Physical and Occupational Therapy students pose with Mitchell Batavia, Chair of the Physical Therapy Department (third from right) and Gary Karp (center) and after his speaking engagement where he talked about life after rehabilitation and the important roles therapists play.
The NYU Council for the Study of Disability hosted a special talk by Gary Karp, titled ‘Life on Wheels: Living Fully with Mobility Issues’ on April 10th. Karp is a Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame educator and has been a wheelchair user since injuring his spinal cord in 1973 at the age of 18. He has written several books on dealing with disability including, ‘Choosing a Wheelchair –A guide for Optimal Independence’ and ‘Life on Wheels- The A-Z Guide to Living Fully with Mobility Issues’ and more. At the event, Karp spoke about the significance of resilience and activism in the face of traumatic injury, and the emerging paradigms of modern disability. “It is important for our students to meet people with disabilities who live their lives with the same successes, interests, and goals that we all have,” said Anita Perr, a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, who is also a part of the NYU Council for the Study of Disability. “Education needs to focus on participation and satisfaction, rather than on dysfunction. These programs are a way for students to meet people that they might not meet during their day-to-day education at NYU,” she added.
The talk was co-sponsored by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, the NYU Steinhardt Departments’ of Occupational and Physical Therapy, NYU Poly Integrated Digital Media, NYU Tisch’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP), and the Ability Lab at MAGNET.