Project Contributors

Laura Cohen, PhD, PT, ATP/SMS, RESNA Fellow is the Principal for Rehabilitation & Technology Consultants in Arlington, VA. She has more than 30 years of experience working with individuals with complex disabilities of all ages and consulting with a diverse group of healthcare stakeholders. Her experience has provided a rare view spanning direct clinical practice, research, claims review and audits, policy and advocacy.  Being able to directly experience various perspectives has created her passion for developing/implementing models of care that will improve outcomes, resolve delivery of care issues, and reduce the overall cost of care for individuals with complex disabilities. Dr Cohen has multiple peer reviewed publications and presents regularly at professional conferences to a range of stakeholders.

Barbara Crane, PT, PhD, ATP/SMA, RESNA Fellow is a Professor of Physical Therapy at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, NH.  She received a BS in Physical Therapy from the University of Connecticut, an MA in Gerontology from Saint Joseph College, in Connecticut, and a PhD in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Pittsburgh, PA.  She is also a RESNA certified Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) and Seating and Mobility Specialist (SMS).  She has over 25 years of clinical experience in adult rehabilitation with a specialty in custom wheelchairs and seating assessment and recommendation.  She has lectured extensively at local, national, and international conferences.

Kelly Waugh, PT, MAPT, ATP, is a Senior Research Instructor and the Clinic Coordinator at Assistive Technology Partners, a program in the Department of Bioengineering, University of Colorado Denver, USA.  Ms. Waugh has 32 years of clinical experience as a physical therapist and educator, specializing in Wheelchair Seating & Mobility and Nighttime Positioning. Ms. Waugh has served on the ISO Wheelchair Seating Standards Committee for 17 years, with a focus on the development of standardized measures of wheelchair seated posture and seating support parameters.  She is the primary author of A Clinical Application Guide to Standardized Wheelchair Seating Measures of the Body and Seating Support Surfaces. Ms. Waugh received both her B.A. degree in Human Biology and her M.A. degree in Physical Therapy from Stanford University in Stanford, California, USA.

Jean Anne Zollars, PT, DPT, MA treats children and adults in her private practice in Albuquerque, NM, integrating manual therapy, neurodevelopmental treatment, and seating/mobility.  She is also an instructor for the Barral Institute teaching Visceral and Neural Manipulation. Jean Anne graduated from the physical therapy program at Ithaca College in 1982, was trained in NDT in 1988, and in 1991 received her Masters of Arts degrees in Rehabilitation Technology from San Francisco State University.  In 2014, she received her Post-Professional Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. She is the author of “Special Seating: An Illustrated Guide, 2nd edition”, published in 2010, and has worked and taught in this field at the Rehabilitation Engineering Center at Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, and in New Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Canada, Ireland, England, Russia, and Mexico.

Elizabeth Cole, MSPT, ATP - Since 1985, Elizabeth has had many roles in the provision of complex rehab technology for people with permanent disabilities. She has practiced as a Physical Therapist, managed a seating and wheeled mobility clinic, provided reimbursement consulting, and developed numerous on-site and online education programs. Elizabeth has lectured extensively at conferences, trade-shows and seminars and has been published in industry journals. She has been a member of key organizations within the complex rehab technology field and has contributed to many industry-wide work groups dedicated to reimbursement policy change. Her passion is for people with disabilities to have access to the most appropriate equipment to meet their unique needs.

Penny J. Powers, PT, MS ATP is a graduate of Russell Sage College and completed her postgraduate MS degree at Northwestern University. She is employed at Vanderbilt Medical Center, PBPRI in the Adult Seating and Mobility Clinic. She works with a diverse caseload, is a Clinical instructor, adjunct faculty and has conducted collaborative research with Belmont Dept of Physical Therapy.   She is a member of the Clinician Task Force, APTA, RESNA and Friend of NRRTS.