Washington, DC, November 23–Paul J. Tobin, president and CEO of United Spinal Association, recently presented New York State Senator Charles Schumer with a certificate of appreciation for his leadership in securing the inclusion of two critical provisions in the Senate health care reform bill–the Community First Choice (CFC) Option and the Community Living Assistance and Supports (CLASS) Act–that will ensure people with disabilities get essential services and support in their homes rather than having to go into a nursing home. Continue reading United Spinal Association Praises Senator Charles Schumer’s Commitment to Health Care Reform for People with Disabilities
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What we’ve known for years has been newly documented: Americans with disabilities are much more likely to be unemployed and live in poverty, and the U.S. is way behind other developed countries in reducing unemployment and poverty among people with disabilities. Continue reading Disabilities Ignored for Millions of Impoverished Americans At United Spinal Association, there are many facets to promoting disability awareness. Educating the public on issues such as accessibility, health care, legislation, and research is a vital component of United Spinal’s mission, however, the personal approach our staff takes to assisting each and every person with a disability, is also an important part of our identity. Continue reading Our Personal Approach to Raising Awareness In a press conference at New York City’s storied Russian Tea Room on Tuesday, October 20, United Spinal Association’s Kleo King, Senior Vice President of Accessibility Services, announced the launch of Accessible NYC (www.accessiblenyc.org), a website designed to help the visitor with disabilities navigate New York City. Continue reading United Spinal Partners In Founding Of Accessible NYC For over 60 years Disability Awareness has been part of the United Spinal Association mission and culture. Millions of people each year are made aware of disability issues through United Spinal Association’s web sites, public service mailings, journals and magazines, conferences and instructional sessions, informative publications, participatory events, email alerts, television and print media, and by our greatest assets, our members and supporters. Our membership magazine, Action, informs our readers of the latest legislative and technology news, research initiatives, and recreational opportunities. It also provides inspirational human interest stories and self-help columns you won’t find anywhere else. We also publish Multiple Sclerosis Quarterly Report covering timely news and information on multiple sclerosis research and clinical trials taking place across the country. Action Magazine and Action Online are read not only by people who have lived with disabilities for years, but also by people who are newly injured and diagnosed, by their family members, their friends, their service providers, and by readers generally interested in spinal cord injury and disability.†said Christofer Pierson, managing editor of Action. We plan each issue to educate this diverse audience about the possibilities for living well with a spinal cord-related disability.†United Spinal has distributed over 250,000 specialized publications, such as our popular Disability Etiquette booklet, providing information on interacting with people with various disabilities including mobility and sensory impairments. Others include fire safety and accessible air travel tips; information on the Americans with Disabilities Act and Fair Housing Amendments Act; women’s health; selecting a mobility device and advice on accessing state and local government. We regularly distribute press releases and newsletters highlighting our most recent activities, advocacy efforts, and events. In addition, United Spinal hosts a variety of web sites offering detailed info on our programs and services.
