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 fought together in the Battle of Hue City. I had taught him how to use the radio when he first arrived, but, more importantly, he was one of four marines who carried me to the helicopter after I was injured. Two of these four marines were killed [...]
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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 our 57-year history of serving veterans with spinal cord injury (SCI), and to affirm our commitment to our expanded mission to serve all individuals with SCI. Part of our program was a presentation from John Melia, director of our newest project, VetsFirst. John came on board in [...] 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. Work stopped for all employees at Bulova and the nearby Fort Totten and Manhattan offices as they were treated to a breakfast of omelets and pastries before the hour-long event. Staff at the Buffalo and Philadelphia regional offices were included via teleconference hookup. Everything on the Table [...] 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 of investigation prior to making a decision. Still, there is more to it than looking at pretty pictures of wheelchairs or reading slick manufacturers ads. There is the process itself, the evaluation process. This is where the people in the know and you get together and [...] 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 #04-01, this rule requires for-hire vehicle bases, which include livery/community car service and luxury limousine bases, to provide equivalent service to passengers who use wheelchairs upon request. Equivalent service is described in this notice as in an expeditious as possible manner. Notice #04-01 explains that the TLC [...] 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 for accessibility for all travelers. Travel agents, in particular, have prided themselves on making sure that this happens as often as possible. We do this simply because we promote and sell travel and, therefore, want everyone to be able to travel and enjoy the world. That’s why everyone [...] 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 locations are not an integral part of the design: in order to create them, two or three tiers of seats must be removed and a platform erected over the tiers. This design violates the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG). The fact that we believe the [...] 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) which authorizes federal mass transit and highway programs and the revenue systems that fund them. TEA-21 has provided approximately $7 billion annually in Federal money to communities throughout the nation to expand and improve access to their mass transit systems. Congress and the Bush Administration are working [...] 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 study this experimental procedure: Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange, New Jersey, and Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Proneuron Biotechnologies is a Delaware-based company founded in 1996 that specializes in development of a number of neurological treatments for [...] 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 party along with 500 invited guests. Paul received the Anne L. Shuell Inspirational Award, which is presented to a person who represents hope and conveys encouragement to others with MS and the community at large. A veteran of the army, Paul has been a member of the [...] 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 trailer truck to be taken to the Hope Haven headquarters in Rock Valley, Iowa by Jerry Vandentop from Tee Slaa Trucking. Hope Haven International Ministries says it reaches out to people in need with “love, hope, and opportunity.” In 1964, their first year of ministry, they responded [...] 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 skills of existing players. They recently set out to compete in the Alpha One Lobster Pot Sled Hockey Tournament, held in Falmouth, Maine, from December 12 to 14. The round-robin pit them against three other teams from the Northeast. The Islanders, who entered the tournament without two of [...] |
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