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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 Therapy Leadership Council on Spinal Cord Injury, Paul J. Tobin received a standing ovation for over 20 years of his organization’s unparalleled support and generosity.
“Without the support of United Spinal, that basically allowed the associations to rise up on the shoulders of giants, we would not be [...]
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 in the hospital, the couple began to plan for the accommodations he would need upon returning home. The Georges also started questioning staff about how they could best prepare for hurricane season, which was just a couple months away. “And they kept saying, ‘We don’t [...]
Boundless Playgrounds® give children of all abilities a place to play and learn together.
By Tom Scott
Shouldn’t playgrounds be for everyone? That’s a question Amy Jaffe Barzach and her husband Peter had asked as they sought a meaningful way to honor the memory of their nine-month-old son Jonathan who had passed away in 1996 after being diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, a rare motor neuron disease that affects one in 6,000 births and causes severe muscle weakness.
“We had met with a hospice counselor who asked us to think of something we can do in memory of our son,” Amy says. [...]
Historic Governor’s Island in New York Harbor is now open to the public-and a lot is accessible to everyone.
By William Clarke
Before I even knew I had multiple sclerosis, I worked as a futures trader in an office high above the city streets that had a fantastic view of lower Manhattan. I usually didn’t pay much attention to it. But sometimes I would stare at Governor’s Island, a mysterious piece of land owned by the federal government that once served as a military base and then became a Coast Guard station and wonder what it was like. Long ago, the island [...]
By Rosemarie Rossetti, PhD
Accessible Home Design: Architectural Solutions of the Wheelchair User
By Thomas D. Davies, Jr. AIA and Carol Peredo Lopez, AIA, PVA Publications. Soft cover. $28. ISBN 0-929819-18-7.
When I’m looking for an answer to a question about a specific dimension for a universal design feature in a home, I pick up my copy of Accessible Home Design. This book is comprehensive, taking the reader through the front door and exiting them out the rear door into an accessible garden. There is considerable detail and illustrations included to show various ways to create ramps, bridges, and sloped walkways for [...]
Senator McCain will participate by live satellite feed in the National Forum on Disabilities Issues and Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), a long time disabilities leader, will stand in for Senator Obama (who is out of the country).
Join the webcast Saturday, July 26, 2008 – the 18th anniversary of the Americans w Disabilities Act. The National Forum on Disability Issues will feature a live, simultaneous webcast, complete with pass-through captioning and American Sign Language interpreting.
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 fast- growing Accessibility Services department, is inspired by his team’s accomplishments and excited about its prospects for the future.
Accessibility Services is currently juggling “between 15 and 20″ major accessibility consulting projects while also coordinating professional accessibility training seminars across the country and serving on a number [...]
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 National Standards Institute (ANSI). The Institute’s accessibility standards, known as ANSI A117.1, will include design criteria for visitability features that could be adopted by municipalities or implemented by state or local ordinances across the country. ANSI A117.1 serves as the accessibility standard adopted by many jurisdictions [...]
Chicago’s Focus on Accessibility Could Be Key in Bid for 2016 Summer
Olympics
By Tom Scott
Linda Mastandrea, Paralympian and
Chicago 2016 VP of Sport & Accessibility
While the Windy City is famous for a lot of things, one of the least mentioned is its good accessibility. But Chicago is making great strides at offering an even more welcoming atmosphere to its disabled visitors and citizens. With the support of the Open Doors Organization, a disability-based nonprofit, Chicago recently released a 54-page comprehensive accessibility guide for travelers with disabilities titled Easy Access Chicago. A full PDF of the guide can [...]
By Rosemarie Rossetti, PhD
After a spinal cord injury, where we go and who we visit become more limited. Since my injury in June 1998, I can no longer go to any of my neighbor’s homes and ring their doorbells. Even the two brand new homes a few doors down from me were built with concrete porches and steps that are barriers to me. I would have liked to have welcomed their owners to our neighborhood, but concrete barriers are hard to pass through when you are seated in a wheelchair.
Part of an international effort to make all new homes visitable, [...]
By Linda Stango, AIA
The kitchen is one of the most interactive rooms in the house and is often the gathering place for family and friends. Planning is essential since this room cannot be “rearranged” as other spaces can. If you are considering remodeling or building new kitchen; a good place to start is by assessing the needs of the users, from their physical requirements to the types of food that will be prepared. What are the ultimate goals of the redesign: new cabinets, updated finishes, more room to maneuver or additional natural light? Space and budget constraints are the most [...]
