Misc.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE: Winter and Wheelchairs Do Mix!
DIRECTOR’S NOTES: Staying Active
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Conquering Winter
PROGRAM NOTES
LEGISLATIVE NEWS: South Korean Scientist Faked Stem Cell Research Breakthroughs
Art-Reach: Increasing Accessibility Awareness to the Arts in Philadelphia
Features
2006 Paralympic Games Preview
By Tom Scott
U.S. Sledders Suit Up for Torino
By Tom Scott
Sledge Development: The Need For Speed
by Terry Moakley

Curling To Make Paralympic […]

I am very pleased that this month’s Action is featuring winter sports. Growing up in Vermont I learned quickly that there were two types of families: those that griped about winter and subscribed to the philosophy that Vermont has nine months of winter and two months of mud season (with one month for watching the […]

I must admit that there is no way anyone would confuse me with an athlete, though I have had the pleasure of cycling and playing tennis. But, when it comes to winter sports, I prefer to indulge in them cozily dressed in a heavy sweater, sitting next to a fireplace, and watching them on television. […]

Sandy Trombetta, chief of Recreation Therapy for the Grand Junction VAMC, in Grand Junction, Colorado, thinks that skiing is a “powerful way to build your self-confidence” after a spinal cord injury (SCI)—or for any person for that matter. “You look up at that mountain,” he says, “and you think, ‘How do I get down that?’ […]

ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES:
United Spinal Begins HUD Grant Implementation
With the start of the new year, our Accessibility Services group began fulfilling the requirements of a $99,960 Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Housing Education and Outreach grant. Our training partner for this grant is the International Codes Council, which develops and administers the International […]

On December 23, 2005, a South Korean university investigative panel reported that scientist Hwang Woo-Suk had faked his claim that he created stem cells that genetically match patients. The news has stunned the scientific world and those who care about this research. Stem cell opponents have cited Hwang’s actions as an example of why this […]

Last winter, United Spinal Association was contracted to perform accessibility site assessments for various cultural venues throughout the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area on behalf of Art-Reach, a Delaware Valley nonprofit cultural service organization that helps underserved audiences to experience arts and cultural programming and that serves as a community resource by increasing accessibility to cultural venues […]

By Tom Scott

In March, Paralympic athletes will use the same stages and arenas that Olympic athletes will use this month, including the architecturally stunning Olympic Stadium.
Quick Facts
The IX Paralympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy, from March 10 to 19, will feature the adaptive sports of Alpine skiing, sled hockey, Nordic skiing, and wheelchair […]

Team USA heads to Italy to defend the gold they won in Salt Lake City 2002.
By Tom Scott

James Connelly (left) at 16 is the youngest player ever to make the team. Here he plays defense against a member of the German team. (Photo by Sebastian Stumpf)
At the 2002 Salt Lake City Paralympic Winter […]

by Terry Moakley

Action Sled’s Hurricane (top) and Team sleds for sled hockey. Photo courtesy of Action Chairs (www.actionchairs.com)
Anybody who happened to see the Arts & Entertainment network broadcast in the Winter of 2002 of the scintillating USA Paralympic Sled Hockey team gold medal victory in Salt Lake City recognized that speed was king. Those […]

One of the unique sports of the winter Olympics proves to be an ideal fit for some athletes in wheelchairs.
By Chris Pierson
Growing up in Madrid, Augusto “Goose” Perez spent his childhood, like many Spaniards, perfecting his futból (soccer) skills with dreams of becoming a star on the world stage. Naturally competitive, he also […]

Neither snow nor sleet nor winter in general has kept United Spinal from its self-appointed mission to get members out and active.
by Terry Moakley
Adaptive skiing developed in Scandinavia before World War II, but sit-skiing for those with disabilities who are unable to stand was conceived in the US in the late 1970s when […]

By Lori A. Wood
In recent years, adaptive skiing has become a popular winter sport for people with disabilities, but that wasn’t always the case. Tom Catalonga, a C6-7 incomplete quadriplegic, helped to change that. He founded www.sitski.com, an adaptive skiing Web site, in 1995.
“I founded it out of necessity,” Catalonga says. “When […]

A gift from United Spinal to the Center for Neuroscience and Regeneration Research provides the opportunity for a prognosis for SCI research—and the outlook is positive!
By Rob Ingraham
“Some of you remember 20 years ago, even 10 years ago, I couldn’t honestly use the word ‘cure’ in the context of […]

By John M. Williams
The 6th Annual World Congress and Exposition on Disabilities (WCD Expo) promoted inclusion and access for people with disabilities in their communities and professions. For 3 days, hundreds of people visited more than 150 exhibits, attended more than 80 work sessions on a wide range of disability issues and were united […]

By Wendy Crawford
It’s easy to focus on health issues related to our specific disability and to forget that many other health challenges that everyone is vulnerable to with age remain. Unfortunately, having a disability does not exempt us from other illnesses, including cancer.
As women, we must still take preventative measures when it comes […]

By Beth Livingston

After my car accident, I was stabilized at our local hospital, before making the flight to North West University Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. There I was to undergo spinal reduction surgery, and the thought was that I would do my rehabilitation at the nearby Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. I had family in […]

By Tamar Asedo Sherman
Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) forbids discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, but it’s not so easy to enforce. You have to file a formal complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to protect your rights, and proving discrimination can be tough.
I’ve been denied many […]

By Ed Lash

Two possible side-effects of having a chronic disease like multiple sclerosis (MS) are depression and osteoporosis. Each of these, believe it or not, can be mitigated by adequate exposure to sunshine.
Recent Canadian research suggests that natural sunshine may help depression and benefit the immune system. Studying 568 people hospitalized with […]

by Kathleen M. Muldoon

The other morning when I looked out of my window I saw a strange sight. My cat Prissy stood as if frozen in one corner of our back yard. She looked like a black and white statue, with her head thrust forward and one front paw raised as if she was about […]