Fondation Élan
The Cirris is proud of having the Fondation Élan as a precious partner from the very start. This foundation’s mission is to meet the needs of children, adults, and elderly living with permanent physical limitations from birth, or following a motor vehicle accident, work accident or illness. Donations collected by the foundation will help improve the CIUSSS de la Capitale Nationale’s offer of services, precisely with users of the Institut de réadaptation en déficience physique de Québec (almost 11,000 people, yearly) by funding specialized equipment, improvement of therapy spaces as well as selected research projects, in addition to funding technical aides for low-income users.
Throughout the years, the Fondation Élan has significantly contributed to the funding of research initiatives from the Cirris researchers, as well as the purchase of innovative research equipment that is accessible to the Cirris’ scientific community.
Funded Research Initiatives:
- Support for the strategic initiative « Mieux communiquer pour participer : une formation pour les intervenants en loisir » by the équipe Communauté axée sur la participation sociale de l’enfant et de l’adolescent ayant des incapacités (CAPSEA; lead researcher: Pr. Chantal Desmarais);
- Support for the strategic initiative of the Regroupement en technologies de la réadaptation ((lead researcher: Pr. Alexandre Campeau-Lecours) that led to the development of food assistance for children living with motor deficits, as well as to the preliminary development of an exoskeleton for people living with muscle weakness;
- Support for the « MobiliSIG : pour une meilleure mobilité et participation sociale des personnes ayant des incapacités » initiative (lead researcher: Pr. Mir Abolfazl Mostafavi).
- Support for a case study on deafblindness aiming at testing the clinical, social, and financial feasibility of new methods of in person and distant communication (lead researcher: Pr. Claude Vincent).
Funded Research Equipments:
- Funding for an exoskeleton combined with a functional electrical stimulation system to develop a structured evaluation and training protocol to document the practical effects of this equipment in people with myelopathies and to optimize its use (lead researcher: Pr. Laurent Bouyer);
- Contribution to the funding of an electromyographic system (EMG) used for several projects focusing on the role of neurophysiological mechanisms in specific conditions with motor deficits (lead researcher: Pr. Catherine Mercier).
