Getting Somewhere:

Transportation and Disability

Misc.

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD: Improved Visibility
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT: Leaders in Transit
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: July 2007
Make SSDI Work for People with Chronic Illness
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Get Together in Orlando

NEWSROOM: July 2007
Compiled by Peggy Hathaway
RESEARCH FRONT: July 2007
Acorda Enrolls First Patient in Phase 3 MS […]

Much of our work as an organization—and the work of people with disabilities—is about counteracting misconceptions about our abilities.

Being able to get from point A to point B is crucial to the independence of people with disabilities and to reaching our potential as active members of the communities we live in. United Spinal recognized this early on and took Herculean measures to ensure that the needs of our members were taken into account […]

Make SSDI Work for People with Chronic Illness
I wanted to write to you about the single most important issue (outside of a cure) affecting U.S. citizens who suffer from serious chronically disabling diseases, such as multiple sclerosis.
Two months ago, I launched a grassroots initiative to change the way Social Security Disability benefits are […]

Recently I was talking to David Politz, 45, an Air Force veteran and United Spinal member from Philadelphia, who was telling me about his plans this summer. After four years in rehab for an accident that resulted in a spinal cord injury, Dave said, “I’m finally going to take a vacation.”
This past spring, Dave […]

Compiled by Peggy Hathaway

Recent Congressional Action
Congress has been busy on legislation affecting people with disabilities. United Spinal Association is working on the following issues:

• Medicare Independent Living Act of 2007 Representatives Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Jim Ramstad (RMN) have introduced H.R. 1809 to help Medicare recipients obtain the mobility devices they need. […]

Acorda Enrolls First Patient in Phase 3 MS Study
Acorda Therapeutics recently announced that it has begun a second Phase 3 clinical study of Fampridine-SR in multiple sclerosis (MS), with the randomization of its first patient into the treatment phase of the study. The study is expected to enroll approximately 200 patients at 35 leading […]

When it comes to the fight for mass transit for people with disabilities, United Spinal has always been a leading participant.

By James J. Weisman

In a ceremony at Grand Central Terminal, New York Gov. Mario Cuomo signs a settlement agreement outlining specific steps to make New York City’s transportation system more accessible to people with […]

The 1986 Air Carrier Access Act has been updated and expanded to include foreign carriers, but travelers with disabilities still have a responsibility to help keep air travel as accessible as possible.
By Kleo King

The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) was enacted into law in 1986 and the implementing regulations were promulgated four years […]

You can help your local cab companies find accessible vehicles, so they can help you find accessible rides.

By Terry Moakley
Recently, while listening to a conference speaker from the Taxi, Limousine, and Paratransit Association, a national trade group that represents these industries, I was surprised to learn that nearly two-thirds of the taxi companies in […]

For those who can’t use accessible mass transportation systems, the ADA requires localities to make available paratransit services. How have they been performing since the ADA became law?
By Terry Moakley

Charles Roman (in chair) is mostly satisfied with the paratransit service he has received. Is he typical or unusual?

In June of 2005, […]

By Bob Nunn

Dealers mingled at the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) show in Tampa, Florida where new products making personal transportation more accessible to drivers with disabilities were exhibited.

When Carol Hawkins needed a rear-entry wheelchair van to transport her 37-year-old daughter, Joella, from Rhode Island to Florida, Hawkins turned to eBay. […]

How does someone with limited resources find an affordable adapted vehicle? Here’s one person’s story…
By Tiffiny Carlson
Note: Some of the terms used in the following article are specific to the state of Minnesota.
Four wheels. We can get them for free from the government if they’re on durable medical equipment, but when […]

As warmer weekends and summer vacations draw near, the number of Americans participating in outdoor recreational activities and sports increases. And unfortunately, so do the injuries.
By Celina De León

Never ride without a certified motorcycle helmet and eye protection.

United Spinal Association’s Motorsafe program is a nationwide public awareness campaign promoting safe motoring. The […]

Terrie L. Price, PhD, president of the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Psychologists and Social Workers (AASCIPSW), is director of Family Services at the Rehabilitation Institute of Kansas City in Missouri. Recently she made herself available for an interview with Action.
How long have you been a member of AASCIPSW? What roles have you […]

By Tamar Asedo Sherman
Before you can apply for a job, even an entry level job, you need a résumé. A prospective employer wants to know right away what you can do to further the goals of her company. Keep in mind that you’ve only got about 20 seconds to capture her attention before […]

By Rosemarie Rossetti, PhD

My husband and I are in the final design phase of our new home, the Universal Design Living Laboratory (www.udll.com). As I look at our plans, I see that miles of wires will be concealed within our walls, ceilings, and floors. These will enable us to integrate the home’s […]

By John M. Williams

For decades, people have been complaining about the high costs of assistive technology (AT) products. It is a repeated complaint that I hear every time I go to a conference on assistive technology. The voices are loud and angry as they demand, rather than ask, an answer from manufacturers, “Why can’t you […]

By Ed Lash
In the last two columns, we looked at a surprisingly common aspect of multiple sclerosis (MS): the tendency of some people with MS to never perspire, even in warm and humid weather. We discussed some of the relatively serious health issues related to non-perspiration. Now we are going to look at methods […]

Eating and Healing: Traditional Food As Medicine

Edited by Andrea Pieroni and Lisa Leimer Price Haworth Press, Binghamton, New York. Softcover, 406 pages.
Reviewed by Gil C. Allen, MA, MS, PhD, DC
Eating and Healing:Traditional Food As Medicine is a compilation of articles written by various agricultural researchers who have descended on little known […]