Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America

Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America
Name	Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America
Abbreviation	RESNA
Formation	1979
Headquarters	Unknown
Region served	North America
Membership	Professionals, researchers, clinicians, consumers

Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America is a professional organization focused on the advancement of rehabilitation engineering and assistive technology through interdisciplinary collaboration among engineers, clinicians, researchers, manufacturers, and consumers. The society promotes standards, education, and professional certification while engaging with allied institutions to improve access to technology for people with disabilities. Its activities intersect with a wide range of professional societies, governmental agencies, research centers, and academic institutions.

History

Founded in 1979 amid growing interest in biomedical engineering, prosthetics and orthotics, and rehabilitation research, the society emerged alongside organizations such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, American Physical Therapy Association, American Occupational Therapy Association, and Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe. Early collaborations involved researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, University of California, Berkeley, and Mayo Clinic, drawing on innovations from pioneers associated with National Institutes of Health programs and projects funded by the National Science Foundation. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the society engaged with standards bodies including American National Standards Institute and regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration, while maintaining ties to rehabilitation clinics at Cleveland Clinic and Shepherd Center. The society’s evolution paralleled technological advances stemming from research at Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, and international partners like University of Oxford and Karolinska Institute.

Mission and Activities

The society’s mission centers on improving quality of life through the application of technology and engineering to disability and rehabilitation challenges, working closely with organizations such as World Health Organization, United Nations, International Telecommunication Union, and disability advocacy groups like American Association of People with Disabilities and National Council on Independent Living. Activities include developing practice guidelines in concert with American Medical Association, contributing to design frameworks used by research labs at Georgia Institute of Technology and University of Toronto, and sponsoring collaborative projects with manufacturers linked to Medtronic, Ottobock, Ekso Bionics, and BraunAbility. The society fosters interdisciplinary networks among professionals from Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University, and international institutes like Technical University of Munich.

Membership and Governance

Membership spans clinicians, engineers, therapists, educators, students, and consumers affiliated with institutions such as Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, and regional centers like Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. Governance structures reflect models used by professional societies including American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Institute of Architects, and IEEE Standards Association, with elected boards, committees, and certification panels. The society’s credentialing programs parallel certification frameworks from Board of Certification/Accreditation and accreditation processes involving bodies like Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education and higher education partners such as University of Michigan and Pennsylvania State University.

Conferences and Publications

Annual conferences bring together presenters from research centers like Imperial College London, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, and Tokyo Institute of Technology, and practitioners from rehabilitation hospitals such as Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center. Proceedings and peer-reviewed journals feature work comparable to outlets like Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Disability and Rehabilitation. The society’s conferences foster collaboration with exhibitors from companies like Apple Inc., Google, Microsoft, and assistive-technology manufacturers, while keynote speakers often include leaders affiliated with National Rehabilitation Hospital, Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, and academic labs at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

Standards, Advocacy, and Policy

The society contributes to standards initiatives alongside International Organization for Standardization, European Committee for Standardization, and national bodies such as American National Standards Institute. Policy engagement involves coordination with legislative and regulatory stakeholders including United States Congress committees, Department of Health and Human Services, and disability rights organizations like National Disability Rights Network. The society has influenced procurement guidelines used by institutions such as Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and accessibility frameworks embraced by technology firms like IBM and Oracle. Advocacy efforts intersect with international disability rights instruments and collaborations involving Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and global public health entities.

Awards and Recognition

The society recognizes contributions through awards named for notable figures and milestones, comparable to honors bestowed by National Academy of Engineering, Royal Academy of Engineering, and professional awards like the IEEE Medal of Honor. Award categories have celebrated lifetime achievement, innovation in prosthetics and wheelchairs, excellence in clinical practice, and student research, paralleling recognitions from Wellcome Trust, Gairdner Foundation, and foundations such as Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Recipients often include researchers and clinicians affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital, Cleveland Clinic, UCSF Medical Center, and leading university laboratories.

Category:Professional associations Category:Assistive technology