Who We Are
The mission of UsersFirst is to empower and amplify the voice of consumers with disabilities and maximize our independence in the community.
What We Do
UsersFirst will accomplish its mission by:
- Educating and guiding consumers through the processes that determine our access to appropriate products and services;
- Creating a grassroots network of consumers, clinicians and others who believe that people with disabilities should have access to products and services that maximize our independence in the community; and
- Challenging policies that limit opportunities for people with disabilities.
What You Can Do
The more people who register––the stronger our voice––the more influence we have on increasing access to the wheels that work best for you.
Every person's story matters. We have to make our mobility issues known. We can only do that if you talk to us.
- Be counted as someone who believes Americans should have access to appropriate wheeled mobility––click the" join with us" button.
- Tell us your wheelchair story.
- Contact us about any wheelchair question you have at usersfirst@unitedspinal.org.
- Fill out the wheelchair checklist.
Good Wheelchairs May Disappear in Illinois
Access to good wheelchairs and needed repairs may soon disappear for Illinois Medicaid recipients, thanks to reimbursement cuts. Wheelchair reimbursement is drastically being slashed to the point where no wheelchair supplier can afford to provide them. And, if that isn’t bad enough, Illinois Medicaid says all wheelchair repairs (regardless of the cost) will take 60-90 [...]
UsersFirst Goes to Washington, D.C.– Advocates for Good Wheelchairs
The wheelchair that works best in your life is disappearing. The main reason is NOT that the government needs to save money and wheelchairs are so expensive. It is because we (wheelchair users, wheelchair makers, wheelchair suppliers and advocates) must make our voices heard in Washington, D.C. The total cost of wheelchairs that are “complex” [...]
UsersFirst Mobilizes Wheelchair Users to Demand Access to Essential Mobility Equipment
UsersFirst has developed a new Mobile Registration Form to rally wheelchair users and disability advocates in the fight to challenge disability policies and improve access to mobility equipment. The form will help UsersFirst mobilize wheelchair users, when needed, to address private, state and federal policy issues through timely alerts. “We developed the form to make [...]
Explore the Latest Mobility Products at 29th International Seating Symposium
United Spinal Association’s grassroots advocacy program, UsersFirst, in collaboration with the International Seating Symposium (ISS), presents The Wheelchair User Experience on Wednesday, March 6, 11am-7pm at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN––a free event for wheelchair users to see, touch, and explore cutting-edge mobility/ seating products and services. “ISS is one of premier conferences [...]
