World Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day promotes living a full life
Today is World Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day, providing an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the experiences of people living with a spinal cord injury (SCI).
Today’s awareness day also coincides with Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week running from 2-8 September.
Acupuncture Improves Spinal Cord Injury Bladder Function
Acupuncture improves bladder function for spinal cord injury patients. First Affiliated Huai’an People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University researchers find acupuncture combined with intermittent catheterization alleviates neurogenic bladder dysfunction caused by traumatic spinal cord injuries . The study found significant improvements in bladder capacity, residual volume, urinary flow rate, urinary volume, and detrusor pressure following this combined treatment approach.
Dear Everybody, it’s time to address disability stigma in the media
More inclusive, realistic media landscape needed, writes Tai Young
Growing up with a disability was never an issue for me.
In fact, I grew up just like any other kid I knew. I was born with a spinal cord injury causing partial paralysis in my legs, but I was fortunate to have been raised by a family who taught me how to love myself and be who I am.
New Mobility’s “The Big Ideas Issue”
Thirty years ago, New Mobility itself was a big idea. A lifestyle magazine for wheelchair users? That’s crazy talk. And yet this month we celebrate three decades of the little ingenuity that could — and did — change disability journalism.
As we look forward to the next 30 years — or even the next three — we asked thought leaders in technology, transportation, culture, community and function research: What are the Big Ideas on how to make the world better for wheelchair users? Here’s what they said.
Meet The Librarian Who Became Australia’s First Female Wheelchair Rugby Star
“It’s different being on court, smashing each other, and then going off to the library and telling people to keep it down.”
Librarian by day, wheelchair rugby player by night. Impressive, right? If that’s not enough, Shae Graham became the first female athlete to represent Australia in wheelchair rugby at the beginning of this year, and now, she’s working hard towards her next goal: The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in one year’s time.
The Grandy Man: Quad star Dylan Alcott aims for two Slams at US Open
In singles and doubles, there’s no one quite like this 28-year-old from Australia.
Wheel the World launches accessible travel marketplace
Wheel the World has unveiled a new online travel marketplace to provide accessible travel to those living with disabilities.
Backed by Booking.com, the accessible travel start-up has created a one-stop-shop for travellers with disabilities offering accessible tours and experiences, including accommodations and transportation by partnering with curated local tour operators who are trained and certified Wheel the World team members.
Through an extensive research process, Wheel the World identifies necessary accessibility requirements and equipment and trains its operators to develop inclusive trips designed to accommodate those with disabilities.
From multi-day trips with outdoor activities, such as hiking, scuba diving and kayaking, to single day activities like ziplining in Costa Rica and handbiking across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco or through Central Park in New York, the start-up currently offers more than 30 travel destinations through its platform, including accommodations, activities and transportation.
Destinations include Patagonia, Maui, Easter Island, Machu Picchu, Santiago, Mexico, and Costa Rica, with plans to have 150 destinations and tour packages by the end of 2020.
The idea for Wheel the World came from the personal journey of two best friends, determined to see the world together. Co-founders Álvaro Silberstein and Camilo Navarro, both from Chile, embarked on the challenge of completing the W Circuit in Patagonia, with Silberstein, a quadriplegic, in a hiking wheelchair.
“We truly believe adventure is for all and that’s why we are committed to creating inclusive tourism and eliminate the barriers that keep people from travelling,” said Álvaro.
“While people might not think they have the opportunity to travel like this, we believe we can help everyone enjoy our amazing world without limits.
“We started promoting trips to isolated places like our original trip to Patagonia. However, we realised that people with disabilities still struggle to find even more traditional travel experiences that are designed to be accessible. So, we expanded to all types of travel including cultural, leisure, vacation and city explorations.”
Last year, Silberstein became the first quadriplegic to traverse an 11-kilometre section of the Inka trail. You can read more about that here.
Researchers test noninvasive brain stimulation for motor recovery after spinal cord injury
With funding from the Department of Defense, research facilities in Ohio and New Jersey will conduct a multi-site study of transcranial stimulation for recovery of upper limb function in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury
East Hanover, NJ. August 26, 2019. Kessler Foundation is one of three sites participating in a study of noninvasive brain stimulation to improve upper limb function
First global Open Data Commons for preclinical Spinal Cord Injury research will be a...
University of Alberta research team receives $3.3 million to create open-source database for international spinal cord injury research
The University of Alberta and the University of California, San Francisco are teaming up to launch the world’s first Open Data Commons for preclinical Spinal Cord Injury research (ODC-SCI). A consortium of international organizations will be providing $3.3 million CAD to help fund the initiative. The ODC-SCI will improve spinal cord injury research and treatment worldwide by reducing data bias and equipping scientists by making data more accessible, enhancing research and translational efforts.
