-funded research focused on improving the quality of care for adults with cerebral palsy who experience pain. Amy is a physical therapist and Associate Professor in the Department of Allied Health at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati. She is also Director of Quality improvement with the Cerebral Palsy Research Network. Mary is a physical therapist and Professor at the University of Hartford and performs clinical research with the Cerebral Palsy Research Network. She is also co-chair of the CP Research Network’s Adult Study Group.
Season Three | Episode Fourteen | Research Roundup: New Insights on Surgical Interventions and Medications for CP
For years, surgeries and medications have been used to manage different symptoms that people with cerebral palsy (CP) experience. As new surgical approaches are developed, new medications become available, and new data are collected on the effects of these treatments, clinical care continues to evolve. Hosted by Dr. Marie McNeely, this Research Roundup covers three recently published papers that share updates on surgical interventions and medications for managing symptoms of CP. The papers examined how hamstring lengthening surgery may impact pelvic tilt during walking in adults with CP, trends in the timing of hip surgery for children with CP, and updated clinical recommendations for treating dystonia in individuals who have CP. Jocelyn Cohen, CPARF’s Vice President of Education, also discussed why this new research matters for people with CP. The research included in this episode wasn’t funded by CPARF, but the papers describe other interesting, innovative work that scientists are doing in the CP research space.
Links to the abstracts of the studies featured in this episode:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38935848/
Season Three | Episode Thirteen | Make Your Home More Accessible with a Modular Addition from WheelPad
Finding accessible housing or making your current home more accessible can be difficult, and navigating the process of getting permits and renovating to improve accessibility can be complicated and expensive. Sudden needs for accessible housing are a particular problem for many people with spinal cord injury, progressive diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), or other conditions that impact mobility. In this episode, you’ll hear from Julie Lineberger, Co-Founder of WheelPad L3C, one of the startup companies in Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation’s 2024 Remarkable US Accelerator Program. WheelPad works with customers to provide modular, accessible housing solutions for short-term or long-term use.
Julie shares why they started the company, describes their current SuitePAD and upcoming products, and gives examples of how their products are helping people with disabilities stay at home with their families in their communities. Our second guest, Nora McCabe, talks about her experiences using a SuitePAD that her parents attached to their home after her spinal cord injury, and she explains how this accessible bedroom and bathroom addition has made a huge difference for their family.
Season Three | Episode Twelve | Innovation in 5: Empower Yourself to Live an Active and Engaged Life
Living an active lifestyle has wide-ranging benefits, including better mental and physical health. However, people with physical disabilities experience unique obstacles, and it can be difficult to decide which adaptive activities are right for you. The Kelly Brush Foundation is dedicated to inspiring and empowering people with spinal cord injuries to lead active and engaged lives. Through the Active Project, they provide relevant resources for people with many different disabilities, not just spinal cord injuries.
Edie Perkins, Executive Director of the Kelly Brush Foundation, joined host Molly Lazarus in this episode to talk more about how the Active Project is helping people with disabilities learn more about adaptive sports, discover local sport organizations and events, and connect with other disability community members who are interested in becoming more active or who already consider themselves active.
Season Three | Episode Eleven | Research Roundup: Achieve Your Goals with Leantime’s Project Management Software for People Who Think Differently
If you feel daunted by your never-ending task lists and have struggled trying to use a range of different solutions at work — from notebooks and spreadsheets to sophisticated project management tools — you’re not alone. Most work environments and project management tools aren’t designed to meet the needs of people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, autism, and other conditions. The founders of Leantime — one of the startup companies in Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation’s 2024 Remarkable US Accelerator Program — want to change that. In this episode, Leantime CEO and Co-Founder Gloria Folaron, shares how their people-first project management software uses goals to drive motivation and help neurodivergent people succeed at work. In the second half of the episode, you’ll hear from Jonathan Stephens, an independent director of product design and development who has been helping with design and strategy for Leantime’s software.
