Rehabilitation Engineering Center
At the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago's (RIC) rehabilitation engineering department, engineers, designers and technicians provide individuals with assistive technology that enable them to control their environment and communicate with others. Solutions provided include:
- Customized seating systems
- Modifications for switches and wheelchair controls
- Adapting buttons on phones and other devices for independent use
- Designing and fabricating equipment for individuals to perform activities of daily living (ADLs)
RIC's rehabilitation engineering solutions help individuals achieve greater independence
Examples include:
- Customizing equipment that makes it possible for a woman with a double-arm amputation to hold her baby
- Enabling an individual with no grasp and limited range at the elbow to shave himself
- Adapting a cell phone so an individual with an limited hand mobility can access the tiny buttons
- Putting a special handle on a toy to allow a disabled child to hold it when playing
- Fabricating unique components for the rehabilitation engineering research team
- Mounting a communication system on a wheelchair when commercially available mounts do not work
- Providing home modifications to allow a person to stay in their home
- Creating a work station to allow a disabled individual to go back to work
The rehabilitation engineering staff works closely with individuals, their families, therapists, physicians and researchers to problem-solve situations in order to get the right assistive technology match.
RIC looks to philanthropic contributions to help develop and support all the Assistive Technology Programs, which remain so important to our patients’ quality of life.
For more information, call our Toll Free Referral and Information Line: 1-800-354-REHAB (7342), or visit the locations page of our Web site.