Research & Education

The Research & Education Department performs applied research examining the effectiveness of physical activity programs in promoting health and quality of life, improving functional independence, and preventing secondary conditions. The Department also focuses on advancing disability sport through science by working closely with athletes and teams with the goal of enhanced technique and improved performance.

As an organization that strives to offer cutting-edge services to individuals with physical disabilities, it is Lakeshore Foundation's responsibility to not only provide quality programs that lead to healthy, active, and independent lifestyles, but also to show that these programs have the predicted benefit.

• Measuring the Impact of Regular Physical Activity on Quality of Life in Persons with Physical Disabilities
• Participation in power wheelchair sports and the implications for health and wellness.
• Personality Traits of Elite Wheelchair Athletes
• Physiological Responses of Skilled Players During Competitive Wheelchair Sports
• Gait Training with Auditory Rhythms in persons with Parkinson's Disease
• Health Education and Exercise for Women with Lymphedema
• Correlation between Player Classification and Skill Performance in Rugby
• Sport Science for the Paralympic Athlete
• Exercise and Pain Management for Individuals with Cerebral Palsy
• Aquatic therapy for pain management of individuals
• Do perceived exercise benefits and barriers differ by age, gender, or activity level? 
• Advancing Paralympic sport through science: International collaboration.
• Time Motion Analysis Kinematics of wheelchair rugby players during the 2008 Demolition Derby championship game.
• Physiological profile and time-motion analysis of a wheelchair tennis match
• Correlation between quality of life and change in feelings following exercise in youth with physical disabilities.
• A sub-maximal field test to predict peak oxygen consumption in persons with physical disabilities.
• Step activity in physically active persons with Parkinson's disease
• Effect of evaporative cooling on core temperature in wheelchair rugby players.
• Comparison on scores between Olympic and Paralympic athletes using four psychological instruments.
• Physiological profile and time-motion analysis of a wheelchair tennis match
  

The research department aims to be multidisciplinary and collaborative in nature, utilizing relationships with academic institutions, medical centers, and related organizations that serve persons with disabilities. Through professional publications, conferences, and national and international collaborative efforts, the effective programs and models of physical activity offered at Lakeshore Foundation for people with physical disabilities can be shared worldwide.  For more information on Lakeshore's Research & Education projects, please contact Dr. Laurie Malone at (205) 313-7476 or lauriem@lakeshore.org.