Personal Finances

Misc.

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD: Money Matters
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT: Financial Sanity
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: April 2007
MS Solidarity
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Money Talk
NEWSROOM: April 2007
Social Security Underfunded Again
Other Cuts that Hurt People with Disabilities
RESEARCH FRONT: April 2007
Electric Switch Could Turn on Limb Regeneration
Biomedical Engineers Advance on ‘Smart Bladder Pacemaker’
VETSFIRST: April 2007
Walter […]

No matter who we are or what we do, money always seems to be in short supply. Wise financial management is essential to all of us, regardless of our income level.

Some people might find it unusual that an organization whose members have significant disabilities chooses to feature personal finances as a major topic in its monthly publication. I personally believe that financial planning is more critical for our members than for the general population, because of higher than average medical costs, as well as the […]

MS Solidarity
Although I have only been a member of United Spinal Association for a short time, I wish to express my gratitude and appreciation for the information you provide.

One thing I’m painfully aware of as editor of this magazine is that spinal cord disorders (SCD) are expensive. As much as I enjoy bringing readers information about new therapies and technologies to make living with SCD more bearable, I am often struck by the steep price tags these products and services carry. I am […]

Social Security Underfunded Again
United Spinal urges members to act NOW before Congress votes on the 2008 Budget. The Proposed Federal Budget for 2008 again grossly underfunds the Social Security Administration (SSA) and makes other cuts that will hurt seniors and people with disabilities.
Outrageous delays and unanswered calls at Social Security offices are […]

Electric Switch Could Turn on Limb Regeneration
Tadpoles can achieve something that humans may only dream of: pull off a tadpole’s thick tail or a tiny developing leg, and it’ll grow right back—spinal cord, muscles, blood vessels and all. Now researchers have discovered the key regulator of the electrical signal that convinces Xenopus pollywogs […]

Walter Reed: Symptom of a More Serious Condition
Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., which is operated by the Department of Defense (DoD), is one of the military’s premiere medical centers. Although the care provided there is among the finest available, recent headlines have focused on deteriorating outpatient housing facilities that pose hazards to […]

Turn those tax blues into breaks.
By Tom Scott
Tax season is once again upon us. Before you prepare to file your return you may want to ask yourself if you really know your entitlements as a person with a disability. There are income exclusions, tax deductions, and credits available to people with spinal […]

The IRS and private businesses and nonprofits have teamed up to educate people with disabilities about their finances.

By Tom Scott
Improving financial assistance and independence for people with disabilities is currently being accomplished through a public-private collaboration titled the Real Economic Impact (REI) Tour.
The REI Tour is a national initiative spearheaded by the Stakeholder […]

It’s not news that spinal cord injuries and disorders are expensive, but financial help is available––if you know where to look.
By Kelly Rouba

After listening to Bret Neylon recap the past seven months of his life, one can’t argue that it has all the makings of an episode of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”—except ABC […]

Women liberated by their wheelchairs are celebrated at the annual Rolling with Style Gala during Fashion Week in New York.
By Kelly Rouba

Wendy Crawford, chairwoman and founding member of Discovery through Design, rolls on the red carpet in a chair and outfit designed by Thom Browne.

Last month, seven women made history by […]

Photos by Alice Faye Love

Brianna Cranmer (42), Nicole McDonald (30), Bao Yang (23)
and Sarah Binsfield from Arizona reach to take control of the ball
from Illinois’s Kathleen O’Kelly-Kennedy.

Alice Faye Love is an artist and athlete from Birmingham, Alabama, whose photography celebrates the world of women’s wheelchair sports. The photos on these […]

An MS Fellow explains how she benefited as a physiatrist from a program sponsored by United Spinal Association.
By Seema R. Khurana, DO

While trying to determine what my next step in life would be after residency, Dr. George Kraft was invited to speak at the University of Michigan. During his lecture he discussed multiple […]

by Kathleen M. Muldoon

Yvette Silver www.yvettesilver.com

On April 1, 1998, readers of the national newspaper USA Today were amazed to find a full-page advertisement announcing a new menu item—the Left-Handed Whopper. This had been developed, the company said, for the 32 million left- handed people in America. According to the ad, the ingredients of this […]

By Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D.

When you are a wheelchair-user, you really notice when a bathroom is designed properly and meets your every need. Too often we are confronted with public restrooms, as well as hotel bathrooms, with designs that inhibit our independence and make life more difficult.
When given the chance to remodel our existing […]

By Ed Lash
Quite a number of years ago it was noticed that there were many fewer people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the southern part of the United States than in the northern part. Studies also indicated that this was the same in other countries; the closer to the equator, the fewer people were […]

By Tamar Asedo Sherman
Self-employment is an option worth considering if you want to get back to work but don’t think you can handle the stress of going to and from an office, having to arrange transportation, possibly getting a personal care attendant to help you get ready, and maintaining regular business hours.
If […]

By Victor Freedman
Americans are terrible at saving money and we’re getting worse. In 2005, for the first time in the nation’s history, Americans’ personal savings went into negative territory: That year, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (www.bea.gov), we had more than $9 trillion in disposable (after-tax) income, but we spent all […]

By Cary Castle
As the director of Development for United Spinal Association, I’m frequently asked by donors and friends about estate and financial planning.
Frankly speaking, many people are worried about having enough money to maintain a decent standard of living for as long as they live. Today, chances are, you will be living […]