United Spinal Puerto Rico Chapter is striving to improve the conditions for the SCI/D community on the island.
“We have a big problem when it comes to people living with disabilities,” says psychologist Gretchelle Dilán of her native Puerto Rico. “We have a big population and they are all young, but you don’t see them because they are not leaving their houses, and they don’t know how to handle their finances.”
With her doctorate in psychology, Dilán has long been aware of the problem, but she gained a new perspective when she was paralyzed by a stray bullet in a 2012 accident. Despite a difficult recovery, Dilán immediately set out to improve the conditions for island residents with a spinal cord injury or disorder.
She started off by founding Vivo Sin Barreras (Living Without Barriers), a new organization aimed at helping people with disabilities, caregivers and their families. She went on to affiliate with United Spinal Association as the organization’s Puerto Rico chapter.
Dilán used her background in media to also launch La Voz Corre (Spreading the Word), a quarterly Spanish-language magazine for that same community, funded by advertising from companies and providers that serve it. “I started the magazine because I saw the need for information,” she says. Finding and producing relevant content and staying in the black has not been easy, but Dilán says she never thought it would be. She is currently devoting all of her time to the organization and magazine, and trying to start programs that appeal to the island’s SCI/D community.
“We need to have activities to get people out,” she says. “We need to get people out of their beds and out of their wheelchairs — whether it’s going to the beach, movies or something else.”
To that end, Dilán converted a property she owned into a rehab gym, but to her surprise, very few members of the SCI/D community showed up, with the facility mainly being used by the elderly. “I wanted my people to be there and take advantage, but my people didn’t respond to that,” she says.
Dilán has had more luck with a donation-based equipment recycling program. “Let’s say you have a bed or a manual chair, or even something like wheelchair tires — whatever you have that could be useful to someone in a wheelchair, we will collect it,” says Dilán. She stores the goods in her garage until she finds someone who can use them. “My garage never gets full!” she says. “As soon as we list stuff online someone comes to get it.”
Dilán’s latest venture is starting an accessible vehicle dealership. Right now residents and visitors looking to buy or rent an accessible vehicle have no real options. She wants to change that. “We are not a big commonwealth, but we have a lot of people with a lot of needs,” she says. “I’m hoping I can help unite the community here and improve its quality of life.”
To find out more about the Puerto Rico chapter, visit www.lavozcorre.org.