Social media is a great tool to learn about spinal cord injury (SCI) resources as well as to meet other people living with SCI and learn from their experiences. We have decided to periodically highlight various social media channels and people throughout the community.
- YouTube Channels
- UW Spinal Cord Injury
- The Northwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury System YouTube channel is based on the department of rehabilitation medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle. The channel showcases tons of videos of SCI care, wellness, aging with SCI, respiratory management, and wheelchair skills. This channel has a more physician point of view of SCI, but they also include many individuals living with SCI sharing their real-life experiences.
- More than Walking
- A nonprofit organization with a mission to promote independent living after spinal cord injury worldwide by sharing the experiences of active peer mentors and expert rehabilitation professionals. We support an international community of spinal cord injury peer mentors to create online videos and share local information that inspires and equips newly injured patients to pursue independent living. Our vision is that people living with spinal cord injuries can advocate for their own independence, pursue life goals, and lead their communities toward greater accessibility and equal treatment for all.
- Live to Roll
- Live to Roll is a YouTube channel hosted for 4 individuals with SCI that are trying to help individuals with disabilities live happy and independent lives. They are here to “Educate, Motivate, and Empower.” Each week they host a live show featuring different topics related to living life with a disability. Twice a month, they host a live show focusing on the issues women living with disability face. They also create tons of video-sharing tips and tricks they have learned over the years to make daily life easier.
- Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
- The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab is a rehabilitation hospital formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. They have created a YouTube channel highlighting their hospital’s activities and experiences. This page includes stories and interviews with multiple people with SCI that received care there. Not only does the channel include life-changing stories, but they also have videos on their research trials, adaptive sports activities, and therapeutic recreation that could be tried as well.
- UW Spinal Cord Injury
- Instagram
- NORSCIS: norscis
- You can follow us! We produce weekday content covering resources, newsletter articles, upcoming events in the NE Ohio area, and more. We aim to connect you with the resources and knowledge about life after a spinal cord injury.
- Sophie Morgan: sophlmorg
- Sophie Morgan is a public figure, advocate, inclusive travel expert, and lives with a spinal cord injury. Morgan’s message is driven towards teaching individuals how to be resilient and empower themselves after a life-changing injury. She truly tries to embody grit and move forward in life. Morgan can be found on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
- Megan Hammond: megs_hammond
- Megan Hammond is a certified life coach who assists other women living with SCI to achieve a more powerful and confident lifestyle after such a life-changing injury. Hammond’s pages consist of various resources and videos for living with SCI as well as a showcase of fun activity groups she has engaged in. She also writes her own blog, which ranges in topics from how to maintain mental health to book titles that have helped her in her own journey. All of Megan’s resources can be found on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.
- Zac Wolfe: zwolfe
- Zac Wolfe speaks about his journey as an individual surviving a spinal cord injury. He often refers to himself as “Living life on wheels”. Wolfe is an adventure enthusiast and has learned how to continue loving each adventure on wheels. His account is able to teach individuals how life may be hard since the accident but, living a full life is still possible. He created Adaptive Outdoorz to bring together others with disabilities who want to explore adventure and to prove that a disability does not define a person.
- Drew Clayborn: drewclayborn
- Drew is a motivational speaker in Michigan that educates and teaches others what it’s like living with a C1/C2 spinal cord injury. He often shows you his physical therapy routine, tools and devices that keep him healthy, and all the fun he has.
- NORSCIS: norscis
If you are creating social media resources of your own to help others living with SCI, share them with us and we will share them with others. Email Ashley Callaway at acallaway@mtrohealth.org or call 216-957-3518.
