CRIR 2026 Student Symposium: A Record-Breaking, Inspiring, and Unifying Event

CRIR Student Symposium – June 30, 2026: The rehabilitation of tomorrow starts today.

On June 30, members of the CRIR Student Committee were pleased to welcome the CRIR research community—researchers, students, clinicians, research professionals, and interns—as well as partners, resource users, and members of the general public at the Gingras-Lindsay-de-Montréal Rehabilitation Institute (IRGLM) for the 2026 CRIR Student Symposium.

This year’s event was an exceptional success—the most successful in the last ten years—and brought together a record number of participants in a friendly, stimulating atmosphere that fostered discussion. The day was marked by numerous discoveries and achievements:

93 attendees, a record turnout for the past ten years;
An inspiring opening lecture by Walter Wittich on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) approach to sensory impairment;
Tours of the IURDPM research laboratories;
Five demonstrations of emerging rehabilitation technologies, presented by CRIR researchers;
The unveiling of CRIR’s very first traveling exhibition, “Together for an inclusive future”;
45 student presentations, including 7 oral presentations, 10 “Flash talks” presentations, and a record-breaking 28 poster presentations;
An evaluation committee composed of 20 dedicated individuals, including three user-resource representatives;
The presentation of eight awards, including, for the very first time, awards recognizing the accessibility of the presentations;
A festive cocktail reception marking the conclusion of CRIR’s 25th-anniversary celebrations.

Beyond the numbers, this Symposium helped create a stimulating, collaborative, and inspiring scientific environment that fostered knowledge sharing, the development of new collaborations, and the emergence of promising ideas for the future of rehabilitation research.

📍Discover the diverse program by visiting the Student Symposium page on the CRIR website and reviewing the Official Symposium Program, which includes abstracts of the student presentations.

Official Symposium Program

Acknowledgments
Sincere thanks to the partners of the CRIR 2026 Student Symposium: the Fonds de recherche du Québec, the Vision Sciences Research Network, and McGill University—whose financial support contributed to the success of this edition of the CRIR 2026 Student Symposium.

Congratulations to the eight winners of the 2026 Best Student Presentations Award 👏

We invite you to explore their work, as well as all 45 abstracts of the student presentations, by consulting the Official Symposium Program.

Best Oral Presentation – Fonds de recherche du Québec:

Emna Fakhfakh

Ph.D. student in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, under the supervision of Carole Anglade, CRIR-IURDPM, UdeM.

📍Abstract on page 9 of the program: Comment soutenir la réadaptation des troubles de la communication pour la reprise d’interactions de service grâce à la réalité virtuelle ? Un projet en cocréation.

Best “Flash talks” Presentation – Fonds de recherche du Québec:

Feriel Ines Antri Bouzar

Intern under the supervision of Ingrid Verduyckt, CRIR-IURDPM, UdeM.

📍Abstract on page 27 of the program: Validation d’une banque de voix dysphoniques simulées.

Best Poster Presentation – CRIR:

Arthur Filleul

Ph.D. student in bioethics, under the supervision of Anne Hudon and Éric Racine, CRIR-IURDPM, UdeM.

📍Abstract on page 19 of the program: Enjeux Éthiques liés à l’allocation des ressources limitées en réadaptation : un projet de co-construction fondé sur une posture d’éthique vivante.

Best Accessible Presentations – Vision Sciences Research Network (from left to right):

Lexie Lançon

Ph.D. student in Rehabilitation Sciences, under the supervision of Marika Demers and Dorothy Barthélemy, CRIR-IURDPM, UdeM.

📍Abstract on page 22 of the program: Analyse cinématique sans marqueurs de la tâche de boire après lésion médullaire cervicale : preuve de concept.

Maxime Savoie

Master’s student in Vision Science: Intervention for Visual Impairment, under the supervision of Frédérique Poncet, CRIR-CRLLM, UdeM.

📍 Abstract on page 13 of the program: Co-construction et validation d’une évaluation écologique des compétences des personnes ayant une déficiences visuelle.

Fatimata OuédraogO

Ph.D. student in Rehabilitation Sciences, under the supervision of Dahlia Kairy and Marika Demers, CRIR-IURDPM, UdeM.

📍Abstract on page 8 of the program: Utilisation de montres intelligentes pour mesurer objectivement l’activité du membre supérieur après un AVC : résultats préliminaires d’une étude de faisabilité.

Émile Dupras

Master’s student in Occupational Therapy and Neuroscience, under the supervision of Dorothy Barthélemy, CRIR-IURDPM, UdeM.

📍Abstract on page 14 of the program: La fonction du membre supérieur et les adaptations neurophysiologiques suivant le transfert nerveux chez une population tétraplégique.

Katherine Samuel

Ph.D. student in Rehabilitation Sciences, under the supervision of Marika Demers and Johanne Higgins, CRIR-IURDPM, UdeM.

📍Abstract on page 22 of the program: Lessons learned from co-developing a novel hand rehabilitation systeme for stroke rehabilitation.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2026 Student Conference, and congratulations to the members of the 2025–2026 Student Committee for organizing such a wonderful event!