Not long ago, I received an e-mail from a Marine I served with in Vietnam. He had gotten my name from the Marine Web site set up by my unit. Hearing from this fellow Marine was quite a surprise, to put it mildly. I hadn’t seen or heard from him for 36 years, since we […]

On January 5, our first workday in 2004, we officially began using our new name, United Spinal Association. Most of our staff and board members got together that day to officially launch our new beginning. While the transition will not be complete for another year, coming together gave us the opportunity to both honor […]

by Chris Pierson and Orbit staff
Staff and new members celebrate big changes for a venerable association.
In a ceremony at United Spinal’s Executive Office in the Bulova Corporate Center in Jackson Heights, New York, held Monday, January 5, the organization officially changed its name and symbolized its mission change by signing up five new members. […]

by Ziggi Landsman

Finding the right chair is an art and a science.
A large number of questions we receive are from people who are in the process of looking for a new wheelchair. Many of these people are doing their homework by gathering information, talking to users and providers and indulging in a fair amount […]

by Terry Moakley
A key ally adds her voice and the accessible taxi movement in New York gets a boost.
More than three years after its November 2000 adoption by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), this agency’s so-called “Wheelchair Accessibility Rule” became effective on January 30, 2004. As detailed in Industry Notice […]

by Nathan Devore
Traveling on vacation has become one of our inalienable rights. Everyone wants a vacation and wants to travel to fun and exotic destinations. However, some of us have more difficulty getting around. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t travel.
Over the past 30 years, there has been an ever-increasing awareness of the need […]

by Kleo King
As any football fan can tell you, the Philadelphia Eagles played this past season in their new stadium, Lincoln Financial Field. What most people do not know is that the stadium was constructed in a manner that violates the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Lincoln Financial Field’s wheelchair seating […]

Americans with disabilities need accessible public transportation to lead independent and productive lives. Public transit provides greater access to employment, education, medical care, and to a host of other services and activities that help people with disabilities be active members of their communities.
In 1998, Congress passed the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century (TEA-21) […]

by Sara Lerman, MPH
Craig Hospital, the renowned facility for patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) in Englewood, Colorado, has recently teamed with Proneuron Biotechnologies, Inc., to conduct a Phase II clinical trial of a new experimental treatment for acute SCI. In the future, pending FDA approval, three additional sites in the US will also […]

by Joseph Russell
On Thursday, November 6, 2003, my wife Barbara and I were asked by Association member Paul Regan to represent the organization at the 25th Annual Dinner of Champions, sponsored by the Western New York/Northwestern Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society. We accepted Paul’s invitation and attended the dinner […]

by Mary Kate Carew
United Spinal Association donated a full trailer load of wheelchairs on Thursday, December 4, 2003, to Hope Haven International Ministries (HHIM). The donation was for the Wheels for Humanity Mobility Project that gives wheelchairs to people in need all over the world. A crew spent the morning loading up the 53-foot […]

by Felicia A. Mosely
The food, music, and fun were everything that a good holiday party should be. The day was filled with the best holiday fixings like ham, pasta, yams, string beans, and an assortment of desserts. And music and caricatures added to the cheer.
This year’s Winter Holiday Parties were festive with […]

by Danny Perry
In the last couple of years, the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association Islanders, a sled hockey team co-sponsored by the New York Islanders and the Association, have beefed up their schedule by playing in a number of tournaments. The team is on a crusade to recruit new players as well as develop the […]