ISS History

In 1982, members of Vancouver, British Columbia’s Seating Special Interest Group concluded that challenges facing the field of wheelchair seating and mobility were far too large to solve on their own. Quality education was hard to come by, and there was no forum at which professionals could share their knowledge and dare to learn more. These conclusions led the group to establish the International Seating Symposium (ISS), first hosted in 1983 at the Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children. The event brought together a small but intrepid group of clinicians, researchers, and exhibitors who were united by one idea: that by working together, they could improve the quality, accessibility, and equity of wheelchair services.

In 1986, an agreement was struck to bring ISS to the United States. When the first “American” event was held in Memphis, Tennessee. This initiated a tradition of an in-person ISS being held annually, alternating locations between the U.S. and Canada. Today, ISS activities are executed by staff and faculty in the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Rehabilitation Science & Technology.

International Seating Symposia in the United States continue to follow this ‘biennial’ format. Full, in-person events are typically hosted on ‘odd-numbered’ years, allowing professionals to gather for ISS’s trademark exhibit hall, hands-on workshops, and educational sessions. On ‘even-numbered’ years, our team strives to offer a variety of low-cost educational opportunities, including virtual events, on-demand educational offerings, and traveling, on-site workshops.

The ISS team proudly supports partner conferences that provide quality wheelchair education around the world. These include the European Seating Symposium, Latin American Seating Symposium, and Oceania Seating Symposium, as well as the operations of other professional organizations and societies. We are open to collaboration to achieve our mission of mobility and accessibility through education.

We would like to thank our partners, exhibitors, and attendees—past, present, and future—for their dedication to global seating and wheeled mobility!

Meet our Team

The International Seating Symposium is independently run by professionals in the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Rehabilitation Science & Technology. Our team includes practicing clinicians, educators, and individuals with other appointments at Pitt.

Contact us: iss_info@pitt.edu