President George W. Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008, in the Oval Office of the White House. Joining him for the signing of the law that amends the ADA Act of 1990, are, from left: Former President George H.W. Bush, Republican Rep. James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin and his spouse, […]

Hurricane Ike leaves thousands of people with disabilities trying to maintain their health and their independence in the face of the most challenging circumstances.

We received this request for help from veterans from a filmmaker at New York University:

The situation on the Gulf Coast of Texas for people with disabilities in the wake of Hurricane Ike. United Spinal Board member Lex Frieden reports in from Houston.

Employment Rights Almost within Reach. Landmark legislation clears both chambers of Congress and heads to the President for signature.

The BBC on the close of the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing:

The Mayor of London has received the Paralympic flag as Beijing extinguished its flame in the Bird’s Nest stadium.
International Paralympic Committee chief Philip Craven hailed Beijing 2008 as “the greatest Games ever” during a moving, colourful closing ceremony.
London 2012’s double decker bus made a […]

Justice for All’s Anne Sommers relayed this breaking news yesterday evening from the disability rights group ADAPT.
11 Disability Activists Arrested at McCain Headquarters after Staff Refuses to Accept Disability Housing Platform

From Bob Kafka, National Organizer, ADAPT:
Civil Rights done in a different way. 500 ADAPT activists have set up DUH City on the HUD […]

Take a break and have a shot at this short quiz on Spinal Cord Injury/Disease. You may just learn something!
Take the quiz.

It’s a rivalry made famous by the film Murderball: The Americans vs. the Canadians.
The US had less success against Canada on the basketball court, but, according to the NY Times’ Rings blog, American quad rugby players tasted sweet revenge for their defeat in Athens in 2004 against their counterparts from the north. Unfortunately, it […]

The New York Times Paralympics blog, Rings, reported that United Spinal’s own Laura Schwanger had a dramatic surge in the women’s rowing competition to win one of the first ever awarded medals for the sport, which debuted at these Games:
ROWING: Two U.S. crews made history Thursday at the 2008 Paralympic Games, winning two of […]

A victory on The Hill and a step in the right direction for all people with disabilities.

United Spinal’s own Laura Schwanger takes the bronze at the Beijing Paralympics.

Highlights from the annual gathering of three associations of SCI medicine professionals meeting in Orlando in August.
By Tom Scott
Before the keynote address for the combined annual conferences of the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Nurses (AASCIN); American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Psychologists and Social Workers (AASCIPSW); American Paraplegia Society (APS); and the […]

A Florida family was shocked to discover the inadequate options for people with severe disabilities in major emergencies.

By Kelly Rouba
Laura George, of Coral Springs, Florida, was three months pregnant when her husband Greg became paralyzed from the waist down as a result of a hit-and-run accident in March of 2006.
As Greg recuperated […]

The last place Myron Rosner saw himself was on the city council. But when he realized he wanted to make a difference in his community, including for people with disabilities like himself, that’s exactly where he wound up.

By Andrea Jehn Kennedy
In 2001, Myron Rosner was injured during a fall from a three-story home […]

United Spinal’s Chairman, Thomas Cooke, on how Individuals with disabilities can be politically stronger when they unite with others.

By Jessica Haber
I couldn’t believe it, I was pregnant! Just like any woman my mind was flooding with so many different thoughts and emotions. In addition to the usual fears and doubts of “will I be a good mother?” I had to wonder, how in the world was I going to do this?
Twelve […]

By Tamar Asedo Sherman
Employers cannot ask anything about your disability, even if it is obvious that you have one, when you arrive for your job interview in a wheelchair. All the employer is permitted to ask is if you can perform the essential functions of the job. If the job you are applying for […]

VA using Vets as Guinea Pigs to test the effectiveness of drugs that have been shown to have potentially life-threatening side-effects.

By Andrea J Kennedy
Gas prices climb. Airline companies merge and ticket prices increase. Baggage allowances drop. How do we stay ahead of the game and continue to travel without it taking a chunk out of our own budget? Luckily we still have several options!
This year’s newest trend has arisen from a made-up word […]