Season Three | Episode Ten | Research Roundup: Telehealth and Virtual Reality Could Make Treatments More Accessible and Engaging
Telehealth and virtual reality (VR) approaches have the potential to transform healthcare for people with disabilities who often face barriers in receiving the care they need. In our latest Research Roundup episode, we highlight three recent papers that examine these two approaches. One study focused on the development and evaluation of a new exercise program for children with cerebral palsy (CP) that was delivered remotely via telehealth. We also discussed two review articles that summarize what we’ve learned from the research studies done to date on how VR therapies affect balance and movement in children with CP.
Host Dr. Marie McNeely briefly describes each of these papers, and CPARF’s Vice President of Education, Jocelyn Cohen, sheds light on why these studies matter for people with CP. The papers discussed in this episode weren’t funded by CPARF, but they represent other interesting, innovative work being done in the CP research space.
Links to the abstracts of the studies featured in this episode:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38441939/
Season Three | Episode Nine| Accessible Accommodations, Inclusive Marketing, and More with Martyn Sibley
Martyn Sibley is on a mission to create a more inclusive world, and his work as an entrepreneur has involved building communities, making it easier to find accessible accommodations, curating and sharing relevant disability-related information and stories, and increasing disabled representation in the content and media we see every day. With co-founder Srin Madipalli, Martyn launched a disability magazine called Disability Horizons, an online disability lifestyle publication that gave disabled people a voice and a platform for 12 years. He and Srin also created and grew the startup Accommable, which was later acquired by Airbnb in 2017.
Currently, Martyn is CEO and Founder of Purple Goat Agency, an inclusive international marketing agency. In this episode, Martyn shares stories from his entrepreneurial journey, insights into how he and his teams have built successful companies, and advice for fellow founders. He also introduces some of his latest efforts in advocacy and entrepreneurship, including the newly created Purple Collective and work with The Lilac Review, which aims to address inequalities faced by disabled business owners and bolster entrepreneurship in the UK.
Season Three | Episode Eight | Innovation in 5: Get Adaptive Apparel that Suits Your Style from Cadense, Equability, and Springrose
Getting dressed is an everyday task that many people with disabilities dread because finding clothes and shoes that look good and meet your needs can be a major challenge. No one should have to sacrifice independence, comfort, or style to find fashion that works for you. This episode features three startup companies that are making waves to make apparel more fun and functional to meet the needs of people with a range of mobility limitations, pain conditions, and other disabilities.
Johannes Sauer, CEO of Cadense Shoes, discusses their adaptive shoes designed with advanced slide technology to help people with walking difficulties. Springrose CEO and Founder Nicole Cuervo shares how their adaptive intimates are helping women preserve their independence and dignity with their versatile bras. Hilary Pham, Founder and CEO of Equability, introduces you to their clothing adaptation services that allow people with disabilities to customize their old favorites or their latest finds to meet their unique needs.
Season Three | Episode Seven | Bringing Biomotum’s Wearable Robotic Walking System to the Home with Dr. Collin Bowersock
Imagine what you could accomplish if you could walk farther, go faster, and use less energy. For people with mobility-related disabilities, making this a reality with assistive technology would be transformative. In our first season (episode 5), we introduced you to Biomotum, a startup company dedicated to developing life-changing robotic orthotics to improve mobility for disabled people who walk. Their device has exciting features that make it promising for both assistance and building strength.
In this episode, Dr. Collin Bowersock updates us on his CPARF-funded fellowship project, which is testing whether people can use the Biomotum SPARK device outside of the laboratory in real-world settings. Dr. Bowersock is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Northern Arizona University who works in the Biomechatronics Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Zach Lerner. Dr. Bowersock is working with a range of people with cerebral palsy to get feedback on the SPARK device and understand how well it meets their needs in their own homes and communities. This work will inform further device development and provide important information on how people could use the device at home in the future.
Season Three | Episode Six | Research Roundup: Updates on Technological Interventions for People with CP
Researchers and innovators are creating novel technologies that address unmet needs, improve function, and enhance quality of life for people with disabilities. This short Research Roundup episode features three recent studies that highlight the development and evaluation of new technology-based interventions for people with CP and other disabilities, including a customized 4-D printed hand orthosis, a cable-driven robotic platform that helps with head and neck movements, and a wearable full-body garment that aims to improve mobility and reduce pain. The host, Dr. Marie McNeely, discusses the findings of each paper, and CPARF’s Vice President of Education, Jocelyn Cohen, provides her perspectives on why these studies matter for people with CP. The studies covered in this episode weren’t funded by CPARF, but they highlight other interesting, innovative work being done in the CP research space.
