Amputee Walking School Speakers

TODD SCHAFFHAUSER 

Todd became an above-the-knee amputee at the age of 15 as a result of cancer.  Determined to regain an active lifestyle, he pursued competitive athletics for the first time in his life.  In 1988, Todd qualified for the Paralympics Track and Field Team and won a gold medal by completing the 100m event in a time of 15.77 seconds.  In the 1995 World Games in Germany, he broke his own world record by running the 100m in 14.55 seconds.  Todd competed and medaled at three Paralympic Games.

Along with his athletic endeavors, Todd has worked in the prosthetic community for more than 20 years. He co-created the Amputee Walking School that has changed the lives of thousands of amputees, their families and rehabilitation professionals worldwide.  Todd participated in the research, development and marketing of numerous prosthetic products. In 2002, he was named an honorary member of the American Academy of Othotists and Prosthetists.

DENNIS OEHLER

Dennis became a below-the-knee amputee at the age of 24 as a result of an automobile accident.  Dennis was determined to resume his athletic endeavors and qualified for the 1988 Paralympics Track and Field Team.  In Seoul, Korea, he set the world record for the 100m event in 11.73 seconds and won gold medals in the 200 and 400 meter events.  Four years later in Barcelona, he set another world record in the long jump and took silver in the 100m.

In 1989, Dennis co-created the Amputee Walking School designed to take amputees beyond traditional rehabilitation.  This life-changing program has reached more than 15,000 amputees and 75,000 therapists worldwide.

Dennis has served on the board of directors for the American Board for Certification. For O&P  In 2002, he was named an honorary member of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists.