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 […]

People with disabilities will avoid some health care cuts if the House and Senate agree with what the House Budget Committee passed on March 6 for next year (FY 2009, beginning October 1, 2008). The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently passed some rules that cut off many people with disabilities from […]

Delay is the deadliest form of denial. Many people with severe disabilities apply for Social Security disability benefits, but they have to wait 2 to 3 years for a decision. During that time, without these benefits, people often lose their homes, go without needed medical care, and even die. About 750,000 people are on the […]

A critical safety alert for people using Duragesic or Sandoz patches!!!
On Tuesday, February 12, 2008, patches containing the prescription drug fentanyl were voluntarily recalled because of a flaw that could cause patients or caregivers to overdose on the potent medication inside. Sold in the US under the brand name Duragesic by PriCara and generically […]

A rare spinal cord injury to an obscure bundle of nerves comes with a series of frightening and painful conditions. But to most witnesses, people with cauda equina syndrome don’t seem to have any disabilities at all.

by Your Friend Flicka
After years of working for a corporation, I felt I wanted to do something […]

Ancient Views of SCI
The idea of a cure for spinal cord injury is relatively new, but even the ancients grappled with spinal cord injury care.
By Tiffiny Carlson
The ancients were not completely ignorant or unaware of the realm of spinal cord injury (SCI) medicine. Thanks to the survival of a number of […]

Women Without Limits, the Women’s Advisory Committee to United Spinal Association, constructed a questionnaire on the experience of women with SCI/D in accessing important healthcare and wellness resources. The survey was made available nationally to women members of United Spinal (USM) in the spring of 2006. In the fall of 2006 the survey was opened […]

By Rob Ingraham and Tom Scott
Caregivers 101
With about 44 million people in America acting as caregivers for relatives, spouses, or friends with disabilities––and the looming retirement of over 75 million “baby boomers”––the issue of obtaining and sustaining competent caregivers is rapidly becoming a major question for families across the country.
To provide a basic overview […]

A researcher explains why he is optimistic about medical research—and why he thinks you should be too.
By William Bauman, MD
Have you ever appreciated medical care you received? If so, you know that medicine can make the difference between a good outcome and a bad one, and in the most dramatic instance, between life […]

Part 1 of a 3-part series on understanding and coping with spasticity.

By Rob Ingraham
Spasticity, the sudden, involuntary muscle contractions characteristic of many people with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI), is a complex secondary condition that, paradoxically, is a debilitating, painful burden for some, but an unexpected advantage for negotiating activities of daily living […]

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 […]

By Leonard J. Selfon, JD, CAE
Just as the nature of war does not change, so, too, does the nature of the wounds of war seem never to change. Yet, each war era’s service members return from the front lines with certain illnesses, disorders and disabilities that distinctively associate them with the conflicts in […]

Compiled by Peggy Hathaway
Good News to Help People Live Independently
Class Act
To encourage independence, choice, and empowerment, four powerful Congressional leaders have introduced the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act of 2007 to help people cover the cost of long-term services and supports.
The CLASS Act provides for cash benefits for adults with functional disabilities […]

Neuralstem’s Cells Restore Motor Function in Spinal Ischemia-Paralyzed Rat
Three rats paralyzed due to spinal ischemia returned to near normal ambulatory function six weeks after having received human spinal stem cells (hSSCs) developed by Neuralstem, Inc. (OTC BB:NRLS), researchers reported online in the journal, Neuroscience (www. neuroscience-ibro.com/). Three other rats, while not able to stand up […]

By Leonard J. Selfon, JD, CAE
It is important to understand that applying for and establishing entitlement to VA benefits is often a complex and challenging task. A successful claim requires knowledge of the specific benefits that the VA offers to veterans with disabilities; an understanding of applicable laws, regulations, and VA policies; knowing what kind […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 Leonard J. Selfon, JD, CAE
Some people would say that the more things change, the more they stay the same. With some things, however, we would have to respectfully disagree. As you may know, United Spinal Association has had a long history of assisting veterans, both with and without disabilities, in securing their civil rights, […]

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 […]