About - Mission Gait

About Mission Gait

MISSION

To empower the physical rehabilitation community, through education, training, and research, to help patients with complex gait disabilities learn to move again with confidence.

VISION

A world in which physical therapists everywhere can acquire the knowledge and skills to help patients with complex gait disabilities achieve the rehabilitation goals that matter the most to each patient.

Values

We believe in the ability of the human spirit to prevail.

We believe a person’s abilities always outweigh their disabilities.

We believe it is our responsibility to ensure the rehabilitation community has the expertise to successfully treat the most complex gait conditions.

THE MISSION GAIT DIFFERENCE

About Mission Gait

At The Mission Gait Foundation, we are on a mission to transform lives through three core pillars of our organization, outlined below. We are creating a brighter future for those affected by complex gait disorders.

1. Mission Gait Academy

Our commitment to knowledge, empowerment, and inclusivity is embodied in the Mission Gait Academy. We offer free educational resources for individuals living with complex gait disorders, their caregivers, and the professionals who support them, and advanced continuing education and certification for rehabilitation professionals.

The educational content from the Mission Gait Academy works to broadly share the model of physical rehabilitation developed by David Lawrence, a physical therapist and amputee specialist respected by his peers and patients in Richmond, VA and around the world.

The model accomplishes advanced results using the basic components of successful physical therapy: trained, compassionate physical therapists, readily available equipment, and patients committed to regaining mobility.

The biggest difference? The in-depth training each therapist completes, the time and focus they devoted to each patient, and the therapist’s commitment to continually improve results. It’s an approach that therapists anywhere can replicate if they choose to. The Mission Gait Foundation aims to make that possible.

2. Patient Reintegration

Mission Gait is committed to facilitating patient reintegration, providing patients and caregivers with unique, empowering resources. We help people reconnect with the pastimes that matter most, ensuring that their life is not defined by their gait disorder but by the moments that bring joy and fulfillment.

Please note that Mission Gait does not provide direct patient care or physical therapy treatment. We focus on empowering individuals with the tools and resources needed to regain independence and re-engage with the activities that matter most to them.

3. International Missions – Walking Free

Through international and local partnerships, education, and training, Walking Free’s goal is to increase the capacity of providers who already live and work in underserved areas of the world, empowering them with a strong foundation for patient care.

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Board of Directors

David A. Lawrence, MSPT, GRS, AT-ret

Founder, Chief Executive Officer

Ann Parker Gottwald

President

Robin Yoder

Director of Patient Reintegration

Gordon Smith, MD, FAAN

Director of Medicine

Richard Blackwell, AIF®, AAMS®

In Memory Of

Mission Gait Foundation would like to recognize and acknowledge Gail Grisetti, MPT, Ed.D, for over 20 years of service and commitment to Walking Free international missions.

Gail Grisetti, MPT, Ed.D

Director of Walking Free

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Our Team

Many of our team members have been or are presently working at Lawrence Rehabilitation – The Gait Center in Richmond, VA. This clinic has been the “proof of product” – showing that the model of rehabilitation developed by Mr. Lawrence, and taught by Mission Gait, WORKS! Even those patients with the most complex gait disabilities find success in meeting their goals and regaining their lives.