Celebration of 60 Years of Service to Individuals with SCI/D
United Spinal Association, a national veteran’s service and disability rights organization, celebrated its 60th Anniversary on Monday, May 22, 2006 and the City of New York designated the occasion United Spinal Association Day. Launched in 1946 by a small group of World War II veterans paralyzed on the battlefields of Europe and the Pacific, this member-based organization has grown into one of the nation’s premier advocates for people with spinal cord injuries and disorders. Through the generosity of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the Association was able to host a private reception in Grand Central Terminal.
The reception was held at the Northeast balcony for a group of distinguished guests and Matthew Sapolin, Executive Director for the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, presented a Proclamation, which stated, “Now therefore, I Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor of the City of New York, in Recognition of the 60th Anniversary of this pioneering organization, do hereby proclaim May 22, 2006 in the City of New York as United Spinal Association Day.” Congratulatory letters were also presented by Queens Borough President Helen Marshall; Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ); and Senator John D. Sabini (D/WFP–Corona). Congressional recognition was also granted by Joseph Crowley, Member of the House of Representatives from New York’s 7th Congressional District.
On Tuesday, May 30, United Spinal will be welcomed back to Grand Central’s Vanderbilt Hall for Spinal Cord Disability Awareness Day. This free event, sponsored in conjunction with the MTA, will offer everyone passing through Grand Central an opportunity to meet and interact with dedicated, knowledgeable, professionals in the field of spinal cord injuries and disorders while taking advantage of hands-on exhibits, health screening, veteran and civilian benefit check-ups, wheelchair tune-ups, free give-a-ways, and more.
The Association and MTA came together for this celebration at Grand Central Terminal because United Spinal’s founding fathers held their first public demonstration on the Main Concourse in 1948 and gathered signatures supporting the nation’s first accessible housing bill. Within days, President Truman signed Public Law 702, providing federal funds for veterans to build accessible homes. Grand Central was also the site of a historic 1985 legal settlement between the Association, the city, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority which eventually resulted in the first 100% accessible bus system in the nation. The deal also called for making key subway stations accessible and a paratransit system for those who could not use accessible mass transit. This settlement, along with a similar agreement the Association negotiated with the City of Philadelphia, became the model for the public transit provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).