United Spinal Presents Free Webinars on Healthy Living for People with Disabilities & their Caregivers

NEW YORK, Aug. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — United Spinal Association’s membership division, National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA), will host two free webinars this September for people living with disabilities and their caregivers that will focus on ways to discover a healthy & active lifestyle and how to overcome the challenges of chronic health issues such as spinal cord injury (SCI), MS, polio, ALS or spina bifida.

“For people living with disabilities and their caregivers, the challenges of maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle can be overwhelming at times. But with the right strategy and outlook, it’s within everyone’s reach. These webinars will build a foundation for many to discover better health, as well as happiness and success,” said Marlene Perkins, VP of Corporate and Community Relations at United Spinal. Continue Reading »

Aquatic therapy

Ancient Egyptians knew it, Greek philosopher and writer Hippocrates was talking about it over 2,400 years ago and physicians of the Roman Empire recommended it. The amazing effect of water therapy, or aquatic therapy, is working to improve the lives of children with a wide range of disabilities. The only side effect appears to be smiles. Continue Reading »

Decades after ADA became law, disabled people are still fighting for full inclusion

During one especially cold morning in January of last year, a disabled man who uses a wheelchair and ventilator , and his wife were heading for their office in the 100 block of South 11th Street in downtown St. Louis. They were accosted that morning by a woman, standing outside the building, smoking a cigarette.

She wanted to know why in the world a man in a wheelchair would be out in this weather. She wasn’t placated by the obvious response from the man’s companion that he, like many other St.Louisans, was simply on his way to work. It apparently didn’t occur to the woman that some severely disabled people work every day. Continue Reading »

Severity of Spinal Cord Injury Has No Impact On How Adults Rate Their Health, Study Finds

Severity of spinal cord injury in adults is not related to how they rate their health, Wayne State University researchers have found.

In a study of self-rated health (SRH) published this month in the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, Cathy Lysack, Ph.D., deputy director of WSU’s Institute of Gerontology, along with former Wayne State researcher Katerina Machacova, Ph.D., and Stewart Neufeld, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Institute of Gerontology, evaluated people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) in an effort to better understand the relationship between their self-rated physical ability to perform necessary daily activities and their SRH — the way people perceive their own health. Continue Reading »

Sexuality of the disabled often overlooked

While few caregivers would think twice about assisting a person with disabilities in the bathroom, many feel squeamish about advising or assisting that same person in the bedroom.

The sexuality of people with disabilities, many of whom require varying degrees of assistance to lead fulfilling sex lives, continues to be overlooked, avoided or even dismissed as a component of holistic care because of a longstanding stigma that shrouds disability and sex. A dearth of resources, training and infrastructure to guide caregivers and patients in addressing sexual needs contributes to the problem. Continue Reading »

Does she have a disability or just an injured leg?

Cast for broken bone gets paralyzed woman different treatment

I remember seeing a movie years ago about a girl who is paralyzed but pretends to have a broken leg while on a skiing vacation so she can enjoy a respite from how she ordinarily is treated by society.

The movie’s underlying premise was that people treated her differently when they thought her wheelchair was a temporary fixture in her life instead of a permanent one. It wasn’t a particularly good movie (as evidenced by the fact that both the title and lead actress’ name escape me) but I recently was reminded of it when I saw a friend of mine, Shauna Petrie, a paraplegic since she was 16. Continue Reading »

The Site That Breathes

“Life is not measured by the number breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” This quote has two meanings for me. The first meaning is exactly how it’s stated. The second is a literal and personal meaning. Life is not measured by the number breaths I take, which happens to be 18 breaths a minute, but by the moment that took my breath away. On November 1, 2002 I was in a car accident. I broke my neck at C1 C2 and injured my spinal cord. Continue Reading »

Yes, ITKAN: Change IT expectations

Abusiness model that empowers leaders, develops teamwork and promotes a strategic vision is part of a Chicago technology group’s efforts to network, update members’ skills and gain greater employment opportunities.

Steven Luker, a Portage Park native who lives in Wheaton, says the group, called ITKAN for IT Knowledge Abilities Network, has introduced him to new opportunities and given him greater confidence to “get out there and talk to people in the industry.” Continue Reading »

Festival of Ability celebration

As 16-year-old Luke Watt expertly manoeuvres his wheelchair around his car, he lovingly polishes the bonnet with a cloth. Luke was born with no legs and has been in a wheelchair all his life, but he hasn’t let it stop him from doing whatever he wants. With help from his dad, the Year 10 student from Southern Cross K-12 School in Ballina has built his car from a bare shell into a four-wheeled racing machine. He is now the first person in a wheelchair to drive a junior sedan on the racing track at Lismore Speedway.

“My dad took me to the speedway when I was 10 and I knew I wanted to race cars,” Luke says. “A lot of people said I’d never be able to drive or race at the speedway, but look at me now. I can drive perfectly.” Continue Reading »

Spinal Injuries Awareness Week

Meet Martin Hume. Almost three years ago the 21-year-old from Elanora on the Gold Coast suffered major spinal injuries after a wakeboarding accident only two days after finishing year 12.

This week is Spinal Injuries Awareness Week, an important time of the year for the Spinal Injuries Association whose aim is to enhance the lives of people with spinal cord injury.

Martin Hume is a volunteer speaker for the association, visiting schools and talking to students in the hope his story can make a difference.

Martin sustained his injury in a wakeboarding accident only two days after he graduated from year 12, leaving him with quadriplegia. Continue Reading »