Wednesday Morning Workshops

Social participation and loneliness after spinal cord injury

Date & Time: Wednesday, 25 November 2026, 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Overview:

People living with spinal cord injury (SCI) report experiencing loneliness and reduced social participation, affecting their health and well-being. Loneliness is a significant issue that presents a serious threat to health, contributing to increased risks of disease, early death, and poorer mental health, along with significant social and economic costs (World Health Organisation, 2025). Populations experiencing marginalization, such as those with SCI, report social isolation and loneliness at higher rates than the general population, due to barriers including inaccessible built environments, transport infrastructure, social stigma around disability and greater functional limitations. Frequently, opportunities for employment are impacted, and social networks are drastically reduced. Rehabilitation services prioritise physical recovery, with less attention paid to issues such as loneliness, yet this is consistently identified by people with SCI as being more important to them after they return to community living than functional outcomes such as walking.

Learning objectives

1. To gain greater awareness of the evidence about loneliness after SCI
2. To understand from the lived experience perspective the impact of loneliness and the reduction of social participation after SCI
3. To gain confidence and knowledge to initiate conversations about loneliness
4. To explore practical and innovative approaches to support greater social participation

Speakers: 

• A/Prof Linda Barclay, Associate Professor at Monash University
• Dr Gillean Hilton, Occupational Therapist and clinician–researcher at Austin Health
• Mr Tim Rushby-Smith, Writer, Journalist, Visual artist and Peer trainer.

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SCI Respiratory Workshop

Date & Time: Wednesday, 25 November 2026, 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Overview: 

Interactive half day respiratory workshop will focus on the practical respiratory assessment and management following spinal cord injury. Through evidence-based presentations, case discussions and small group breakout sessions. Key topics will include interpretation of respiratory measures and spirometry, the emerging role of diaphragm ultrasound, and airway decision making in spinal cord injury. Participants will explore approaches to ventilator weaning following tracheostomy, including the respiratory interventions and strategies to facilitate communication.

Learning Outcomes:

• Interpret key respiratory assessment measures (including spirometry and bedside respiratory parameters) and apply findings to clinical decision-making in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).
• Describe the role and clinical application of diaphragm ultrasound in assessing respiratory function and guiding management in SCI.
• Evaluate airway management options in acute SCI, including factors influencing decisions regarding primary extubation versus tracheostomy.
• Apply evidence-based principles of ventilator weaning in tracheostomised patients, incorporating patient-centred outcomes such as communication
• Implement appropriate respiratory interventions, including inspiratory muscle training, mechanical insufflation-exsufflation, and non-invasive ventilation, with consideration of indications, timing, and barriers to use.
• Develop practical strategies to support continuity of respiratory care from acute hospital settings through to community-based management.
• Integrate clinical reasoning and lived-experience perspectives to optimise respiratory outcomes and enhance patient-centred care in SCI.

Adaptive Mountain Biking – Offsite Morning Workshop

Date & Time: Wednesday, 25 November 2026, 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM 

Overview: 

Join us for a highly practical Adaptive Recreation Workshop designed for allied health clinicians who want real, hands-on experience in adaptive outdoor activity. This immersive training day focuses on developing the skills and confidence to safely support people with spinal cord injury in adaptive mountain biking and kayaking environments.

You won’t just observe — you’ll actively trial equipment, problem-solve real-world scenarios, and practise set-ups, transfers, positioning, and support techniques. A wide range of adaptive mountain bikes will be available for demonstration and trial, allowing you to understand the differences in configuration, handling, and suitability for varying levels of injury and function. The workshop will explore clinical reasoning in outdoor contexts, risk assessment, fatigue management, and how to facilitate independence while maintaining safety.

You’ll leave with practical strategies you can directly apply in community and recreation settings to help clients with spinal cord injury access meaningful, confidence-building adventure experiences.

