United Spinal staff have been busy planning the organization’s 2009 agenda. From events for kids to summits on disability and then some.

It’s that time of year at United Spinal. Time to take a look at what our members and friends liked, what worked and what did not fly so well. To tweak, reconfigure, and expand. But most of all, to put together a selection of high impact programs for 2009.

It looks like our highly successful Kids Sports Spectacular is on the agenda for 2009. Participation in 2008 was overwhelming with kids and their families turning out in large numbers for this exciting one-of-a-kind event and offering us feedback that makes a repeat performance in 2009 a no-brainer.

United Spinal’s 2008 Disability Leadership & Policy Summit brought together the best and the brightest leaders in the disability community along with community members to discuss “An Agenda For Change”. The discussions were lively, stimulating, and at times heated. The feedback we received from participants leaves no doubt that there will be a place on the 2009 calendar for the Disability Leadership & Policy Summit.

Consumer workshops and vendor exhibits brought crowds of visitors to the venue at United Spinal’s 2008 Independence Expo. A consumer experience that offered attendees a look at the latest and greatest in equipment and assistive technology along with workshops on a long list of contemporary disability topics. The crowd was great, the house was jumping, and the feedback we received was extremely positive. Our program staff have the 2009 calendar out for a rerun of Independence Expo.

Our Public Policy staff is also busy pouring over the issues that will carry over to 2009 and gazing into their crystal ball for those that may spring up anew. United Spinal’s Public Policy staff had a banner year in 2008, pushing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Restoration Act over the top and moving disability issues to the forefront of the presidential campaign. This is work that is never ending and that often goes unnoticed. 2009 will find our Public Policy staff hitting hard on the issues that are important to persons with disabilities and keeping the heat on those newly elected officials to keep their campaign promises. Count on it!

Our editors are lining up the subject matter and reviewing it all to decide on just the right topics for production of our new 2009 informative publications. As always, these informative and educational booklets and pamphlets will be offered online free of charge.

There is even more to come in 2009, lots more. Some new services are still in the concept and discussion stages and some are already in beta testing. Here’s a peek at the inside: Enhanced assistance and information for people with spinal cord injuries and disease, greater support for wheelchair and assistive technology users, improved and enhanced communications for support of our veterans with spinal cord injuries and disease, greater access to United Spinal staff and advisors, and maximum focus on you, our members, friends, and supporters.

United Spinal Association develops and maintains a broad array of programs and services. We need your help to make these possible in 2009. Your donation in 2008 goes in part to helping us plan and fund our 2009 programs. You can help make these important services and programs a reality in 2009 by making a generous donation today.
Click here to Donate Today.

You can keep up with all that is new and upcoming at United Spinal by subscribing to our no hassle e-newsletter.
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Ziggi Landsman
Director of Online Relations
United Spinal Association

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 25th, 2008 at 7:17 pm and is filed under Featured, Techguide Newsticker, United Spinal News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.