FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions about iDAPT 
 

What is iDAPT?
iDAPT (Intelligent Design for Adaptation, Participation and Technology) Centre for Rehabilitation Research is Toronto Rehab’s $36-million rehabilitation research initiative. The iDAPT Centre is one of the world’s most advanced rehabilitation research and development facilities. Built in collaboration with the University of Toronto, the iDAPT Centre provides researchers with the tools they need to develop new therapies and assistive technologies for people living with disabling injury or illness or age-related conditions. It is a unique space where ideas can be cultivated and tested in a life-like setting. When fully complete in 2011, the iDAPT Centre will consist of 14 labs, workshops and other research spaces. Many iDAPT facilities are already open.  
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Where is iDAPT located?
iDAPT Centre for Rehabilitation Research is located in Canada's ‘Discovery District’ in downtown Toronto. iDAPT labs and workshops are housed at Toronto Rehab’s University Centre (550 University Avenue, Toronto) and Lyndhurst Centre (520 Sutherland Drive, Toronto) and at the Rehabilitation Sciences building of the University of Toronto (500 University Avenue, Toronto).
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How does the iDAPT Centre encourage collaboration in rehabilitation research?
The iDAPT Centre is not only a facility for Toronto Rehab scientists. A vibrant research centre, iDAPT will attract some of the brightest minds and most creative thinkers from hospitals, universities, research institutes and industries in Canada and throughout the world. Please contact us if you would like to share in the use of our advanced facilities.
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How can I get involved in iDAPT research?
If you are a researcher or a student with an interest in rehabilitation research, we want to hear from you. Toronto Rehab researchers conduct research activities in eight key areas. To find out about potential opportunities for involvement and collaboration, please contact the team leader for your area of interest. If you would like to use iDAPT facilities for your research, or for general inquires, please contact Dayle Levine, iDAPT Manager, at 416-597-3422, ext. 7602 or levine.dayle@torontorehab.on.ca

Toronto Rehab welcomes industry as a partner in developing meaningful products. If you are a private company looking to partner, we encourage you to contact us.  Our list of industry partners is growing as more companies take advantage of our expertise and state-of-the-art design and prototyping facilities. Find out about our industry-friendly Club program. For more information, please contact Bruno Maruzzo, Commercialization Officer, at 416-597-3422, ext. 7898 or maruzzo.bruno@torontorehab.on.ca

If you would like to volunteer, we welcome your interest in Toronto Rehab research. Please visit Volunteer Services to find out about volunteering at Toronto Rehab.
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How is iDAPT funded?
The iDAPT Centre for Rehabilitation Research has come into being thanks to contributions from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Ontario Innovation Trust, Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, University of Toronto, the Toronto Rehab Foundation and our corporate partners.
Part of Toronto Rehab’s capital redevelopment project, iDAPT is a major part of Toronto Rehab’s vision for patient care. Read more about our redevelopment project.

More on Toronto Rehab’s research funders and collaborators.
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How exactly does iDAPT research help older people and those with disabilities?
Current assistive technologies often do not function well in challenging environments. They aren’t always as attractively designed or as user-friendly as consumers would like. The iDAPT Centre for Rehabilitation Research brings together the brightest research minds and state-of-the art technology. It enables researchers to safely study the complex interactions between people and their environments, and deliver innovative and well-designed products that consumers will actually use. With many labs open, this work is already well underway.

Led by Dr. Geoff Fernie, Institute Director, Rehabilitation Research at Toronto Rehab/University Health Network,  iDAPT Centre researchers are developing practical solutions to everyday challenges. Research focuses on helping people with disabilities and those with age-related conditions to adapt to new challenges and to regain the abilities they need to get on with their lives. For example, by simulating environmental challenges like icy sidewalks, iDAPT researchers will be able to develop practical solutions to real-life obstacles that older people and those with disabilities encounter every day.

iDAPT creates new knowledge, new treatments and new assessment tools. What’s more, the innovative approaches emerging from our labs are shared with policy makers so they can be used when decisions are made.
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Will iDAPT research produce economic benefits?
As a leading centre for the development of assistive technologies and treatments, iDAPT research will provide the emerging assistive devices sector in Ontario and Canada with an important boost and competitive advantage, leading to job creation and economic growth.

One in seven Canadians—or 4.4 million—now has a disability. Behind these numbers are family members, colleagues and friends who are dealing with the daily challenges caused by disability and older age.  People want to live their lives to the fullest – and they expect solutions so that they can. iDAPT researchers are rising to the challenge by providing innovative new assistive technologies.

According to Statistics Canada, the cost of disability to the Canadian economy is estimated at $60 billion annually: only 42% of adults with disabilities are employed while 74% of adults without disabilities are in the workforce. It is expected that levels of unemployment, underemployment and lost working time for adults with disabilities will be reduced by new assistive technologies and effective treatments made possible by iDAPT research.
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