“United Spinal Association is made up of thousands of individuals with spinal cord injury or disease who have committed themselves to living, working, raising a family, achieving their dreams and conquering their fears,” Executive Director Gerard M. Kelly said. “The core belief of the membership and the staff of United Spinal has remained unchanged for over 60 years––that, despite spinal cord impairment, a full, pro-active, and rewarding life is not only possible, it is within the reach of anyone with the strength to believe it and the courage to make it happen.”

United Spinal’s initiatives in research and education, government policy and legislation, civil rights and advocacy, accessibility and architectural design and competitive athletics have made it the fastest growing not-for-profit in America dedicated to helping those with spinal cord injury or disease. The association played a prominent role in drafting such landmark legislation as the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act and the Air Carrier Access Act; to date, United Spinal has provided more than $52 million for cutting-edge spinal cord research and helped launch two of the most prominent research facilities in the nation at the Yale School of Medicine and the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center in The Bronx; its adaptive sports programs are nationally known and have brought the proven physical and psychological benefits of adaptive sports to generations of individuals with disabilities. The United Spinal Association’s lobbying efforts helped get legislation passed in record time that will provide traumatic injury insurance for soldiers returning from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

With three score years of experience, United Spinal also offers a variety of generous, need-based stipends to members for improving accessibility in their homes and apartments and for installing adaptive controls for automobiles. Its Accessibility Services program provides innovative solutions for architects, developers, building owners and managers needing assistance in understanding or complying with the latest state and federal accessibility requirements for people with disabilities. United Spinal also provides expert wheelchair sales and service through Wheelchair Medic, based out of Fort Totten, and recently unveiled a unique new travel agency called Able to Travel that offers professional travel agents with wide experience in searching out accessible hotels, airports, aircraft, bus services, rental equipment, trains, cruise ships and every mode of travel or accommodation in between.

“As we toast our 60th anniversary, United Spinal stands at a critical new juncture. We have expanded nationwide and launched a bold new mission offering our services to more people than ever before. Complementing our longstanding commitment to serving America’s paralyzed veterans, we’re now reaching out to everyone with spinal cord impairment or disease across the country,” Kelly noted. “We eagerly embrace these new challenges and we look forward with confidence to our next 60 years.”

For more information on the many programs of United Spinal Association, visit www.unitedspinal.org.