August 30, 2011
Ann Eubank, LMSW, OTR/L, ATP
VP Community Initiatives
UsersFirst, a program of United Spinal Association
What a great week of networking and connecting with people in North Carolina. I met with Debbie Myers, executive director of the Raleigh National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA) chapter. She is a former executive at Sprint and now hones her skills running a successful chapter. It is a small world as we talked about different issues and people and places we both know.
The NC chapter is going strong offering four support groups, a quad rugby team, and a basketball team. Debbie and members of the chapter are developing a variety of programs including a back-to-work, fitness and training, and peer-mentoring program. The next exciting event––the Fourth Annual Wine Gala––will be held on October 13 (for more information or to contact Debbie Myers, visit www.ncscia.org).
On Friday, I presented a day-long seminar with Dr. Mark Schmeler, from the University of Pittsburgh focusing on advocacy and the overall process of attaining the best wheelchair. Forty people attended and 40 people registered to be part of the UsersFirst Movement.
Returning home I was full of motivation and hope. The chapter is a group of volunteers, on a shoestring budget, who provide support and information to their community. The workshop on advocacy attracted dedicated health care professionals exploring ways to increase access to wheeled mobility by partnering with consumers. We talked about how challenging it can be to provide the wheelchair that best matches the consumer’s lifestyle. And, we all agreed, that if we come together as a community, we can fight bad insurance policies.
To unite and make a change, it is important we have a structure. The NSCIA national chapter network is the membership arm of United Spinal Association and provides the necessary structure to unite North Carolina and every other state. UsersFirst is the grassroots and, if needed, the activism arm. UsersFirst Action Groups work within the existing NSCIA chapter network and will challenge discriminatory policies that limit access to appropriate wheeled mobility.
Thank you North and South Carolina – let’s stay connected and make the changes we talked about this week.
