United Spinal Association Newsletter

 

Happy new year to all of our members and supporters! Our winter gift to our community is an advocacy blockbuster. We are arming you with critical knowledge that we hope will transform driving with a disability as we know it. We want to empower you to help enforce accessible parking standards and update outdated policies to match our numbers and needs as wheelchair users. Presenting our Complete Guide to Accessible Parking. This guide is a product of our Accessible Parking Working Group. It encompasses everything from everyday tips on how to assert your rights and help hold fraudsters accountable to the bigger picture of why we got here, model real-life victories, and how we can make change on a local and national level. Interested in building the burgeoning movement around accessible parking? Join the fight. DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY Beat the Wintertime Blues and Get Active Winter is back in a big way as we kick off 2025. It’s a great time to revisit our coast-to-coast overview of adaptive snowsports, covering wheelchair user-friendly resorts and the grant making operations that can get you on the slopes. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, there’s something here for you. And if you’re content to be home with a hot beverage, check out the compendium of stories at the end courtesy of New Mobility.  Learn How our 45+ Chapters Support Wheelchair Users Nationwide United Spinal’s Chapter Network is the heartbeat of our organization and helps us reach wheelchair users across the nation. Meet three of our chapter leaders who are doing big things in their local communities. Winter Fundraising Challenge: Supporting United Spinal is a Team Effort Bring Your Friends and Win Prizes Gifts from folks are the foundation of our mission to empower wheelchair users. Level up your impact by starting your own team fundraiser! We’ve made it easy—and fun—to reach your goals.   By creating a team fundraiser, you’ll help us keep our advocacy and support programs running and thriving. What’s more, sharing your fundraiser helps spread awareness about the vital work happening at United Spinal. Earn Exclusive Swag! We’ve made it fun to reach your goals. When your team fundraiser reaches certain milestones, you’ll earn exclusive swag from our online store. When your team fundraiser collectively earns gifts totaling $150 or more, you will earn a United Spinal mug. Gifts totaling $250 or more will earn you a T-shirt. Think of it as our way of saying thank you for making a difference! We also want to spotlight the most successful teams in our publications, and let our community know who is helping sustain and grow our great organization. How to Get Started: Visit our fundraising page, and click on the “Fundraise” box. Sign up or login to create your team. Share your fundraiser with friends, family, and colleagues! Drop a link in the group chat. Post it to your feed. It’s that simple.   Thank you for your continued support of our work. POLICY AND ADVOCACY 2024 Year in Review 2024 was packed with victories, great and small, with wins on multiple fronts. Our Government Relations team has produced a comprehensive look back on what we accomplished and some big moments for key advocates. Get caught up on a year to remember. Introducing the SecureRide Coalition   The nation’s 5.5 million wheelchair users will enjoy safer, more accessible and seamless independent travel in the future with a new wheelchair securement standard. United Spinal Association is partnering with wheelchair and vehicle manufacturers and other interested stakeholders to launch the SecureRide Coalition. The Coalition is developing a wheelchair securement standard that can be applied to personal vehicles, rideshares, public transit, as well as buses, rail and low-speed shuttles. Virtual Symposium: After Hospital Neurological Rehabilitation—Meeting the Need Friday, January 24th, 2025, 1 – 3 PM ET The symposium invites outpatient hospital clinics, neuro-rehabilitation facilities, activity-based therapy (ABT) centers, and organizations supporting SCI rehabilitation to participate. Learn more about and register for this free symposium here.  CHECK THESE OUT

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. 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 January 21 at 5pm ET. Employment Empowerment Resource Group These sessions showcase essential resources, insights, and practical strategies offered by our Employment Empowerment Resource Group. Members will learn how to build long-term career success. Meets 3rd Wednesday of each month. Our next meeting is January 15 at 1pm ET. Walking Rollers This group is for all our semi-ambulatory part-time wheelchair users. Group meets every 4th Monday of the month. The next meeting is January 27 at 7 PM ET. Rolling Through Parenthood This group is a safe place to share information, advice and resources. Benefit from the experiences of your peers who are living with a disability and are adjusting to parenthood. The group meets every first Monday of the month. Join us February 3 at 7pm ET. Rolling Through Life: Aging with a Disability We created a space to discuss the privileges and challenges our community members face as they age. This group meets the 4th Wednesday of the month. The next meeting is January 22 at 7pm ET. Resource Center Live Come join our Resource Center team to have your questions answered live. The next meeting is January 22 at 4pm ET. 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 January 14 at 7pm ET. Rolling with Pride Want to meet other LGBTQIA wheelchair users from around the country? Now you can! All members of the LGBTQIA community who have disabilities — including our allies — are welcome. Rolling with Pride now meets the first Wednesday of every month. Our next meeting is February 5 at 6pm ET. VIEW ALL UPCOMING EVENTS

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