It’s estimated that anywhere from 75-90% of people with cerebral palsy (CP) have vision problems, and research aimed at better understanding vision in people with CP could help improve care and quality of life for these individuals. To wrap up our third season, Dr. Marie McNeely hosts this Research Roundup episode featuring three recent studies examining aspects of vision in people with CP. These studies highlight that cerebral (brain-level) visual impairment can change over time in people with CP, strabismus is very common in CP and affects millions of people worldwide, and different aspects of a person’s vision relate to and can impact how they move and use their hands.

Jocelyn Cohen, CPARF’s Vice President of Education, emphasizes the relevance of vision research and discusses why these studies matter for people with CP.

The three studies featured in this episode weren’t funded by CPARF, but they represent other interesting, innovative work that investigators are doing in the CP research space.

Links to the abstracts of the studies featured in this episode:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39316724/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38635869/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39018791/

Substantial and growing evidence supports the wide-ranging benefits of physical activity, but cerebral palsy (CP) and other disabilities can affect how a person engages in physical activity and what activities they should do to maximize their benefits. In this Research Roundup episode, Dr. Marie McNeely talks about three new studies that focused on physical activity in people with CP. The results from these studies give insights on physical activity and exercise in children with CP who can walk, children with CP who can’t walk, and adults with CP. The studies also draw attention to gaps in the literature that need to be addressed with future research. To highlight why these studies matter for people with CP, Jocelyn Cohen, CPARF’s Vice President of Education, shares her perspectives.

The studies featured in this episode weren’t funded by CPARF, but they represent other interesting, innovative projects that investigators are doing in the CP research space.

Links to the abstracts of the studies featured in this episode:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39363968/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38758603/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39180329/

Adaptive sports are filled with thrilling moments and jaw-dropping athletic feats from amazing athletes. But these sports and the phenomenal athletes who are at the top of their game remain a relatively untapped source for game developers. Pascal Clarysse kicks off this episode by sharing more about Big Karma, one of the startup companies in the 2024 Remarkable US Accelerator Program. As a founder of Big Karma, Pascal is passionate about gaming and dedicated to improving representation of disabled people in gaming and entertainment. Their flagship game, Phenoms, features a diverse group of real-life Paralympic athletes who leverage their disabilities to win.

Later, you’ll hear from Matt Scott, a five-time Paralympic athlete and two-time Paralympic Gold Medalist for Team USA Wheelchair Basketball. Matt is also an Olympics/Paralympics Presenter for NBC and Executive Director of Fly Without Limits, a global disability empowerment organization. He’s had a chance to play the game Phenoms from Big Karma and is one of the playable characters in the game as well. Matt shares how becoming a character in this game has been a dream come true, and how the game has the potential to shatter stereotypes and change people’s perceptions of disabilities.