By Rosemarie Rossetti, PhD
In July 1998, when I first came home from the hospital after my spinal cord injury, I realized that my wheelchair would never fi t into our bathroom’s 3′ x 5′ toiletting area; with the door attached, the door clearance was only 26 inches. I looked at the glass-enclosed shower and whirlpool bathtub and wondered how I would ever gain access. Life after my spinal cord injury was not going to be easy.
My husband Mark and I built our home three years before my injury. We did not want to do any remodeling until we were sure [...]
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and time to remember that even women with spinal cord injuries are at risk.
By EM Treston
I try to follow guidelines set up by the medical community so when I turned 40, it was time for a mammogram. The only time I saw a mammogram machine was on television during “October is Breast Awareness Month”-a barrage of commercials and news flashes from the health expert during the six o’clock news. The only problem with the examination I saw was that every woman was standing. Now the ability to stand has not been in my repertoire [...]
By Rosemarie Rossetti, PhD
I remember coming into my kitchen in my wheelchair for the first time after my spinal cord injury nine years ago. I was wearing a neck collar and body brace to stabilize my spine after surgery. I went to the kitchen sink to get a glass of water. The glasses were stored in the bottom shelf of the wall cabinet and were totally out of my reach. My husband Mark handed me a glass and I proceeded to go to the sink. I couldn’t reach the faucet to turn on the water. Mark came to my rescue again. [...]
Compiled by Peggy Hathaway
Keeping the Promise to End Unfair Employment Discrimination
Four Congressional leaders have introduced a bill to restore the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to its original intent.
The ADA Restoration Act was introduced in the House and the Senate on July 26, which was the seventeenth anniversary of the ADA with sponsors from both parties in both chambers. Paul J. Tobin, president and CEO of United Spinal Association, said “We are proud that United Spinal Association played a role in obtaining 143 original co-sponsors in the House, and we’re working on persuading even more Representatives to sign on [...]
September is National Preparedness Month. Are you ready in the event of an emergency?
By Kelly Rouba
The devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the coastal areas of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana in the late summer of 2005 is something many of us will never forget. Yet as time passes, the public’s interest in seeing that effective emergency preparedness plans have been implemented in their own towns, and even their own homes, seems to be lessening.
As a reminder to those who have gone on with their busy lives, officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and [...]
Tripping the light fantastic can be good for your health and for your social life.
By Kelly Rouba
Cleveland’s Dancing Wheels modern dance company. People of all abilities can use any or all parts of their bodies to move to the music. (Photo by Dale Dong, courtesy of Dancing Wheels)
As a young man living in New York City, George Gallego often enjoyed going out for a night on the town and hitting the dance floors of some of the hottest clubs around. But, after a tragic accident at work left him paralyzed from the waste down, Gallego quickly decided his clubbing [...]
By Rosemarie Rossetti, PhD
Coming home from the hospital after a spinal cord injury is a traumatic experience. Chances are that the home you left prior to your injury won’t work for you in the short- or long-term because of your need for wheelchair access. Modifications and remodeling may be needed.
My homecoming in July 1998 posed plenty of problems since I live and work out of my two story home that has a full basement and no elevator. My husband, Mark, and I knew that quick fixes would be needed in order for me to get into my home.
Mark and I asked Jason, [...]
Vincent Laffaille
Vincent “Vixente” Laffaille, 29, of Agos-Vidalos in southwestern France, is president of his local Wheelchair Rugby Club. Action recently asked him about his life as a person with spinal cord injury in France. Here is his story:
I am paraplegic at T-7-8 from an accident. I did my rehab at the rehab center of Bagnères de Bigorre in France.
I first became interested in quad rugby in 2001. It wasn’t actually quad rugby but wheelchair rugby, which is similar to the rugby that is played in Europe, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
Since my accident, which happened in 1998 when I [...]
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 disabilities. To Cuomo’s left is James J. Peters, executive director of Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association, which is now United Spinal.
After successfully pushing to make all New York City buses wheelchair accessible, United Spinal has hosted frequent transit trainings to familiarize bus operators and passengers who [...]
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