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About Us

United Spinal Association represents our nation’s 5.5 million wheelchair users. We proudly trace our roots to the paralyzed World War II vets who came home to an inaccessible nation and made it their new mission to create a fully inclusive society. We honor them by using today’s tools to directly provide top-notch service and resources to our members, chapters, and the broader disability community.

Our Vision:

A world where people with SCI/D and all wheelchair users can realize their full potential and live life at its fullest.

Our Mission:

Empower and advocate for people with SCI/D and all wheelchair users to achieve their highest quality of life.

Our Values:

Compassion, Inclusion, Passion, Integrity, Innovation, Accountability

four wheelchair users on a pier giving the person next to them a fist bump

woman in wheelchair participating in a marathon being pushed from behind

We realize our vision, fulfill our mission, and express our values through four pillars:


Community Member Empowerment
Facilitating healthy and fulfilling lives for our members and all people with disabilities.

Accessibility 
Making tomorrow’s world accessible for individuals with SCI/D and all wheelchair users.

Public Narrative
Disrupting the stigma around disability to trigger full inclusion and participation in public life of our members.

Public Policy and Advocacy
Advocating for public policies that ensure equal rights and opportunities for people with disabilities.

United Spinal Association Then and Now

Diversity and Inclusion Statement

United Spinal Association recognizes that we cannot fulfill our mission of enhancing the quality of life of all people living with spinal cord injuries and disorders and all wheelchair users without acknowledging differences in our community. A proactive commitment to diversity and inclusion guides how we compose our workforce and board, develop grassroots leadership, and select our partners in the movement for people with disabilities. We prioritize partnership with corporations and agencies that share this broad commitment to inclusion. Without ensuring that these needs are met, we cannot build a truly representative membership organization.

We strive to represent the interests of racial, ethnic and linguistic minorities, women, LGBTQIA, and socioeconomically disadvantaged members of the SCI/D community in our advocacy, publications, and social support work. We tailor our programs to meet the needs of socioeconomically underserved communities, and to make the voices of the geographically underrepresented heard everywhere from Capitol Hill to the marketplace.

The dynamic lives of our members, based across the United States, are the basis of our understanding of how these different identities intersect with the experience of paralysis. We know that we cannot move both our organization and our movement forward without a clearly articulated commitment to diversity.

Our Impact

We support people with SCI/D and all wheelchair users by:

  • Advocating for enforcement and enhancement of disability rights, including access to healthcare, mobility equipment, public transportation, rehabilitation, community services and support, and the built environment.
  • Empowering our members, their loved ones, care providers and professionals with valuable resources, including information on employment, affordable housing, transportation, health care, home- and community-based independent living, education, peer support, technology, and leisure and recreation.
  • Ensuring people with SCI/D and all wheelchair users can maintain the highest levels of independence, health, and personal fulfillment.
  • Promoting civic participation and self-advocacy.

 

Annual Report
IRS 990

Thank you!

With the help of dedicated supporters like you, United Spinal can continue to help people overcome the challenges of paralysis and disability and guide them down a rewarding path of transformation and discovery.

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