People from all over metro Detroit gathered at the NeuroCare Campus seeking inspiration and greater independence at Special Tree’s 5th annual SCI Mobility + Recreation Expo.   The Expo brought together 30 vendors who provide products, services, and recreational activities to help benefit and enrich the lives of people living with spinal cord injury and other disabilities.

Attendees enjoyed beautiful weather as they explored all the Expo had to offer.  They learned about mobility options including wheelchair accessible vehicles and all terrain wheelchairs.   They networked with vendors that provide home modifications and driving rehabilitation.  They tried out hand-cycle bikes and adaptive tennis equipment.  They watched hard-hitting, fast-paced games of wheelchair rugby and basketball.   Some got their wheelchairs...

Driving is a skill that many patients want to regain after their injury.  Special Tree’s new Pre-Driving Program helps individuals take the first step toward driving again by making sure they’re safe and ready to get behind the wheel for on-the-road training. 

“We all spend so much time behind the wheel that we take for granted the underlying skills involved,” said OT Bev Zimmerman, who helped develop the program with a multi-disciplinary team at Special Tree.  “A TBI can alter many off-the-road skills needed to be a safe and successful driver such as concentration, memory, physical stamina, visual perception, problem-solving, and more.” 

The Pre-Driving Program helps rev-up those essential off-the-road skills through a six-week program that includes a clinical assessment with an OT, speech pathologist, and/...

Check out this article in The Detroit News to learn how Special Tree's new ZeroG system is having a tremendous impact on the recovery of patients like Sloan H. 

Things are looking brighter around Special Tree with the installation of hundreds of new LED light fittings. Our fabulous Facilities Maintenance team have converted hundreds of conventional bulbs to LEDs at the NeuroCare Campus, Industrial Operations Center, Troy NeuroSkills Center, and The Leadership Center and it’s paying off in big ways.

Since the conversion project began in 2017, LEDs have not only produced better light quality, these highly energy-efficient lights have helped Special Tree cut their carbon footprint while also saving money.

“Although LEDs are more expensive up front, they’re dramatically more cost-effecctive in the long run,” said Jim Richert, Facilities Maintenance Director. For over a year, he has kept close track of the costs and energy savings at locations where LEDs have been instal...