Speakers:

Mr Sebastian van Veenendaal (The Royal Rehab Group and Sargood on Collaroy)

Wednesday Afternoon Workshops

Co-creating an implementation guide for a peer coaching co-facilitation program

Date & Time: Wednesday, 25 November 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Overview:

This interactive session brings together clinicians, researchers and people with lived experience of spinal cord injury (SCI) to co-develop a practical toolkit that supports the sustainable and scalable integration of peer coaches within SCI rehabilitation. The workshop will begin with a brief overview of a 1.5-year trial conducted at the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre in Victoria, Australia, where paid peer coaches with lived experience of SCI were paired with clinicians to co-facilitate rehabilitation sessions for individuals with newly acquired SCI.

Participants will then engage in structured small group activities to work through key sections of an implementation guide designed to support adoption of this model in other rehabilitation settings. Through co-facilitated discussion, attendees will identify gaps, highlight necessary adaptations for different contexts, and contribute to refining a resource that is practical, relevant and applicable across a range of service environments.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the key components of a peer coaching co-facilitation model in SCI rehabilitation, including the barriers and enablers to embedding peer coaches within the rehabilitation setting
• Critically evaluate and refine an implementation toolkit, including identifying context-specific adaptations for applying the peer coaching co-facilitation model in different settings
• Develop initial ideas and action steps for implementing or testing a peer coaching co-facilitation model within participants’ own services

Speakers:

• Ms Alyse Lennox, BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash University
• Dr Denise Goodwin, BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash University
• Mr Salvatore Dema, Austin Health
• Mr Joshua Hose, AQA Victoria
• Peer coaches

Don’t forget about sleep! Strategies for SCI rehabilitation centres to identify and treat sleep apnoea

Date & Time: Wednesday, 25 November 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Overview:

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is highly prevalent in people with spinal cord injury (SCI) and is associated with poor health outcomes, yet many individuals remain undiagnosed and untreated. Traditional care pathways typically rely on referral to specialist sleep services, which can be difficult to access and may delay timely diagnosis and management.

This workshop will present emerging “rehab-led” models of care designed to address these barriers. Participants will hear from SCI rehabilitation clinicians across four Australian services who are implementing innovative approaches to identifying and managing OSA within their settings.

Through hands-on and interactive components, attendees will trial ambulatory diagnostic and treatment devices, identify gaps within their current practice, and explore practical, adaptable models that could be implemented within their own services.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the evidence supporting the management of sleep apnoea in SCI
• Recognise the global evidence-practice gap in managing sleep apnoea in SCI, and identify local practice gaps and barriers
• Explore different models of managing sleep apnoea in SCI rehabilitation centres and consider how these strategies could be adapted to meet local service needs

Speakers:

• A/Prof Marnie Graco, Implementation Scientist, The University of Melbourne, Australia
• Dr Gerard Weber, Rehabilitation Specialist, Spinal Injury Unit, Royal Rehab-Ryde, Sydney, Australia
• Ms Megan Walsh, Physiotherapist, The University of Melbourne, Australia
• Ms Leah Vegh, Physiotherapist, Queensland Spinal Cord Injuries Service, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia
• Ms Lyndall Katte, Physiotherapist, NSW Spinal Outreach Service, Royal Rehab-Ryde, Sydney, Australia

Adaptive Mountain Biking – Offsite Afternoon Workshop

Date & Time: Wednesday, 25 November 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Overview: 

Join us for a highly practical Adaptive Recreation Workshop designed for allied health clinicians who want real, hands-on experience in adaptive outdoor activity. This immersive training day focuses on developing the skills and confidence to safely support people with spinal cord injury in adaptive mountain biking and kayaking environments.

You won’t just observe — you’ll actively trial equipment, problem-solve real-world scenarios, and practise set-ups, transfers, positioning, and support techniques. A wide range of adaptive mountain bikes will be available for demonstration and trial, allowing you to understand the differences in configuration, handling, and suitability for varying levels of injury and function. The workshop will explore clinical reasoning in outdoor contexts, risk assessment, fatigue management, and how to facilitate independence while maintaining safety.

You’ll leave with practical strategies you can directly apply in community and recreation settings to help clients with spinal cord injury access meaningful, confidence-building adventure experiences.

Speakers:

Mr Sebastian van Veenendaal (The Royal Rehab Group and Sargood on Collaroy)