Congratulations to Akshay on earning 2nd place at yesterday's Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Research Program (BURP) Symposium! Interested in participating? We are actively recruiting participants who have knee flexor spasticity. Reach out to the PONI Lab to learn more!

Gardening! The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) has a section on their website about adaptive gardening: www.nchpad.org/news-updates... also have a list of podcasts relating to disability advocacy and various other topics: www.nchpad.org/news-updates...

Join us in celebrating Jessica Youngblood’s (now Dr. Youngblood!) incredible milestone! Jess brilliantly defended her PhD last month, completing 5 years of work exploring family perspectives and physical activity impacts of a robotic walking aid. Congratulations, Dr. Youngblood!

A few weeks ago, Janelle, Amanda, Simon, and Ben competed in the 8th annual CPAA Golf Without Limits tournament, an event to raise money for people with cerebral palsy and other physical disabilities. Go team! #golfwithoutlimits #cerebralpalsy #cpalberta

Meet Nishi, one of the PONI Lab’s new summer students! She'll be looking at the intensity of physical activity when using walking aids. Nishi is in her third year of Kinesiology at UCalgary — in her free time, she loves volunteering, time with family, riding her bike, and working on new art pieces!

Meet Akshay, one of the PONI Lab’s new summer students! He’ll be looking at the effects robot-assisted walking may have on spasticity. Akshay is an undergrad in the Cellular, Molecular, and Microbial Biology program at UCalgary and enjoys biking, cricket, and volunteering in his free time!

Share your experience with pain, wellbeing, or care in neurodisability — the HCPT team is inviting youth (under 25), families, caregivers, and providers to complete a short survey to help improve support and care in Alberta. Scan the QR code in the post or check out the link below to take part!

Exoskeletons! Researchers led a systematic review of the effects of exoskeleton-assisted therapy. We are proud to contribute this field and look forward to continuing our research. Check out the review! theconversation.com/exoskeletons... (article) www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... (publication)

All Sport One Day on June 20, 2026 will offer free sport try‑outs for those aged 6–17, as well as adapted options with community partners at the MNP Centre location! Volunteers 14+ can help out too. Find out more about the event and ways to join through the link below!

Cerebral Palsy Grows Up (CPGU) is hosting a 3-part virtual series to build awareness about adult life with cerebral palsy. It’s a free event that will feature speakers from professional backgrounds and with lived experience. Register for free here! cerebralpalsyfoundation.regfox.com/cp-connect-c...

Henry, one of the PONI Lab’s patient partners, just received the Youth and Family Partner Leadership award from Children’s Healthcare Canada! We’re so proud to see him recognized for his work to improve the Canadian patient and family healthcare experience. Check out his award acceptance below!

CBC News wants to hear about your experience applying for provincial Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) funding. If you or your family have been impacted by the FSCD program, follow the QR code or this link www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

We're excited to share that our PONI Lab member Amanda is the lead author on a newly published article in the June 2026 issue of the Journal of Biomechanics! Check out her work examining the usability of markerless motion capture for pediatric populations here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

The AACPDM 2026 Lifeshots Photo Contest is now open! Submit a photo special to you of someone with a childhood-onset disability by July 26. Alex from our lab received a prize in a previous year for her photo. www.aacpdm.org/events/2026/...

The PONI Lab joined the 2026 AAPA Summit in Edmonton to share ideas on expanding inclusive physical activity. Our team led a problem‑solving session on robot‑assisted walking, supported by past participants and families! Grateful to all who made the weekend impactful!

Work by some of our lab members was just published in Disability and Rehabilitation; PhD student Jessica Youngblood was the lead author on the publication. The paper outlines part of the Robotic Walking for children who Cannot Walk (RoWaCaWa) study. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

The PONI Lab’s got our very own website — click the link below and you'll be able to take a look at all of the exciting research our team has been doing, find out what you can get involved in, and get to know our team, the PONIs, a little better! Find us here: cumming.ucalgary.ca/labs/pediatr...

April is HIE Awareness Month! Traditionally, HIE hasn’t received much attention globally. #HIEAwarenessMonth is dedicated to #HoldontoHope to improve care for those affected by HIE. Follow hopeforhie.org/getinvolved/... to learn more!

Go blue and orange this April for FND Awareness Month! FND affects the nervous system, causing a range of involuntary physical, cognitive, and sensory symptoms can greatly impact daily life. Join the campaign, and learn how to spread awareness and donate through #FNDaware and fndhope.org/fndaware/

Ableism describes discriminatory actions against another because of a disability. The University of Calgary is hosting the UCalgary Breaking Barriers Day cumming.ucalgary.ca/labs/better-... where attendees will engage in learning about disability justice and what they can do to avoid ableism.

Looking for adapted spring activities? Check out the Calgary Adapted Hub to find out more about the inclusive programs available across the city! Options for this spring/summer include swimming, creative dance, and multi‑sport programs – check out CAH’s site for details: www.calgaryadaptedhub.com

Today is Purple Day! The effects of this common neurological condition have not always been properly understood by the general public, and Purple Day was first introduced to change that. Join us today in helping raise awareness about epilepsy. Follow this link to learn more: purpleday.org

Sign up for the Million Reasons Run by March 31 and you might win ON running shoes! For 31 days, you run whenever, wherever, and for as long as you want throughout the month of May. The donations you raise will help support your local children's hospital lifesaving research — more info linked below.

This week is Neurodiversity Celebration Week, a time to recognize neurodifferences make our world unique. Always, we should ensure the environment and systems in our communities are structured to accommodate people of all neurological backgrounds. www.neurodiversityweek.com

#BrainAwarenessWeek runs March 16–22, highlighting brain health and the need for advancing research, treatments, and supports for the billions affected by neurological conditions — nearly 2 in 3 Canadians alone will face a brain disorder. Learn more about BAW via the Dana Foundation (link below).

The Calgary Sledge Hockey Association is hosting the Matt Cook Memorial Cup from April 3-5! Sledge hockey teams will be coming from all across Western Canada to compete. For more information, check out the Calgary Sledge Hockey Association’s social media platforms listed on the image.

The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games kick off today, featuring 665 athletes in 79 events across six sports! Watch free coverage on CBC Gem and support Canadian Paralympians by claiming a virtual seat to help #FillTheStands and support the journeys of future para athletes.

Participate in robotic‑assisted walking device researxh! If you have experience/interest in using or working with devices like the Trexo or Agilik, or with equipment lending programs — you’re invited to take a short survey about this kind of tech or lending programs. Contact us for more details!

March is Brain Health Awareness Month! We’ve summarized a couple facts about brain injuries, some of which came from www.brainlove.ca. Now is a great time to learn more about how we can support research and treatments for brain injuries. As the month progresses, we'll talk more about brain health.

Tomorrow is Rare Disease Day! Join us in raising awareness and advocating for fair access to diagnosis, treatment, and care for the 300 million people affected worldwide! On Feb 28, help spread the word, light up your home, support those living with rare diseases, and learn more at raredisease.org.