By Megan Hammond Nechols If you do have access to a private car, truck, van, or other vehicle (we will use ‘car’ for this article), the possibilities are endless. Traveling by car offers freedom and flexibility, but it can also present unique challenges for those living with spinal cord injuries. Ensuring comfort, safety, and accessibility...Continue Reading

Summer 2024 Chapter Update Our chapter has been busy this summer! Thank you to our chapter members who joined us at the Car Show and Cook out in June, and to those who participated in our 2024 Community Event Ticket Program. If you haven’t had the chance to join one of our events yet this...Continue Reading

A spinal cord injury research conference was held in June of 2024 in Washington, D.C., for experienced and new data collectors and managers of research hospitals located throughout the United States.  The Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS), along with The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC) and the National Institute on Disability, Independent...Continue Reading

I was eighteen years old when I was working at JobCorp and had just earned my first weekend pass, where I traveled to Indiana.  I was with a guy I was working with, and we enjoyed ourselves while walking down a street.  A stranger came up to us and started a fight.  I was holding...Continue Reading

The Model System Knowledge and Translation Center (MSKTC) is a national center that helps facilitate the knowledge translation process to make research meaningful to those with Spinal Cord Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Burn Injury. In the past, we featured the Factsheet of Living with an SCI.  This time, we wanted to feature a source...Continue Reading

Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) are at risk of pneumonia and other respiratory infections, such as COVID-19.  Your level of injury and time since injury impact the function of your respiratory system.  Good nutrition can help decrease your risk of respiratory infections and aid in the treatment of infections when they occur.   While antibiotics...Continue Reading

A pressure injury is a wound caused by constant pressure on the skin.  As a person with a spinal cord injury (SCI), the risk of getting a pressure injury is very high. Pressure injuries can develop in just a few days or even a few hours, they don’t heal like normal skin, and a person...Continue Reading

If you or someone you know has a disability, it’s crucial to remember that the equipment we rely on may not last forever. A breakdown or malfunction can leave us without the means to stay active and independent.  This is why having an emergency back-up plan for all your important devices and supplies is not...Continue Reading

The MetroHealth Adaptive Life Technologies (ALT) Lab promotes clinically-guided, peer-informed, and community-collaborative assistive technology provision to individuals living with SCI throughout Northeast Ohio. exposes patients to a wide variety of technologies to meet clinical goals beyond those targeted in traditional rehabilitation including home automation, environmental control, computer access, and adaptive gaming — among others. a...Continue Reading

Let’s talk Mental Health!  Mental Health awareness is about recognizing the impact of trauma on overall wellbeing.  Did you know that studies have found spinal cord injury (SCI)  increases the risk of mental health disorders?  You are truly not alone if you struggle with a mental health disorder. It’s okay not to be okay! Depression...Continue Reading