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In my message last month I reminded everyone how lucky United Spinal is to have such dedicated and hard working staff and board members. This month I am reaching out to each of you and asking you to show your support for United Spinal by becoming an active participating member. For some this may be the first time you find a means to show your participation. For others this will mean increasing your current level of participation.
An organization gets its strength from the members. That is, from you. When you are active, you are noticed, and when you are noticed, your support [...]
Several months ago I had the honor to be appointed to the New York State Spinal Cord Injury Research Board. Established through legislation passed in 1999, the Board consists of 13 individuals whose major function is to review proposals and award spinal cord research funds to scientists who apply for support of their research initiatives. Funding for the program is generated through a surcharge added to fines for certain motor vehicle moving violations.
This year, the scientific research peer reviewers had the opportunity to review 49 applications, which they graded and sent to the Board for funding. We were, in turn, able [...]
Emily Seelenfreund is unusual for someone her age. Not only does she get about in a wheelchair, but the sophomore at the Hudson School in Hoboken, New Jersey, is confident, independent-minded, focused. Even more unusual, for a person of any age, Emily is a certified scuba diver.
One day in March 2004, Emily, who has a diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone condition), was finishing up her swim team practice at a pool in Jersey City, New Jersey, when she noticed two men had joined her swim coach, Trisha Yurochko. They wanted to know if Emily would be interested in going with [...]
New York State Reviews Parks Policy on Disabled Golfers
A former New York City police officer with a prosthetic leg may be closer to his dream of playing the famous Bethpage Black golf course, now that the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is reviewing its policy on golfers with disabilities.
Bethpage Black is one of five 18-hole courses in Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, NY and the site of the 2002 U.S. Open—the first Open ever played on a public course. Course officials denied access to Stuart MacKay last May, citing its rule prohibiting golf carts. MacKay, [...]
Making travel arrangements isn’t always a pleasant experience. A majority of travelers have a wide range of options to ensure that their trips do not turn into nightmares. This, unfortunately, is not the case for many individuals with spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D). Accessibility is not high on the list of priorities for most able-bodied travelers, but wheelchair travelers depend on it, down to the smallest detail. That’s why it’s important that individuals with SCI/D choose the most knowledgeable travel agents to plan their vacations; and that’s where ABLE to Travel comes in.
Americans are living longer and healthier lives, and there is no lack of discussion in Washington on aging issues from Medicare and prescription drugs to long-term care and social security. What is missing from this discussion, however, is the understanding that people with disabilities are also living longer and healthier lives. Americans aging with a disability are quickly becoming significant stakeholders in the aging community with specific concerns and interests of their own.
The White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA), which occurs every 10 years and which will be held this year on December 11-14, was created to make aging policy recommendations [...]
For people using wheelchairs, consumer access to restaurants and gas stations expands business opportunities for the owners. To deny economic access to people with disabilities weakens our economy and our community.
Recent observed events in the business area demand me to ask this question: Does America want people using wheelchairs to be consumers?
While visiting New York City, I saw a man in a wheelchair unable to enter a restaurant because he lacked the strength to open the door. Customers entering and leaving the restaurant seemed impervious to his situation. Minutes passed as I watched them refuse to offer him any [...]
The 21st century is well underway and we are experiencing a worldwide juggernaut of medical research and progress in medical practice. This has created an ever-changing environment in which physicians try to stay current with the latest developments in their field. As a consequence, there is a movement toward greater medical specialization. More and more physicians are entering subspecialization, i.e. gaining expertise in a niche within a specialty.
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R), a medical specialty that has been around since the 1940s, provides expertise in the care of persons with disabilities and should be familiar to every person living with spinal [...]
Wheelchair Softball Hits Homerun at MLB’s FanFest
The United Spinal sponsored wheelchair softball exhibition at John Hancock’s All-Star FanFest, which took place July 8-12 in Detroit, Michigan, was a success for our Association. Representatives from the United Spinal Mets and Yankees wheelchair softball teams, along with nine other Major League Baseball-affiliated wheelchair softball teams took part in demonstrating the sport to enthusiastic Fanfest attendees. “It was the best opportunity wheelchair softball has had for public exposure in a sports venue in the past 20 years. The fact that [the] venue was MLB’s FanFest, the prelude to baseball’s mid-summer classic, made it superb,” [...]
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