Links to the abstracts of the studies featured in this episode:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38365340/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38627418/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38354212/
Season Three | Episode Five | Starting Up: Helping Blind People See the World Better with Be My Eyes
Millions of people around the world navigate their daily lives with low or no vision, and this can be particularly challenging when their environments aren’t accessible. Common tasks like doing laundry or buying something online could be made much easier if they could — even just for a moment — see what’s in front of them. Be My Eyes meets this need by connecting people with low or no vision to sighted volunteers through a video app. By showing volunteers real-time videos and talking to them, app users can ask questions and get more information about what they aren’t able to see.
In this episode, Be My Eyes Founder Hans Jørgen Wiberg talks with host Molly Lazarus about his startup journey, and how he and his team have grown Be My Eyes into the company it is today. They discuss early monetization strategies, making deals with some of the world’s largest companies, and incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) to stay on the cutting edge of innovation.
Season Three | Episode Four | Research Roundup: New Studies Aim to Improve CP Diagnosis and Outcome Prediction
Scientists around the world are continuing to make important advances in research that could improve the lives of people with cerebral palsy (CP) and other disabilities. In this short Research Roundup episode, host Dr. Marie McNeely talks about four recent studies focused on diagnosing CP and other conditions, as well as predicting outcomes. These papers examine new diagnostic approaches being developed that use brain activity, movement patterns, or characteristics of walking plus deep learning artificial intelligence to make it easier to diagnose CP and better predict important outcomes. CPARF’s Vice President of Education, Jocelyn Cohen, also joins the discussion to share how findings from these studies are relevant for people with CP. The research studies discussed in this episode weren’t funded by CPARF, but they highlight other interesting, innovative work happening in the CP research space.
Links to the abstracts of the studies featured in this episode:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38583406/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38616771/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38629475/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38350399/
Season Three | Episode Three | Creating Caregiving Robots to Help with Everyday Activities with Drs. Bhattacharjee and Dimitropoulou
As the fields of robotics and engineering advance, the utility of robots is no longer limited to performing simple, repetitive tasks. However, for physical robotics to be useful in real-world situations, they must be able to perform in variable and unstructured environments, as well as take into account the needs and characteristics of each individual user. This is particularly important for assistive robots being created to meet the complex needs of caregiving.
This episode features Dr. Tapomayukh Bhattacharjee, Assistant Professor in Computer Science at Cornell University, and Dr. Katherine Dimitropoulou, Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine in the Occupational Therapy Program at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
They share their innovative research working with people with disabilities and other stakeholders to develop robots that can assist with activities of daily living like feeding and dressing. In their interview, they also discuss their new framework called Structuring Physically Assistive Robotics for Caregiving with Stakeholders-in-the-Loop (SPARCS), which is helping to address challenges with physical robot caregiving and accelerate the translation of this technology from the lab into everyday life.
Season Three | Episode Two | Innovation in 5: Stress Less About Finding Accessible Public Bathrooms with Ahoi and Momentum Refresh
Whether you’re planning to go to an event or even just catch up with friends over a cup of coffee, you shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not there will be a bathroom available that meets your needs. Even if public bathrooms comply with all of the Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design, they can still be difficult or impossible to use for people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities.
In this episode, Becky Hansen, Chief Strategy Officer at Momentum Refresh, and Jake Haendel, Founder of Ahoi, talk about their innovative approaches to making public bathrooms more accessible and inclusive. Momentum Refresh provides fully accessible, universally designed mobile bathrooms to empower people with limited mobility to more easily access community events, venues, and emergency services. Ahoi is a mobile app that leverages community-sourced photos and ratings about the accessibility of bathrooms to help people with disabilities find bathrooms in their area that have the features they need.
