by Andrew Morris and Peggy Hathaway
On Wednesday April 23 the United States House voted 349 to 62 to put a moratorium on seven harmful Medicaid regulations that would have had severe impacts for people with disabilities. The harmful rules cannot go into effect until April 2009 – which gives time for a new […]

Your home may be accessible but is it assistive? Get some tips from John Canning.

Do you ever wonder how your federal tax dollars are spent? The Center on Budget and Public Policy Priorities has put out a new paper explaining how federal taxes are spent. The paper outlines how the government spent $2.7 trillion dollars in 2007. To read the paper click here.

There is hope that Congress will soon take action to block Medicaid rules that are likely to harm people with disabilities. A bill called Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act of 2008 (HR 5613) is moving in the House, led by John Dingell, the Chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee. We hope […]

United Spinal’s Accessibility Services team is fielding access questions for New York’s new state-of-the-art major league ballparks.
By Rob Ingraham
“Our challenge is doing the right thing by the disabled community and our clients. Other consultants don’t have that dual obligation. That’s the tightrope we walk.” Tightropes notwithstanding, Dominic Marinelli, director of United Spinal Association’s […]

The American National Standards Institute includes criteria to make new homes visitable by people with disabilities.
By Jennifer Perry
“Visitability,” a growing movement focusing on making individual homes accessible by targeting the most fundamental, inexpensive features––getting in and out of the house and being able to use a bathroom––has gained important support from the American […]

When visiting a friend resembles an episode of Man vs. Wild.
By Beth Livingston
Last summer I made plans to visit my friends Lisa and Mike in Salt Lake City. I was going to be in town on business and delighted in the thought that I would get to see them, too, as a side […]

United Spinal collaborates with hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, and selected community–based organizations (“Host Agency”) that agree to provide the United Spinal Peer Mentor Program at their facilities. Each Host Agency designates a licensed health care professional—the “Mentor Coordinator”— who will be responsible for implementing the general operations of the Peer Mentor Program.
What is Peer-Mentoring?
Peer-Mentoring […]

An exciting new networking program from United Spinal debuted to rave reviews in Salt Lake City.

By Lynette Ballard, LCSW
The University of Utah Hospital and Clinics Rehabilitation Center in Salt Lake City had the honor of launching one of United Spinal Association’s most exciting new programs as 15 men and women with spinal cord injuries […]

The spinal cord’s ability to process sensory information after a complete injury could play a key role in the development of new robotic rehabilitative devices.
By Tom Scott
The human body can function under extremely adverse conditions. This is becoming more evident in the field of spinal cord injuries (SCI), where researchers are uncovering […]

Off you can go into the wild blue yonder.
By E. M. Treston

“Do you want to fly?” asked the voice on the other line.
“Do I wanna what?” I asked, perplexed.
“Fly,” stated the voice.
“Ya mean like an airplane?” Suddenly I remembered that I had e-mailed a company I found on the […]

By Ed Lash
Probably the most important reason for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) to be exercising is that exercise tends to put the various body systems back into balance. And since MS seems to be a disease of an immune system out of balance, it seems that exercise should be of paramount importance. […]

By Dr. Richard L. Bruno
The Centers for Disease Control has reported that 92% percent of US toddlers are vaccinated against polio. Ninety-two percent sounds good, until you realize that leaves more than one million US children unvaccinated. Between 2005 and 2006, polio vaccination dropped in 20 states and in 10 large cities. While any […]

By Rosemarie Rossetti, PhD

Last month, I noted that container gardening is ideal for people who use wheelchairs. Shop for containers large enough to hold their roots; containers with 10-inch or larger diameters can hold more massive displays of color. This also helps to ensure that water is available to the plants and […]

By Tamar Asedo Sherman

It isn’t easy for us out there. One in 5 workers with disabilities, or 22%, reported in a nationwide survey that their employers do not provide accommodations to enable them to access facilities at the work place. Even more, 29%, said their employers do not provide accommodations that are needed for them […]