Wheelchair Seating and Positioning: Practical Applications – Vancouver Island

Meet Your Presenters

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  Lindsay Alford, OT

  Lindsay graduated from UBC with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy in 1998. After a year of casual work on various programs at Vancouver General Hospital, she became employed at GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre where she worked for 26 years on the Inpatient and Outpatient Spinal Cord Injury Programs, Seating Services Program, SCI Wound Clinic, Upper Extremity Clinic, and Spasticity Clinic. During this time Lindsay developed expertise in SCI rehabilitation, complex seating and mobility, and pressure injury management and prevention.

  Lindsay worked part-time in a medical-legal and community capacity for 8 years, completing Cost of Future Care assessments and reports, and was qualified as an expert witness in OT in the Supreme Court of BC.

  In 2011, Lindsay joined the Access team, primarily working on the Wound Program, assessing and treating clients with SCI in the Lower Mainland and throughout BC to treat and prevent pressure injuries. Lindsay also works on other contracts, primarily specializing in complex wheelchair seating and mobility with clients with a range of diagnoses throughout the province.

  Lindsay enjoys sharing her passion and expertise by developing and instructing workshops for OTs/PTs on topics of wheelchair seating and mobility and pressure management. She has presented multiple times at seating conferences, has written work published, and is a Clinical Instructor at UBC.
  In 2025 Lindsay moved to Access full time, joined the Management team of the Wound Program and became a Director of Access.

  Lindsay loves gardening, traveling with family and friends, and spending as much time as possible in the forests, mountains, and beaches of BC.

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  Jen Sawrenko, OT

  Jen completed her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy in 2000 at UBC and also holds a Masters of Applied Arts in Design from Emily Carr University in 2009. Jen began her OT career working in acute care, moving onto school aged therapy, and then to Sunny Hill Health Centre in the areas of complex pediatric seating and mobility, eating, drinking and swallowing skills and acute rehabilitation.

  Jen has also provided direct therapy treatment with children and youth with a variety of diagnoses.

  Her work with Access Therapists includes complex wheelchair seating and mobility consultation with adult clients with a variety of needs and conditions including developmental disabilities and other neurological conditions. Jen has a passion for universal design, medical assistive design, technology and children’s play spaces.

  She was privileged to design a sensory wall for inclusive playground for the 2010 Olympics in Whistler and has designed a small outdoor play area as a public art project in North Vancouver. Jen also likes to ride her bike everywhere and spend time in the outdoors with her young family.

  Jen lives in the Comox Valley and serves Vancouver Island, as well as many outreach areas.

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  Danielle Rae, OT

  Danielle graduated from the University of British Columbia’s Master of Occupational Therapy program in 2012 and also holds a Bachelor of Education from Simon Fraser University. During her undergraduate studies, Danielle worked in group homes supporting individuals with developmental disabilities, where her interest in complex wheelchair seating and assistive technology first sparked. She went on to teach high school math and sciences for several years, but ultimately felt called to pursue her passion for seating and mobility. Danielle returned to complete her OT degree and began knocking on the door of Access Community Therapists before she had even graduated, knowing it was here that she would be able to learn and practice seating. After obtaining the recommended experience in long term care, spinal cord injury, spasticity management, wound care, and community rehab, Danielle joined Access is 2016, specializing in complex wheelchair seating and mobility. She serves clients throughout BC and the Yukon, providing direct client care, as well as education and mentorship to referring clinicians. Danielle joined the Seating Management team in 2021 and became a Director of Access in 2023.

  Danielle leverages her background in education and her natural teaching abilities to inspire and equip clinicians in her favourite area of practice: complex seating and mobility. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor at UBC where she teaches in the Assistive Technology Seating modules. She develops and delivers seating workshops and oversees the broader education initiatives at Access. Danielle has contributed to a textbook chapter on seating and wheeled mobility, and has presented at multiple conferences including the International Seating Symposium.

  It seems most things in Danielle’s life involve wheels. When not working with wheelchairs, she can be found rolling skating around the Stanley Park Sea Wall with her dog Sadie, staring into a spinning bowl on a pottery wheel, or driving her two daughters to soccer practice.