Season Three | Episode One | Monitoring Movements for Earlier CP Diagnosis With Dr. Colleen Peyton
For many families, a child’s cerebral palsy (CP) diagnosis is made around two years of age or even later. But diagnosing cerebral palsy earlier allows clinicians to take advantage of critical developmental periods during the first two years of life. During this time, a baby’s brain rapidly develops, and brain activity and pathways are shaped by their experiences. Starting interventions during critical periods of development means clinicians can positively affect later outcomes related to movement and other functions.
In this episode, you’ll hear from Dr. Colleen Peyton, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences and the Department of Pediatrics at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Colleen discusses collaborative research funded by CPARF that is examining “fidgety movements.” She and her team are using an innovative mobile application to study when fidgety movements are first seen in babies, how these movements relate to later outcomes at two years of age, and whether other types of early movements may also be important for predicting CP and other outcomes.
New Episodes
Season Three | Episode Zero | Jocelyn Cohen & Molly Lazarus Share What’s to Come in Season Three
Jocelyn Cohen, Vice President of Education at Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation (CPARF), and Molly Lazarus, Director of Remarkable US, are featured in this introductory episode for season three of Changing What’s Possible: The Disability Innovation Podcast. They share exciting updates from CPARF and Remarkable, and they explore the new types of episodes that we’ll feature in season three. Get ready to learn more about the latest in research and innovation for people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities in a new episode each week, beginning Friday, June 14th.
Season Two
Season Two | Episode Twelve | Improve How You Move and More With Noninvasive Spinal Stimulation from SpineX
Cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, and other neurological conditions can impact how information travels from your brain to other parts of your body. SpineX, a startup company in our 2023 Remarkable US Accelerator Program, develops noninvasive solutions that use painless electrical stimulation to change the nervous system’s activity to improve function and enhance quality of life. In this episode, you’ll hear more about the company and its innovative Spinal Cord Innovation in Pediatrics (SCiP™) device and Spinal Cord Neuromodulation (SCONE™) device from Kara Allanach, SpineX’s Director of Product. In the second part of our interview, you’ll meet Jessica, Van, and Annika Oldham. They discuss Annika’s cerebral palsy, their experiences with the SCiP™ device as part of two clinical research studies, and the improvements they’ve seen in Annika’s mobility.
Please note: SCiP™ and SCONE™ are investigational devices and are limited by US federal law to investigational use only. The Food and Drug Administration has not yet reviewed the safety and effectiveness of SCIP™ or SCONE™. SpineX has not yet determined the most effective method of timing for therapy and is currently investigating these parameters in ongoing clinical trials.
Season Two | Episode Eleven | Walk With Confidence Wearing Cutting-Edge Shoes from Cadense
Walking difficulties can lead to dangerous falls and limit mobility for people with many different conditions. While devices like ankle foot orthoses (AFOs), complex robotics, and walking aids like canes or walkers can help, they have their downsides. Usually, they’re not made with aesthetics in mind, often cost too much, and they can attract unwanted stares and questions from strangers.
In this episode, you’ll hear from Dr. Tyler Susko, Founder and CTO of Cadense, Inc., a company that aims to revolutionize the way people with walking difficulties experience movement. Tyler shares the story of multiple innovations, including the development of their Cadense shoes — stylish footwear made with variable friction technology for people who have difficulty swinging their foot forward during walking. They’ve created shoes to allow a person’s foot to discreetly slide over obstacles to prevent tripping.
Season Two | Episode Ten | Engage With Tech Your Way With Accessible Controls From Cephable — Part 2
Imagine being able to play a game, create an important presentation, or engage in a virtual class with just a series of simple words, gestures, and face expressions. This kind of freedom and flexibility to control technology can open doors and create opportunities for many people around the world who can’t easily use game consoles, computers, or other devices. With a free app from Cephable (formerly Enabled Play), speech, facial expressions, head positions, shaking, tilting, and virtual buttons can all be used to personalize how you control the technology in your life. In the second part of our two-part interview, Cephable Founder and CEO Alex Dunn talks more about how Cephable differs from other resources, how they continue to incorporate feedback from their community, and what users can expect in the future.
