For a European to travel from Austria to Cape Town to improve her proficiency in wheelchair seating speaks volumes about the quality of the training in South Africa.
Stefanie Parzer, who holds an apprenticeship and Master’s degree in orthopaedic technology, recently attended Rehab Skills Lab’s Basic wheelchair service delivery course at the Western Cape Rehabilitation Centre in Cape Town.
As is the case in SA, Austria has a great need for wheelchair services to support individuals with disabilities in achieving mobility and independence.
The 31-year-old, who also studies neuro-orthopaedics and disability management part time, explained that combining practical experience with her qualifications would enable her to develop informed solutions to complex orthopaedic challenges.
The practical skills for assessing and seating individuals with physical and neurological impairments she acquired in the Mother City are now being incorporated into her thesis.
In the latter, she examines the effects of seating systems and wheelchair training on posture and pressure relief in neuro-orthopaedic conditions using a self-designed wheelchair.
“I learnt about the [RSL] course through an internship in Bern, Switzerland,” she said.
“I believed that participating in this course would enhance my ability to assist people with disabilities and that it could advance my career development.”
RSL offers an interactive learning environment in which participants have the opportunity to apply the principles they have learnt on actual users.
In comparison, Stefanie said, Austria and Europe only offered traditional seminars and further education programmes.
Before attending the RSL course, she had experienced challenges when seating wheelchair users as well as with making cushions from foam materials.
Now that she had a better understanding of ergonomics and how to achieve the correct posture, she believed her skills would be vastly improved.
“The most surprising thing about the course was how effective and easy it was to achieve good results in client positioning and seat cushion construction,” she said.
Stefanie will attend RSL’s Intermediate course in Bern later this year to take the next step in her personal development.
“My goal is to learn advanced assessment methods and treatment strategies to improve the outcomes of my clients. I also look forward to expanding my professional network and engaging with experts in the field.”
She aimed to apply the knowledge garnered from this course in her future clinical work.
The Austrian, who loves travelling, exploring nature and listening to music in her spare time, hoped to establish her own company in the field of custom seating systems and become recognised as an expert in this area.
“My goal is to develop innovative and high-quality seating systems that cater to the individual needs of my clients,” she said.
“By founding my own business, I aim to merge my passion for design, technology and rehabilitation.”
For good measure, Stefanie has also registered for RSL’s Advanced course in Cape Town in late-October.