SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
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S.07-116
Senate Committee on University Priorities
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Memorandum
TO: Senate
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FROM: ?
John Waterho
Chair, SCUP
Vice Presiden Academic
RE:
Centre for Disability Independence ?
DATE: ?
September
2J'
2007
Research and Education (SCUP 07-46R)
At its September 26, 2007 meeting SCUP reviewed and approved the proposal for the
creation of the Centre for Disability Independence Research and Education.
This Centre will be a Schedule B Centre.
Motion
That Senate approve and recommend to the Board of Governors the creation of
the Centre for Disability Independence Research and Education as a Schedule B
Centre.
.
end.
C:
A. Hoffer
0
Id
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I
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Proposal for Creation of a University Centre
Centre for Disability Independence Research and Education
(WIRE)
I. Statement of Special Purpose
The proposed
SFU Centre for Disability Independence Research and Education
will
provide a site where persons with physical disabilities can meet with researchers to
analyze ways to improve their performance of activities of daily living and other needs,
and to come up with innovative solutions that may be jointly conceived, developed and
tested.
This setting will encourage participation and knowledge transfer by researchers, staff,
undergraduate and graduate students, educators, clinicians and health professionals.
Full community integration will be fostered by regularly holding events such as seminars
and think tanks to assist in identifying and solving challenging issues.
In the initial phases of development, the CDIRE is expected to facilitate close, day-to-
day interaction among SFU students, faculty or staff members who have physical
disabilities, graduate students considering thesis topics in rehabilitation research,
undergraduate students seeking projects, faculty supervisors, mentors, and expert
advisors from the Lower Mainland community. Close cooperation with the SFU Centre
for Students with Disabilities (CSD) is envisioned to establish mutually beneficial,
synergistic programs.
In 2008, the CURE will participate in the first offering of ENSC 472 (Rehabilitation
Engineering and Assistive Devices), a senior design course. Biomedical Engineering
students in the Rehabilitation Stream will be able to meet in the proposed Centre with
SFU students or staff with disabilities, and propose specific engineering design projects.
In later phases of development, the CDIRE will expand its geographical scope to also
include persons with physical disabilities, researchers and experts from the entire Lower
Mainland of British Columbia with goals such as: jointly identifying unmet needs of
people with physical disabilities; formulating, designing, developing and testing
innovative solutions; and eventually making new rehabilitation solutions available to
persons with physical disabilities elsewhere in Canada, and beyond.
CD/RE Proposal
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2007-09-26
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page
The Centre has established, or intends to establish, initial operational links with internal
(SFU) and external (Greater Vancouver Regional District) partner organizations that are
summarized in the following Table.
Applied Sciences
k
Biomedical?
Engineering Program
Centre for Students
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with Disabilities
Communications
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Computing Science
Co-op Program ?
F
Engineering Science
Gerontology
Health Sciences
Kinesiology ?
1"
Interactive Arts
and Technology
UILO ?
F"
VP Research ?
V
Children's Hospital
Disabilities Health Research ?
Network
G.F. Strong Rehab Centre
I
I Heart & Stroke Foundation I
ICORD
Medical Device Devpmt Ctre
I Michael Smith Foundation
Muscular Dystrophy Canada
Neil Squire Foundation
I
Rick Hansen Foundation
Vr. Coastal Health Authority
GVRD
BUT
BC Ministry of Health?
BC Ministry of Advanced Ed?
I
BC Paraplegic Association
Centre for Hip Health?
I
Cerebral Palsy Association
SFU Centre for
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Disability Independence ?
Research and Education
(CDIRE)
.
II. Identification of the Applicable Schedule
Given the university-wide scope of activities to be conducted, this Centre shall fall under
Schedule B, with the Administrative Director being SFU's Vice President of Research.
3.
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.
CD/RE Proposal ?
2007-09-26
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pagcf
01 ?
Ill. Statement that recognizes the Centre's obligation to conduct its
activities in accordance with University Policies
The SFU
Centre for Disability Independence Research and Education
recognizes
its obligation to conduct its activities in accordance with university policies.
IV.
Provision for the Appointment of a Director
The Director of the CDIRE shall be a SFU faculty member to be appointed by the Vice
President, Research based on nominations from Centre members and a ratification
ballot. Term of service shall be 3 years, renewable upon re-nomination and ratification.
Dr. Andy Hoffer is serving as Acting Director until the Centre is established. Hoffer is a
professor of Kinesiology, director of the Neurokinesiology Lab, former director of the
School of Kinesiology (1991-1997) and founder of Neurostream (1997-2004), a SFU
spin-off company that developed an implantable assistive device for impaired mobility.
V.
Statement of Internal Governing Procedure
The Director will manage the operations of the Centre, and will report to the Vice
• ?
President of Research as Administrative Director, who will in turn report to the
University Governing Committee for Centres and Institutes.
VI.
Requirements for Space or other University Funding
The Dean, FAS has agreed to provide initial space for CDIRE activities in the TASC 2
building, Room 7440. This room adjoins laboratory space allocated for the ENSC 472
Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Devices Project course, and will thus provide
an ideal physical setting to establish close interactions between people with disabilities
on campus and biomedical engineering students planning research projects, the
intended first phase of development of Centre activities.
No dedicated University funds are required to start the Centre. Later, if the Director's
workload on behalf of the CDIRE warrants it, partial teaching relief may be requested.
VII.
Requirement for Library Resources
Establishment of the MIRE will not require any incremental SFU library resources.
CD/RE Proposal
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2007-09-26
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page)4i(4
a,
VIII. SFU Faculty Founding Members of the CURE
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.
Communications
Brian Lewis, Dean FAS ?
bslewiscs.sfu.ca
Computing Science
Ghassan Hamarneh ?
hamarnehcs.sfu.ca
Ted Kirkpatrick
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tedsfu.ca
Richard Vaughan
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vaughan(äcs.sfu.ca
Engineering Science
Faisal Beg
mfbeqcs.sfu.ca
Bonnie Gray
bgraycs.sfu.ca
Bozena Kaminska
kaminskasfu.ca
Carlo Menon
cmenonensc.sfu.ca
Shahram Payandeh
shah ramfas.sfu.ca
Andrew Rawicz
rawicz(sfu.ca
Marinko Sarunic
msarunicäsfu.ca
Gerontology
Gloria Gutman
gutman(sfu.ca
Interactive Arts and Technology
Tom Calvert
tomsfu.ca
Kinesiology
.
Parveen Bawa
Max Donelan
Andy Hoffer
Steve Robinovitch
James Wakeling
Matthew White
bawasfu.ca
mdonelansfu.ca
hoffersfu.ca
steversfu.ca
wakelingsfu.ca
mattsfu .ca
.
CD/RE Proposal
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2007-09-26
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page