Season Two | Episode Nine | Engage With Tech Your Way With Accessible Controls From Cephable — Part 1
Technology can accelerate learning at school, enhance productivity at work, and create fun ways to play and engage with friends and family. But if you’re someone who has difficulty using traditional technology controls like a keyboard, mouse, or game controller, you might feel like you’re being left behind. Cephable, formerly known as Enabled Play, is dedicated to leveling the playing field when it comes to accessing technology, and we’re excited to support Cephable through our 2023 Remarkable US Accelerator Program. In the first part of our two-part interview, we’ll introduce you to Cephable Founder and CEO Alex Dunn. He shares his background, the story behind Cephable, and how the company is working to provide more flexibility around user interaction with technology through their innovative free app.
Season Two | Episode Eight | Say Goodbye to UTIs With Aurie’s No-Touch, Reusable Catheter System
Planning each day around going to the bathroom can make it difficult to do everything you want in life, and reusing a typical intermittent catheter can put you at high risk for potentially deadly urinary tract infections. For stroke survivors, people with spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and other conditions, intermittent catheterization is the most common way to empty their bladders.
In the first part of this episode, you’ll meet Souvik Paul, CEO and Founder of Aurie, a startup company in our 2023 Remarkable US Accelerator Program. Aurie is working to improve the health, freedom, and quality of life for the millions of people around the world who use intermittent catheters by developing a new no-touch, reusable catheter system. Our second guest, Carina Ho, sustained a spinal cord injury and inspired Souvik to start Aurie. She shares her story and personal perspective.
Season Two | Episode Seven | Grasp Your Goals With Assistive Tech from Hominid X – Part 2
From simple straps to complex robots, many products have been developed over the years to help people with hand disabilities. But most of them aren’t suitable for daily use because they’re too cumbersome, feel uncomfortable, require frequent charging, or are highly specialized to help with just one kind of task. In the second episode of our two-part interview, you’ll hear more about how Hominid X designs user-friendly assistive grasping tools that empower people with hand disabilities to achieve their goals. Hominid X Founder and CEO Thane Hunt joins us again to share more about the company and one of their products called The Modern Cuff. Our second guest is Megan Dloniak, a stroke survivor who has been using Hominid X’s products in her everyday life. She provides important perspectives from her lived experience and shares how Hominid X’s products are helping her achieve her own entrepreneurial dreams.
Season Two | Episode Six | Grasp Your Goals With Assistive Tech from Hominid X – Part 1
Limited hand function can make everyday tasks like cooking, cleaning, or writing difficult for people around the world with cerebral palsy, stroke, and many other conditions. To address these challenges, Hominid X is developing and delivering wearable assistive products that can help people increase their independence and enhance their lives. In this episode, you’ll meet Thane Hunt, Founder and CEO of Hominid X — one of the startup companies in our 2023 Remarkable US Accelerator Program. In addition to this work, Thane is a Senior Systems Engineer at Desktop Metal. In the first episode of this two-part interview, Thane introduces himself, shares the story of how Hominid X came to be, and tells us more about Fiber — one of their innovative products that’s an easy-to-use assistive device for people with hand weakness or paralysis.
Season Two | Episode Five | Jonathan Kaufman Shares How Disability Innovation Shapes Business and Culture
“Disability is the essence of diversity.” In this episode, Jonathan Kaufman shares valuable insights on how disabled perspectives enrich our culture, enhance businesses, and spark innovation. We also discuss challenges, changes, and opportunities for the future of disability innovation. Jonathan draws from his own personal experiences as an adult with cerebral palsy, as well as from decades of engagement with disabled individuals and communities. He is an executive coach, psychotherapist, and strategist; has a column in Forbes Magazine called “Mindset Matters,” and he was formerly a Policy Advisor to the White House on Diversity and Disability.
Season Two | Episode Four | Making Maps More Accessible with XR Navigation – Part 2
Traditional navigation solutions just don’t meet the needs of people with limited or no vision, but new innovations are making it easier for this community to access geographic information. Brandon Biggs, CEO of XR Navigation, joins us again for part two of our conversation about his company. XR Navigation is a startup in the 2023 Remarkable US Accelerator Program that is working to improve the accessibility of maps and other navigation solutions. Additionally, their products make it possible for blind users to access important information that’s often conveyed visually with map images, such as data on air quality, storm trajectories, and wildfire risk. This part of our interview focuses on the technology behind XR Navigation’s products, how the products work, what makes them unique, and what Brandon envisions for the future of the company.
