I have attended trade shows and events for twenty years, ever since I began my career. Most of my pre-DriveSafety life was in the world of computer networking and information security. Since coming to DriveSafety in March 2005, I have experienced a whole new group of industry events, from TRB, driving simulation and driving assessment to neurology, spine, neuropsychology, orthpaedic and gerontology events. My lastest was ADED -- The Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists.

ADED has been around since 1977. It is where the specialist gather to network and learn about assessing people's fitness to drive, from teens with disabilities, those recovering from serious injuries, and those adapting to new medical conditions to heavily medicated, visually impaired and the conditions associated with age.

This year the conference took place in Lexington, KY. There were around 225 attendees out of a 600 person membership. This is only a small portion of those in the USA and Canada who practice in this area. Many people do evaluations without a formal ADED certification -- the CDRS credentials.

I was impressed by the wealth of knowledge shown by this unique group of people. They range from those working for the federal government; e.g., Dept of Veterans Affairs, to large hospitals, private rehabiliation and small independent operators.

There were around 40 vendors that participated in the expo including two other driving simulation companies. It shows that there is a growing interest in this aspect of the rehabiliation and training program.

One think I noticed was that there are not enough younger, newer participants. I don't know if that is a problem with the organizations they are working for being unwilling to pay for the conference and travel, if there are not as many people interested in the profession, or some other reason. I hope the later. There is a growing need for occupational therapists and other professionals to perform this important work.

As a company, we just hope we can do our part to forward thiswork in a positive and meaningful manner.