|
|
We need YOU to educate your representative in Congress about what Medicare is doing to YOUR power wheelchair/scooter benefit.
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently issued a series of draft and final policy changes to the coding, coverage and documentation rules for power wheelchairs and scooters. Some of these changes are scheduled to take effect October 25; some are scheduled to be effective January 2006. CMS implementation plan for these separate but related policies is undefined and could mean you might lose your power wheelchair/scooter benefit and become a prisoner in your own home.
As a result of [...]
by Clair Russell Hesselton, PhD
The past several weeks have certainly been difficult for us as a nation, though perhaps not nearly as difficult as they have been for our friends and compatriots in the Gulf states. Regrettably, the long-term effects have yet to be fully assessed and will probably be felt for a long time.
At United Spinal, our first impulse after learning of Katrina’s wrath was to determine how many of our current members were affected. We knew of 85 members residing in the direct wake of the storm. We were able to contact about two-thirds of them and, [...]
by Gerard M. Kelly
During the first week in September, United Spinal staff traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the annual conferences of the American Paraplegia Society, the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Psychologists and Social Workers, and the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Nurses, which our organization has been sponsoring for over 20 years. The conferences bring together health professionals who dedicate most of their working time to the care and treatment of persons with spinal cord disability. We have said it before, but it is worth repeating that this is the largest forum for these professionals to come [...]
by Rob Ingraham and Tom Scott
SCI Professionals met for simultaneous association conferences in Las Vegas in early September.
United Spinal Association’s 2005 SCI Conferences in Las Vegas, Nevada, September 6-8, featured a wide variety of lectures, seminars, and symposia aimed at virtually every facet of research into, and treatment of, spinal cord injury and disease. With hundreds of papers and poster presentations to choose from, nearly 1,400 attendees from all across the country savored a full menu of fascinating and important topics.
The meeting celebrated the 51st Annual Conference of the American Paraplegia Society (APS), the 19th Annual Conference of the [...]
by Lori A. Wood
You don’t have to subscribe to a service to have free access to 911 by cell phone. All you need is a charged phone.
On August 27, 2004, 2 weeks after her 39th birthday, Virginia “Ginny” Ellis, a quadriplegic, tragically died.
Her mother, Barbara, details what happened:
“She had a small puppy, and was taking him out for a walk. She usually didn’t go in the park. We don’t know whether the puppy got free and went in the park, or whether she followed him. There was a deep, dirty and sandy area, and she got her [motorized] [...]
by Stephen Sofer, PhD
If you have health insurance you know how difficult it is to negotiate the health care insurance highway. Answers to these 10 frequently asked questions may help you avoid some of the potholes.
by Christin Krey
Children with spinal cord injury or dysfunction (SCI/D) are more than just “small people” and therefore, require more than just a “small wheelchair” for their seating and mobility needs. Although some of the goals of seating and mobility prescription are the same as adults, there are different needs and concepts that are unique to the prescription and design of pediatric wheelchairs.
Children with SCI/D, like adults, must be provided with a seating and mobility system that provides orthopedic support, pressure reduction, comfort, and a means of efficient, independent activity. Unique to children however are growth requirements that must [...]
by Kris Ann Piazza
For a kid with spinal cord injury (SCI), fitting in isn’t often easy-even among other kids with SCI.
My heart thumped nervously as the electric slowly raised my wheelchair into the open doorway of the school bus. I pressed my fists into my lap to hide their trembling, believing that I would make more friends if I appeared confident than if I showed how much I needed someone to ease my loneliness. I desperately wanted the girls inside the bus-girls who used wheelchairs just like I did-to be my friends.
by William J. Peace
Why do most cultures ostracize people who do not fit within social norms? According to Leslie Fiedler, who penned the term, “The Tyranny of the Normal,” society is afraid of those who are different. The “normal” people pressure those considered “abnormal” and force them to change their appearance, fix whatever is broken, or remain out of sight because their presence is too upsetting.
I encounter this social dynamic on a regular basis as a parent and individual with a disability. As my son has gotten older, the social barriers have not lessened but, rather become more complex. [...]
by Donna Fredericksen
Have you ever had a salesperson talk to your companion about what it is you want to buy? Have you ever had to ask a business to keep its ramps clear so you can access it easily? If you’re one of the 56 million Americans with a disability, chances are you’ve been in a situation like these where you’ve had to educate a stranger or put someone at ease over your disability.
October is Disability Awareness Month, and what better way to raise awareness about disabilities than by sharing with someone United Spinal Association’s informative pamphlet [...]
by Jennifer M. Rodriguez
Honoring the history of a tight-knit community living, working, playing, learning and worshipping together, United Spinal Association joined “Harlem Day” on Sunday, August 21, amidst a large crowd of diverse businesses and food vendors. To the left of the United Spinal booth were women showcasing African garments and dolls; to the right was the St. Nicholas Family Life Support Network in Harlem.
by John M. Williams
Dolphin’s SuperNova Pen for Microsoft Windows 2000 and XP provides visually- impaired individuals easy access to information. The unique, user-friendly program combines magnification, speech and Braille capabilities for Windows. Its fractional magnification feature gives visually impaired users the option to choose lower magnification levels in increments of less than 1x magnification.
The Pen’s fractional magnification is operated from the Visual property within the main Control Panel, the soul of the program. The Control Panel opens when the Dolphin software starts, and it is comprised of property sheets called Visual, Speech, and Braille. Icons of each function point [...]
by Terry Moakley
Some 50 MS Society, New York City chapter members converged on Bulova Park in Jackson Heights, New York on a gorgeous September 7th morning to try wheelchair basketball, handcycling, and wheelchair tennis—and to practice getting on and off a wheelchair accessible New York City Transit bus if they desired—at the annual MS Field Day hosted by United Spinal Association. Staff members Paddy Donaghey, Victor Calise, Al Guarneri, and accomplished member/athlete Joe Mendez carried out the instruction for our friends with multiple sclerosis (MS), most of whom were attempting a wheelchair sport for the first time. A hearty lunch was [...]
by Tom Scott
United Spinal Yankees Pitcher Named Rookie of the Year
At age 63, Ruben A. Granda, starting pitcher for the newly-formed United Spinal Association New York Yankees wheelchair softball team, received the Rookie of the Year award at the 29th National Wheelchair Softball Tournament held August 11-14 in Columbus, Ohio.
United Spinal Yankees pitcher Ruben A. Granda, with cap, was recognized as Rookie of the Year at the National Wheelchair Softball Tournament in Columbus, Ohio, last summer. Other award receivers, from the United Spinal Mets, were, from left, Fernando Garcia, Bill Hannigan and Eddie Jorge.
Granda, the oldest wheelchair [...]
United Spinal Association is joining the nationwide hurricane relief effort. We are strongly committed to providing quality of life assistance to all individuals with spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D) affected by Hurricane Katrina. If you are an individual with SCI/D living in the affected area of Louisiana, Alabama, or Mississippi, and are in need of relief or require emotional or psychosocial support, please contact us toll free at 888-211-3635.
Family Survives Katrina, Young Son Given Chance at Mobility Again by United Spinal
On the morning of Monday, August 29th Hurricane Katrina made its initial landfall in Louisiana. Sean Artigues Sr., his wife, their [...]
|
|