Season Two | Episode Three | Making Maps More Accessible with XR Navigation – Part 1
For people with limited or no vision, getting to a new destination can be difficult and frustrating. XR Navigation, a startup in the 2023 Remarkable US Accelerator Program, is working to change this. In our two-part interview, Brandon Biggs, CEO of XR Navigation, talks about how they are using tactile 3D interactive maps, digital auditory maps, and turn-by-turn wayfinding to make navigation more accessible and intuitive for users. They’re also providing much-needed accessibility solutions for a wide variety of other map applications, including weather, disease prevalence, and political districting. In developing XR Navigation’s products and services, Brandon draws from his lived experience as a blind person, and he discusses how their products are addressing some of the pain points in his own life. This episode focuses on Brandon’s background and how XR Navigation came to be.
Season Two | Episode Two | Springrose: Preserve Independence With Adaptive Intimate Apparel
Getting dressed shouldn’t have to be difficult or painful for anyone. In this episode, Nicole Cuervo, CEO of Springrose, shares how their adaptive intimates are transforming the way women get dressed. Springrose is one of the startups participating in the 2023 Remarkable US Accelerator Program. Listen to learn more about Springrose and their first product, a bra designed with a variety of features that make it comfortable, stylish, and easy for people with a wide range of conditions to put on and adjust.
Season Two | Episode One | Molly Levitt Shares How Remarkable US Drives Innovation
Innovation can change millions of lives around the world, and disability innovation often paves the way for new technology that can benefit both people with and without disabilities. In this episode, Remarkable US Director Molly Levitt kicks off season two of our show by highlighting the importance of disability innovation and the demand for affordable, accessible products. She explains Remarkable’s global presence, its origin and Australian leadership by Cerebral Palsy Alliance, and its expansion into the US. She also discusses how Remarkable US — run by US-based Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation — currently supports six outstanding startup companies that are each developing exceptional products and services with and for people with disabilities.
Season Two | Episode Zero | Jocelyn Cohen Gets Us Ready for Season Two of Changing What’s Possible
CPARF is excited to release new episodes with outstanding guests this season! In this introductory episode, Jocelyn Cohen, CPARF’s Vice President of Communications and Engagement, shares updates about the 2023 Remarkable US Accelerator Program and what to expect in this season of the podcast, which starts on Friday, May 12th.
Season One
Season One | Episode Eight | Increasing Access to Affordable High-Quality Wheelchairs With Participant Assistive Products
The right wheelchair can transform someone’s life by allowing them to attend school, helping them participate in their community, and more. This episode’s guests share how their company Participant Assistive Products works to bring affordable, high-quality mobility products to children all over the world. Keoke King, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Participant Assistive Products, describes what makes their products unique and how they reach underserved communities. Next, Dave Calver, Participant’s Chief Clinical Officer and Co-Founder, shares stories from people in Mexico and Colombia who’ve used their new Cub wheelchair, and how it benefits people.
Season One | Episode Seven | Ease Your Mind Post-Stroke With Nuroflux’s Portable Brain Monitoring
Approximately 15 million people worldwide have a stroke each year, and clinical monitoring after a stroke is critical for early detection of secondary strokes. In this episode, we hear more about the start-up company Nuroflux from Sam van Bohemen, Co-founder, CEO, and CTO. Nuroflux is part of the Remarkable Accelerator Program, and they are creating a wearable system that provides continuous, quantitative monitoring of blood flow and activity in the brain for use in people after a stroke. Later in this episode, David Smith shares insights about his stroke and recovery before Nuroflux was created. He discusses his experience and how he thinks Nuroflux could help others who have a stroke in the future.
