Shanon Phelan

University of Alberta, Dalhousie University

Papers

5

Total Citations

119

H-Index

4

About

Shanon Phelan is a leading researcher at the intersection of rehabilitation technology, disability studies, and pediatric healthcare. Her work critically examines how emerging technologies—particularly robotic gait training and assistive devices—are experienced by children with physical disabilities and their families. Phelan’s most influential studies, each garnering around 40 citations, include qualitative investigations into children’s and parents’ perspectives on robotic gait training for cerebral palsy, revealing the complex hopes, values, and challenges families face when pursuing innovative treatments. She has also made a distinctive contribution by applying a critical disability studies lens to rehabilitation technology, as in her widely cited analysis of how promotional materials for these technologies often reproduce narrow representations of disability and normality. More recently, Phelan has explored environmental factors affecting assistive technology use in mathematics education for students with physical disabilities, and the potential of robotic teleoperation for haptic exploration. Her work is notable for centering the voices of children and families, challenging assumptions in rehabilitation, and advocating for more inclusive, person-centered technology design.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

4
H-Index
5
Papers
119
Total Citations
24
Avg Citations/Paper
🏆 Most Cited Paper
What is it like to walk with the help of a robot? Children’s perspectives on robotic gait training technology
40 citations · 2015
📈 Most Prolific Year: 2014 (2 Papers)
🤝 Key Collaborators: 13
🏛 Institutions: University of Alberta, Dalhousie University

Top Papers

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Key Collaborators

Contact & Links

Available for collaboration
Content generated · 13 days ago