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United
Spinal Newsletter | May 2024
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Behind United Spinal’s New Collaboration with United
Airlines
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 United Spinal and United
Airlines are working together to make travel more accommodating
for wheelchair users. We are your voice on the ground—and now,
we’re working toward being your voice in the skies.
“It is my sincere hope that this story becomes a clarion call for
all the other major carriers in the U.S., and that our
partnership with United Airlines becomes a model for other
opportunities. We hope that the airline industry will continue to
dare to surprise us,” Vincenzo Piscopo, President/CEO, remarked
in his most recent Message from the CEO.
How will this development impact you—and what kind of future does
it point to for our community? Click here to learn more.
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You Had
Our Back for Giving Week: Thank You!
Our deepest gratitude to everyone who took the plunge and donated
to our first
ever Giving Week.
You contributed more than $13,000 in support of our work helping
wheelchair users live fulfilling, independent lives. Your gifts
help us continue to provide vital resources, support, and
advocacy to empower our community. Thank you for your commitment
to making an impact.
A special shout out to our collaborators: Charisma and Cole
Sydnor, Mason Branstrator, Dani Izzie, Wes Hamilton, and Cheryl
Jacobs. We were deeply touched by their support during Giving
Week, which helped us spread the word about our important work.
Support for our work is a year-round endeavor. If you would like
to join the momentum and give today, donating has never been
easier—and it all goes to our tireless work on behalf of our
community.
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A
Heartfelt Farewell to a United Spinal Hero: Christine Golden
VetsFirst Service Director Christine Golden’s 25 years of
dedication to the cause of disabled veterans has helped thousands
of people obtain the benefits and entitlements that they earned
through service and sacrifice. She retired on May 1st, and we
could not let her go without letting the world know about her incredible career. Thank you,
Christine.
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May 16
is Global Accessibility Awareness Day: Here’s How You Can Help
There are five key things you can do on
Global Accessibility Awareness Day that will have an impact for
the entire year—and beyond. Learn about why every day is an
accessibility awareness day for United Spinal, and how you can be
a difference-maker for digital access and inclusion.
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Surveys
Shine a Light on Our Lived Experience—And Move the Needle on
Innovation
Want to contribute to the most innovative medical research
impacting our community? Broaden the understanding of our diverse
experiences as wheelchair users? Be a part of breakthroughs in
universal design? Check out our Surveys page
today. It’s full of listings for studies that are part of making
progress towards a better world for all wheelchair users
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What’s
bugging you? We’re here to help.
Bring your most important issues to United Spinal—we’re here to
help. Let us know how we can focus on what’s important to you by
taking this brief policy survey.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact
United Spinal policy staff at policy@unitedspinal.org. Thank
you.
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Medicaid
and Home and Community Based Services
The Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services final rule advances
access to care and quality of care, including home-and
community-based services (HCBS). This new final rule establishes
a Medicaid Advisory Committee and Beneficiary Advisory Council
and strengthens oversight of Home and Community-Based Services. Check here for more
information, and visit our extensive landing page about
our work on care support.
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Spotlight
on Emergency Preparedness
Potential
New Assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency
FEMA established some updates to disaster assistance benefits.
Comments are due later this summer. United Spinal will work with
our Emergency Preparedness Working Group and our members across
the country to submit comments on these reforms.
- Click
here for more information.
- You can take a
2-hour web training course to help on the ground with a
natural disaster. Click
here for more information.
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ICYMI:
Influential FEMA Disability Coordinator Speaks to Our Emergency
Preparedness Working Group
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The
Emergency Preparedness Working Group helps prepare wheelchair
users and people living with spinal cord injuries to face natural
disasters across the nation. Sherman Gillums, Jr., Ed.D., who
advises FEMA regarding equity for people with disabilities and
Director, Office of Disability Integration and Coordination spoke
to our Emergency Preparedness Working Group in April about FEMA
reforms and how we can get involved. Dr. Gillums is a veteran and
former Executive Director of Paralyzed Veterans of America. Learn
more about him here. Watch the webinar here.
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Sherman
Gillums, Jr., Ed.D, Director, Office of Disability Integration
and Coordination, FEMA
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Stay in the loop. Be on the
forefront of change.
Subscribe to our Advocacy
and Policy newsletter for a deeper dive into our work today.
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 Mobility disabilities affect
1 in 7 adults. They are the most common type of disability. But
the disability experience is different for everyone. This
#MobilityAwareness Month, help make health research more
inclusive. By participating in research, you can help health care
to meet the needs of every community. Join Today: JoinAllofUs.org/Disability,
#AllofUsInclusion, #MobilityAwareness
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 Seeking participants for a study
on workplace experiences
Illinois Tech is conducting a focus group study examining
microaggressions and quality of work life among adults with SCI.
Goal of
the project:
The goal of this study is to gather information on
microaggression experiences, to better understand how they affect
employment turnover, and to consider how personal strengths and
values can help to cope with these experiences.
What
will I be asked to do?
Participation in this study involves a 90-120 minute informal
virtual focus group and a brief online survey. Participants will
receive a $100 gift card to thank them for their participation.
Who can
participate?
To participate in the focus group, you must be:
- 18 years old or
older
- Living with SCI
- Able to access
reliable internet connection, and
- Employed
part-time or full-time, OR had worked in the past two years.
Please
sign up here if interested: https://iitpsychology.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4HNLKrOxQzcLm2a
If you would like more information, please visit our website: scimicroaggression.org
This project
is funded by the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation.
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Social
Hour
Take a little break from the daily grind. Join us every
Thursday at 1pm ET for a social hour via Zoom to connect with
others from our local chapters, support groups, and peer
mentoring networks. Register here.
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Advocacy
Live
Join
the Rolling Revolution
Come join and collaborate with other advocates the 3rd
Tuesday of every month – alternating times at 1pm ET and 5pm
ET. The next Advocacy Live is May 21 at 5pm ET.
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Resource
Center Live
Come join our Resource Center team to have your questions
answered live. The next meeting is May 22 at 4pm ET.
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Empowering
Parental Caregivers
Calling all parents/guardians of children, adolescents, or
young adults with spinal cord injuries or mobility disorders-
if you are looking for a community that understands what you
are going through, this group is for you! The next meeting is
May 14 at 7pm ET.
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Rolling
with Pride
All members of the LGBTQIA community with disabilities and
our allies are welcome. Rolling with Pride meets on the first
Wednesday of every month. The next meeting is on June 5 at 6pm ET.
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