Season One | Episode Six | Travel Better With an Accessible Audio Guide to the World From Vacayit
This episode features Vacayit, a Remarkable Accelerator Program (#RA22) startup company that created an accessible travel platform for blind and low-vision tourists. Vacayit CEO and Founder Hailey Brown tells us more about the company and how they use audio to share stories, soundscapes, and history from places all over the world. Next, we hear from Lisa McEwan, Head of Content at Vacayit, who draws from personal experience to bring the feeling of different destinations to life by creating and curating content tailored to people with low to no vision.
Season One | Episode Five | Make Walking Easier One Step at a Time With Wearable Robotics From Biomotum
Around 30 million people around the world experience mobility challenges that impact their daily activities. We’re excited to introduce you to Biomotum, a start-up company dedicated to developing life-changing rehabilitation robotics to help improve mobility for people with cerebral palsy and a wide range of other conditions and disabilities. Biomotum Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer Dr. Zach Lerner shares more about the company and their SPARK device in the first half of this episode. Nicole Hastings joins us in the second half of the episode to share her son’s experiences using the Biomotum SPARK over the past three years.
Season One | Episode Four | Personalize Your Health and Fitness with Accessercise: An Accessible Fitness App
Take control of your own health and fitness with a new exercise app designed specifically for people with disabilities! In this episode, we introduce you to Accessercise, a start-up company in the Remarkable Accelerator Program (#RA22) that helps people with a wide range of disabilities independently achieve their fitness goals. Ali Jawad, four-time Paralympian Powerlifter and Co-Founder of Accessercise, shares the company’s story and how his experiences informed the development of their innovative exercise app. In the second half of the episode, Becky Porte shares how Accessercise has helped in her own fitness journey, as well as her work as a personal trainer for others with disabilities.
Season One | Episode Three | Bring Your Therapy Anywhere With RecoveryVR
Virtual reality (VR) has many exciting applications. This episode highlights a start-up company in the Remarkable Accelerator Program (#RA22) that is using VR to enhance rehabilitation and therapy. RecoveryVR CEO and Founder Christian Doran describes how they are increasing engagement and enjoyment during therapy sessions for people with a wide variety of health conditions and disabilities. Our second guest, Ian Cheok, is an occupational therapist in Australia who uses RecoveryVR to personalize and augment the therapy he provides for his patients who experience chronic pain, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other conditions.
Season One | Episode Two | Empower Yourself at Home With Smart Tech from Homeable
In our conversations with Zoe Davies and Mel Le Bas, we discuss personalized and accessible smart home solutions from the Australian startup company Homeable, a participant in the 2022 Remarkable Accelerator Program (#RA22). As one of the co-founders, Zoe is dedicated to increasing independence and empowerment for people living with disabilities in their own homes. Mel Le Bas shares how she helps the team develop Homeable and uses it to customize her own home with accessible smart technology tailored specifically to her needs and priorities.
Season One | Episode One | Navigation Through Vibration: Using Haptics with WearWorks
In this episode, Keith Kirkland and Markeith Price join us to share the story of Wayband and the company WearWorks. As a Co-Founder of WearWorks, Keith talks about how Wayband is changing the way people who are blind or have visual impairments can navigate the world every day. In the second half of this episode, Markeith Price, an elite track and field athlete and two-time US Paralympian with limited vision, describes his experiences using WayBand. WearWorks is a US-based start-up company in the latest cohort (#RA22) of the Remarkable Accelerator Program.
Season One | Episode Zero | Welcome to Changing What’s Possible with Jocelyn Cohen
In this episode, Jocelyn Cohen, Vice President of Communications and Engagement at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation (CPARF), introduces you to CPARF and its mission. She shares why they created this exciting new podcast series focused on disability innovation and what to expect in upcoming episodes starting July 1, 2022.
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Thanks for listening! We’d love to know what you think of Changing What’s Possible. Please leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, share your favorite episode with your friends, and help spread the word on social media.
Follow us: Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
Fri 06 Dec 2024
Fri 22 Nov 2024
Fri 15 Nov 2024
Fri 08 Nov 2024
Fri 01 Nov 2024
Fri 25 Oct 2024
Fri 18 Oct 2024
Fri 11 Oct 2024
Fri 04 Oct 2024