This month, as we celebrate Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, we have another reason to say thank you.
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Since our organization’s founding, adaptive sports have played an important role in bringing our members together. It was clear from the start that practicing a sport resulted in improved overall health as well as enhanced self-image, which is extremely valuable in overcoming the challenges that spinal cord dysfunction can present. by Chris Pierson Mary Ann Peters (center), the widow of James J. Peters, listens to a speaker during the ceremony marking the renaming of the Bronx VA Medical Center in her late husband’s honor. (Photo by Emile Wamsteker) “Today, we take the final step in honoring the legacy of Jim Peters, a man of tremendous achievements, ability and determination and a champion of veterans and those suffering from spinal injuries. I know that in this audience and on the dais that there are people who knew Jim Peters very well and understood what a unique human being he was. I am grateful we [...] by John M. Williams Before Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast states, hundreds of thousands of individuals with disabilities fearfully awaited what they knew was a life-changing catastrophe. Poor, isolated, and lacking transportation and communications to help them escape, they feared for the worst, and received a blow worse than they expected. “I lost everything,” Marvin Harland, New Orleans, Louisiana, told me tearfully over the telephone. Harland has a speech problem and uses a wheelchair. He says he was rescued by first responders days after Katrina struck. Harland never expected to be a beggar, but he sees himself as one. He needs [...] by Rob Ingraham Dominic Marinelli (standing center), United Spinal’s director of Accessibility Services, talks to a Yankees fan about accessibility features he’d like to see in the new Yankees’ stadium, scehduled to open in time for the 2009 season. NY Yankees Select United Spinal to Oversee Accessibility Compliance at New Stadium Despite the many player records that New York Yankees’ legendary first baseman Lou Gehrig compiled at Yankee Stadium, his name is also forever linked with one of the most insidious spinal cord diseases— amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). While the disease was known (but little understood) in the medical community of the 1930’s, [...] by Rob Ingraham Mediation has failed to resolve a long-standing suit against the District of Columbia by United Spinal Association and the Disability Rights Council of Greater Washington charging that DC’s parking regulations discriminate against individuals with disabilities (See Orbit, May ‘04 and September ‘05). by Charlotte Bethune-Fisher This is the first in a series of articles that will give you tips on how to arrange a successful voyage. Traveling arrangements are generally a straightforward process for able-bodied individuals. Most people contact a travel agency, choose a destination, and hope that their baggage and the sun follow them. For the traveler with spinal cord injury (SCI), or other disability, there is much more to consider when planning a trip. Anxiety about air travel, the accessibility of accommodations, transportation, and attitudinal barriers can be extra “baggage” for the novice traveler with SCI. With proper planning, these issues can [...] by Martin Young Note: To introduce our new Travelogues column, we present an excerpt from a piece by United Spinal Board member Martin Young about a trip to China that he took in November 1997. Board member Martin Young (right) was as interesting to this 82-year-old monk in Shanghai’s Jing’An Temple as the temple and monk were to Young! When I began to practice table tennis at the Burke Rehabilitation Center in White Plains, New York, I became acquainted with Peizhen Shao, our team coach. Zhen, as we call her, came to us from Shanghai, China, and has been in table tennis [...] by Chris Pierson Karen Law, a Senior Analyst for Prudential Financial, Inc., in Iselin, NJ, won a $1,000 Prudential CARES Volunteers Grants Award for United Spinal Association in recognition of her volunteer work for the organization beginning in the Fall of 2003. United Spinal received the grant on June 30. by Lori A. Wood Chad Waligura has a mission to get people with spinal cord injury (SCI) back into the woods. You might think the outdoors is no place for a person with a mobility impairment, unless you stick to the paven path. Chad Waligura would strongly disagree with you. Chad was named the 2003 Challenged Hunter of the Year by Buckmasters and Streamlight. BADF Disabled Services and its presenting sponsor, Streamlight, issue the award to a person with a disability who has overcome great obstacles in order to participate in hunting and applies his or her insight to help and inspire others. It’s not [...] by William J. Peace Since my son entered the New York public school system, I have repeatedly encountered problems solely because I am a person with a disability. The school he attends complies with the local, state, and federal accessibility laws as administrators interpret them, but it does so with great resistance, if not animosity. Does the negative perception of disability have an impact on my ability to be actively involved in my son’s education? In a word, yes. For instance, the school system has a single small bus with a wheelchair lift used to transport “children with special needs.” These children [...] by Kathleen M. Muldoon When I was in sixth grade, my first homework for language arts was to write my autobiography-the story of my life so far. The teacher gave us a week to complete the assignment, but I didn’t start mine until the Sunday night before they were due. By the time I’d finished, I was surrounded with enough sheets of crumpled lined paper to wallpaper our apartment. Getting started had been the biggest problem and I finally settled on (yawn!) “I was born . . .” as my first three words. On Monday I discovered that most of my classmates [...] by Tom Scott Bank Division Top honors went to angler Stefan Bozydaj of Highland, NY. Stefan’s 2.5 lb smallmouth bass earned him both 1st Place and Lunker awards. Bass Fishing Tournament On September 17, 2005, eight United Spinal members participated in the New England Paralyzed Veterans Association (NEPVA) bass fishing tournament on Lake Winnipesaukee in Moultonbrough, New Hampshire. The one-day tournament is part of the NEPVA Bass Trail, which consists of fishing tournaments throughout the New England area. The American Eagle Bass Anglers- and Bass Federation-sponsored tournaments pair anglers with disabilities with local bass pros to compete as a team to [...] “Nature’s Course: Harvesting Adult Stem Cells for Therapy” (Orbit, May 2005) presents an excellent account of Lisbon pathologist Dr. Carlos Lima’s groundbreaking ‘Olfactory Mucosa’ (OM) transplantation for chronic, severe spinal cord injury (SCI). I offer the following clarification regarding this surgery’s importance-the benefits it offers, the hurdles it aims to overcome, and future needs of SCI research. The chronic SCI injury site, or “lesion,” contains molecules that many researchers believe are the most inhibitory, most immediate roadblocks to reversing SCI. Because OM is a ‘natural scaffolding’ that supports neural regeneration throughout our lives, Dr. Lima uses this tissue to serve its natural [...] |
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