A Group For Those With Spinal Cord Disabilities by Gerard M. Kelly (NAPSA)—Asthe joyous holiday season rapidly approaches, the United Spinal Association is very pleased to announce that we have expanded our membership to all Americans with a disability of the spinalcord. yi if a “4 ~ For more than 57 years, the United = Spinal Association was the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Asf= sociation. While we fp) have changed our Gerard M. Kelly name and our mem- ———— bership criteria, we continue to serve our nation’s veter- ans with disabilities. Our Wounded Warrior project, for example, provides benefits counseling and direct assistance to our brave injured soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to our country’s military hospitals for rehabilitation. We think it is important, and we believe you will agree, that our newest wartime heroes know that they have the thanks of a grateful nation for their service. Our decision to welcome nonveterans of all ages from every corner of this nation to our group was a natural one. Since the earliest days of our existence after World WarII, along with helping paralyzed veterans obtain benefits and readjust to civilian life, we have pursued better access for all persons who use wheelchairs to housing and transportation, and we have invested in research for better health care treatment today, and for a cure for spinal cord paralysis tomorrow. Our work over the years has helped all Americans who need to use a wheelchair or an electric scooter because of a spinal cord disability. So, if you have experienced a trau- Give yourself free and a very useful holiday gift—join the United Spinal Association. matic spinal cord injury or a central nervous system disease such as multiple sclerosis, or if your child has a congenital spinal cord condition, we invite you to learn more about us at www.unitedspinal.org. There you may orderoneof our free pamphlets on topics ranging from disability etiquette to protection against housing discrimination or our newest brochure, “Fire Safety For Wheelchair Users At Work and At Home.” You can read about our work on health care issues with national impact for wheelchair users, or search what we believe is the finest assistive technology database in existence for the type of wheelchair or piece of equipment you mayneed. These are just a few examples of the many tangible United Spinal Association membership benefits. Membership in United Spinalis free of charge, and interested persons mayenroll online at www.unitedspinal.org or by calling our membership hotline at 800-404-2898. Gerard M. Kelly is the Executive Director of the United Spinal Association.
