The Family

Misc.
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD: All in the Family

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT: Extended Family
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Remembering

PROGRAM NOTES: Membership Meeting 2007
NEWSROOM: May 2007
Stem Cell Bill Passes Senate
Hope for Fewer Delays at Social Security
SOCIAL NET
No Need to Fear: Back to Work Incentives are Here!
RESEARCH FRONT: May 2007
Research Breakthrough Suggests New Treatment […]

When I was about 12 years old, I watched my grandfather, who was stricken by polio, go from walking with crutches to using a wheelchair for mobility. I watched how this change had an effect on everyone in the family, and we now had to make adaptations in our interior and exterior spaces to accommodate […]

In this issue of Action, we are focusing on various aspects of the family as it relates to spinal cord disorders (SCD). Because the drive to reproduce is so strong is us, it isn’t surprising that the desire to build family is no less urgent for many people after they are injured or diagnosed with […]

If you’re new to United Spinal, you may not know that for 61 years as of this month, one of this organization’s main reasons for being has been to promote quality of life for veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D). Since 2004, when we officially opened membership to nonveterans nationally, we did our […]

The annual membership meeting of United Spinal Association will be held on Wednesday, June 27, 12:00 PM, at our headquarters office in the Bulova Corporate Center building in Jackson Heights (Queens), New York. This is an opportunity for members to learn about the state of the organization and to have an open dialogue with United […]

Stem Cell Bill Passes Senate
On April 11, 2007, the Senate passed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (S.5) by a vote of 63 to 34. Research using embryonic stem cells is enormously promising for finding cures for spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D) and many other conditions. This bill would lift the federal […]

No Need to Fear: Back to Work Incentives are Here!
Many people with disabilities are scared to go back to work because they fear that they will lose benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). People wonder if they can work and still receive Medicare and Medicaid. The truth […]

Research Breakthrough Suggests New Treatment for Spinal Cord Injuries
In a multidisciplinary investigation led by Inderjit Singh, PhD, a breakthrough has been made in relation to the treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI). Set for publication in the April issue of the Journal of Neurochemistry (101, 182-200), the study investigates the efficacy of atorvastatin (AT), […]

Whether or not they have a disability, more and more parents are building families by adopting children with special needs from overseas. The rewards can be great, as long as you know what you’re in for.
By Linda A. Cronin

The author’s nieces Lucy and Kiara are testament to the joy children adopted from overseas […]

A Missouri teen with spina bifida makes progress at a Michigan clinic with technology originally developed for use in outer space.
By Rob Ingraham

Nathan Coleman learns to balance on a ball with the assistance of a physical therapist at the North Oakland Medical Center.

While the relationship of spina bifida to the laws […]

Multiple sclerosis can no longer be thought of as an adult’s disease.
By Kelly Rouba

Elaine Mackey

Sixteen-year-old Elaine Mackey has written a booklet to explain multiple sclerosis to her peers, more of whom, like Elaine, are being diagnosed with the disease than ever before.
Although she is only a freshman in high school, Elaine Mackey […]

Staff and members participated in PepsiCo’s first annual Multicultural Inclusion Summit.
By Marlene Harmon-Perkins and Kleo King
On March 27 to 29 more than 500 of PepsiCo’s senior management staff and personnel from around the world came together for the first time to discuss the company’s plans, goals, and commitment to cultural diversity.
In the […]

Karin Korb has made all sorts of people believers when they watch her game at venues like the Jana Hunsaker Memorial next month at Flushing Meadows.

By Liz M. Treston

Karin Korb is all concentration on the court,
one contributing factor in her success on
the USTA wheelchair tennis circuit.

One of the great benefits of […]

By Ed Lash

Multiple sclerosis (MS) poses many baffling questions. For example, why is it that some people with MS are affected by heat to such a great degree that they will be in a state of fatigue from the normal slight rise in body temperature which occurs in all of us each afternoon, while others […]

By Rosemarie Rossetti, PhD, and Brian Bixler

Iraq War veteran Mark Mix at the door of his new universal design home, built with a grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In the last several issues of Action, from January through April 2007, this column has featured the universal design features of the home of […]

By Leonard J. Selfon, JD, CAE
While stretched to its limits because of budget shortfalls, management problems and overwhelming patient demand, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) manages to live up to three well-known standards: to provide a generally high standard of health care to its patients, to maintain […]

By Tamar Asedo Sherman

When we are injured or impaired, we tend to be so focused on what we can no longer do that we lose sight of what we still can do. We forget all about the skills, talents, and abilities we developed over the years that remain and which could be used in other […]

by Kathleen M. Muldoon

Yvette Silver www.yvettesilver.com

During my school years, the month of May always brought two memorable events: Field Day, which I loved, and Awards Assembly, which I dreaded. Being an “athletic zero”, I never won anything at Field Day, but I didn’t care—I had fun trying. Awards Assembly, on the other hand, was […]

By Tom Scott and Bill Hannigan

At the United Spinal Association Jets Quad Rugby Invitational in March, the host team finished in second place among three other teams from the Northeast.

6th Annual Sled Hockey Game at Lasker Rink
The United Spinal Rangers and Islanders sled hockey teams faced off in an exciting […]