United Spinal is highly active through various social media outlets and online communities, including Twitter and Facebook, allowing us to reach out to more people than ever before and promote disability awareness in new and exciting ways. Tom Scott To commemorate Disability Awareness Month, United Spinal will present a series of snapshots of our programs and services throughout October. For over 60 years, our proactive approach to increasing awareness and facilitating progress on issues affecting the disability community has been the driving force of our mission. Here is a look at some of the work we’ve done to increase disability awareness, not only this month, but throughout the year. Disability Awareness Series––Accessibility of the Built Environment If you aren’t living with a disability, such as a spinal cord injury or disorder, you may never stop to think about the accessibility of the built environment around you. For people who use wheelchairs or have mobility impairments, however, accessibility is always of major concern. Without wheelchair ramps, curb cuts, accessible building entrances and other universal design concepts, people with disabilities would lose a great deal of their freedom and independence. United Spinal Association’s Accessibility Services is devoted exclusively to making our built environment accessible and increasing awareness about accessibility issues commonly encountered by individuals with disabilities across the country. “Our clients are businesses and architects who understand the importance of accessibility and have come to us to ensure that accessibility is provided in their business, store, stadium, park, and other facilities,” said Kleo King, senior vice president of Accessibility Services at United Spinal Association. “For example, we are working with the Minnesota Twins and their architects, Populous (formerly HOK Sport), and the Minneapolis disability community to ensure the Twins new ballpark is state of the art when it comes to access for people with disabilities.” United Spinal’s Accessibility Services staff is hard at work to guarantee and protect the civil rights of all citizens so that they can fully participate in our culture and our society. We helped write the landmark Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986; we are active participants in writing building codes at the local, state, and federal level; and we helped make New York, the largest city in the country, provide fully accessible buses and subways and cut every curb in all five boroughs to allow wheelchair access––an achievement that inspired dozens of other municipalities to follow suit. To learn more, please visit http://www.accessibility-services.com Tom Scott United Spinal Association teamed up with PepsiCo to offer kids with disabilities a fun-filled day of recreational activities and games during PepsiCo’s 3rd annual Kids Sports Spectacular (KSS) event held on September 29th at the company’s World Headquarters in Purchase, NY. Volunteers from United Spinal and other disability organizations offered instruction in a variety of adaptive sports including basketball, softball, tennis, and hand cycling, to teach the importance of self-esteem, teamwork, and friendship. The event was hosted by EnAble, PepsiCo’s employee network that promotes diversity and the inclusion of people with different abilities. “We are delighted to have had another opportunity to help PepsiCo in making Kids Sports Spectacular a big success. This event, which seems to get better every year, is a testament to how much we can achieve by combining our resources and expertise to promote inclusion. I think the smiles and enthusiasm exhibited by the kids is proof of that,†said Marlene Perkins, United Spinal VP of Outreach and Membership. Lynda Costa, president of PepsiCo’s Westchester EnAble, said partnering with nonprofit organizations that live and breathe the issues impacting people with different abilities everyday is an important component to the event’s success. “PepsiCo’s Kids Sports Spectacular would not be possible without the support of organizations such as United Spinal Association. They bring so much to the table. We believe in taking a harmonized approach to promoting diversity and inclusion. We aren’t experts in disability issues, so gaining the insight and support of knowledgeable disability groups and nonprofit organizations make these events even more rewarding for everyone involved.†Costa added, “We had approximately 60 kids participate this year, almost twice as many as last year. There is a lot of work that goes into planning this event. We tried to include more interactive games for the kids. We wanted to ensure that all games were accessible, but also visually stimulating.†“United Spinal Association was very helpful in reaching out to all the schools and getting us to our total of almost 60 children. It really is a very humbling experience and it makes both Mary Anne and I feel especially proud when we can bring some smiles to the young children’s faces. Not sure we could have the event without United Spinal Association’s support,†said Sandra DeQuatro of PepsiCo, who along with Maryanne Herrick were leaders in planning KSS. KSS brought together local school children and staff from UCP of Westchester, Isaac E. Young Boces, and Rye Lake Campus Boces. This year, PepsiCo also welcomed the participation of more caregivers and parents than ever before. Errol Rivera, a teacher at Isaac E. Young middle school in New Rochelle, NY who was attending KSS for the first time said it was a great outing for his students, as well as their family members and aids. “We do not have too many opportunities to bring parents, students, and teachers together to interact at a fun event like this. It is a great opportunity to extend the learning experience outside of the classroom.