Clinicians play a vital role on the Rocket Discovery Team, bringing a unique blend of hands-on experience, deep empathy, and practical insight to every project. Their close work with children and families gives them a front-line perspective that is essential for shaping meaningful innovation. By bridging clinical expertise with research and development, these clinicians step into the new role of clinical researchers to ensure that Rocket’s initiatives are grounded in real-world needs and deliver tangible impact. Their contributions are key to making KidsAbility a place where creativity meets compassion, and where every voice – especially those of families – is heard and valued.
Lyndsey Tiffin, Caitlin Coughler, Zack Miller, and Allison Bateman are proud to serve on the Rocket Discovery Centre Team as clinical researchers. These individuals are devoted to their work at KidsAbility as occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and speech-language pathologists. Now, they’re excited to dedicate one day a week to fulfilling their positions on the Rocket Team, where they collaborate with their colleagues to make KidsAbility a better place overall.
They’re thrilled to not only apply their real-life work experiences to Rocket’s research and innovation projects, but also to be able to grow and be stretched out of their comfort zone. Their role on the Rocket Team allows them to think in creative ways and go beyond the mindsets of their daily roles. “I’m challenged to keep families at the center while tapping into strengths I rarely get to use as a clinician.” Lyndsey says.
These individuals are proud to be part of a team that acknowledges and values the perspective of every person. As clinical researchers, they feel inspired to openly present their ideas for the furthest advancement of Rocket’s mission. They believe that the Rocket Team will make a significant impact through KidsAbility because of the collective input shared by clinicians, clients, and families. As Caitlin says, “There’s something deeply impactful about designing change with those voices at the center. It means we’re not just guessing at what people need – we’re grounding decisions in real-life experiences.”
While these clinicians are excited about all Rocket’s research and innovation projects, they are particularly eager to participate in projects that are family-focused: They are most excited to deepen their relationships with families by exchanging experiences and insights to strengthen the services at KidsAbility and make an impact on the surrounding community.
Each of these clinical researchers has goals that they want to achieve to make Rocket Discovery stronger. Lyndsey is eager to develop her critical thinking skills, while also effectively utilizing research methods to support other clinicians in various roles. She also wants to grow her knowledge of innovation, and it affects her daily tasks. Caitlin’s goal is to consistently generate new and fresh ideas with the aim of being inclusive and collaborative. Zack is prioritizing research that will ultimately improve his colleagues’ work life, enabling them to have a greater impact on the clients and families they work with. “What motivates me most about being part of the team is having the ability to support my colleagues and the important work they do.” He says. Allison wants to reduce the language barrier by sharpening her French and sign language abilities. She says, “Communication is essential for sharing knowledge effectively with families, youth, teachers, and colleagues.” She recognizes that clients and families communicate in various ways, which is why she wants to be fluent in these languages. She also recognizes that some people aren’t comfortable using all methods of communication. Because of this, she wants to gain better understanding of clients’ and families’ preferred methods of communicating, so they are able to fully comprehend the information that the Rocket Discovery Centre is sharing.
As the Rocket Discovery Centre evolves, these clinical researchers hope to see clinicians and parents collaborating on more committees, therapy being delivered through resources such as videos and handouts, making it more accessible, and Rocket’s mission being integrated into every service within KidsAbility. Lyndsey, Caitlin, Zack, and Allison are truly committed to their roles as clinical researchers and can’t wait to help make an even greater impact within KidsAbility through innovation.
The success of these Clinician Researcher roles has led to an expansion, and Rocket will be welcoming 3 additional clinicians to the team. Stay tuned to learn about the newest Clinician Researchers in an upcoming post!
About the Author
I’m a former client of KidsAbility who is sincerely grateful for the work they do. Living with a physical disability my entire life cultivated a passion to raise awareness about disability. This passion has led me to do multiple speaking engagements in my community and pursue a writing career. I’m currently writing my first book, a memoir about my life with cerebral palsy. I hope to write many more books in the future. I love to travel, take walks outdoors, and spend time with family and friends.
Megan Snyder