†Lisa Locatelli, also a teacher at Isaac E. Young, added “In class, we try to present our students with as many learning opportunities as possible, whether it is art, music, dance, or physical education. This event offers students another outlet to learn various skills that will benefit them in life. We are grateful to PepsiCo and organizations like United Spinal for offering this wonderful opportunity for our students.†Since September 2005, United Spinal has partnered with EnAble to advise, train, and consult PepsiCo staff on accessibility-related matters and promote diversity, inclusion, and disability awareness. Schumer Amendment Provides Medicaid Services for People with Disabilities United Spinal Association praised New York Senator Charles Schumer for introducing an amendment to the Senate Finance Committee health care reform bill to enact the Community Choice Act benefiting people with disabilities. The Community Choice Act, if enacted, will give states the option to make home- and community-based services available through their Medicaid programs. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) has been the lead sponsor of the Community Choice Act for years. Senator Schumer has long supported it and, as a member of the Senate Finance Committee, he was able to introduce it as an amendment to the health care reform bill. United Spinal President & CEO Paul J. Tobin said today, “Senator Schumer’s amendment will make it far easier for people with disabilities to obtain services in their homes and communities – rather than be forced to go to a nursing home. Services such as help with dressing, bathing, and grocery shopping often enable people with disabilities to be independent and become or remain employed.†Schumer said, upon including this amendment: “The elderly and disabled should not have to choose between staying in their home and receiving the care they need. I am gratified that the Finance Committee will vote on a bill that now has this provision that will take steps towards providing home care for those in need, and I will continue fighting until no one has to choose between their health and their home.†Tobin thanks Senators Schuman and Harkin for their leadership. United Spinal urges people to call their Senators and ask them to support the Community Choice Act state Medicaid option in health care reform. People can call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 or call the local offices of their Senators. He added that it is especially important to call your Senator if s/he is a member of the Senate Finance Committee. Click here for more information and an easy way to contact your Senator. About United Spinal Association Bethpage, NY––Accessible Vans & Mobility present the 2009 Accessibility Open House, a free 2-day event highlighting the latest in assistive technology, including modified vehicles, ultra-modern wheelchairs, adaptive sports equipment, and universal design ideas for your home. United Spinal Association’s Able to Travel, VetsFirst and Wheelchair Medic divisions will offer workshops on accessible travel vacation planning, veterans’ benefits and services, and free wheelchair and scooter tune-up clinics. Other workshops include tips on remodeling your home, bathroom or kitchen to provide greater accessibility, how to protect your financial assets, and wheelchair sports demonstrations from players and coaches. United Spinal Association CEO and President Paul J. Tobin said, “This is a terrific opportunity to attend free workshops that can improve your independence and quality of life.†Dan Bussani, Vice President at Accessible Vans & Mobility added, “Mobility doesn’t only mean vehicles, mobility is a lifestyle. This open house is an event that gives the community a vision of products and services available to them along workshops on asset protection, trust funds, accessible travel, home modification displays and wheelchair sports. Other participating organizations include the Nassau & Suffolk County Offices for the Physically Challenged, Long Island Center for Independent Living, and Canine Companions. The Open House will take place at 500 Central Ave in Bethpage, NY on Friday, September 18th from Noon to 6pm and Saturday, September 19th from 10am to 4pm. United Spinal Association and PepsiCo are teaming up to offer a fun-filled day of adaptive sports for kids with disabilities. PepsiCo’s 3rd annual “Kids Sports Spectacular†event is returning to the company’s World Headquarters in Purchase, NY on Tuesday, September, 29th from 8:30 am to 1 pm. The event is hosted by PepsiCo’s enAble Advisory Committee, which promotes inclusion and focuses on an individual’s abilities rather than their disabilities. United Spinal and PepsiCo staff will interact with kids and instruct them on a variety of adaptive sports including basketball, softball, tennis, and hand cycling. They will also learn the importance of self-esteem, teamwork, and friendship. “This is the third year that United Spinal Association and PepsiCo are providing kids with disabilities and their families a very unique opportunity to experience the wonderful benefits of adaptive sports. This event shows youths that they can achieve all of their dreams, even though they may face some adversity living with a disability. They all leave with a very positive attitude and a new outlook on life. It really is an enjoyable day for everyone involved,†said Marlene Perkins, United Spinal Association vice president of Corporate Outreach and Gifts. In addition to a thrilling day of sports, PepsiCo will also be providing face painting, clowns, and art games. Admission is free and lunch will be provided. Rain date is Wednesday, September 30th, 2009. For more information on Kids Sports Spectacular events, please visit www.unitedspinal.org/kss. Tom Scott |
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