by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Samanta Bullock

Brazil is home to some of the world’s most beautiful women, and you can count Samanta Bullock as one of them. Born Samanta Almeida 34 years ago, Samanta Bullock grew up modeling and playing tennis. Being taller than girls her age, she was invited to try all kinds of awesome things.

But her world of youth and perfection got an abrupt wake-up call when at the age of 14, she became a T12-L1 paraplegic in an accidental shooting. Determined to not let her injury cast a shadow on her hopes and dreams, and definitely not put a damper on her bubbly fun Brazilian personality, Samanta Bullock has gone on to prove everyone wrong, returning to both of her life passions, and smiling every minute of it. Read this entry

by Tiff -

Wheelchair Dog Walking Done Right

Taking your pooch anywhere – I don’t care if it’s out on the town, deep into the woods, for a ride in your car or van, heck – just taking them outside to go to the bathroom – doing any of these tasks takes some serious logistics when you use a wheelchair. And not every solution has been figured out yet.

From showing how to take your dog at a brisk speed in a powerchair to maneuvering unstable curb-cuts with a pooch tied to your wheelchair frame, we’ve found some awesome videos showing wheelchair dog walking no matter your limitations. Check out our four favorites below! Read this entry

by Tiff -

Retro and Awesome Wheelchair Exercise Videos

Getting in shape and staying that way is one of the hardest things to do when you can’t walk. Diet modification can only do so much. We can try…eating low-cal foods, swearing off regular soda, no more eating past 8am, but that can only do so much.

If you’re really serious about really getting in shape, adding a workout regimen to your weekly schedule is key, but sometimes…….it can be hard figuring out what to do. That’s where the videos below come in. Read on for three intense videos of wheelchair exercises created by tough-willed people with a spinal cord injury. Read this entry

by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Ann Yoshida

Maybe it was the energy of the Hawaiian islands that permeated her bones, or maybe she can take a cue from Lady Gaga and simply say she was born this way, but wherever it came from – Ann Yoshida has one unstoppable spirit, and her spirit definitely has an inclination for the physical side of things.

Ann Yoshida, 34, is a woman to get on your radar. She’s the #1 female adapted paddler in the US and the newest member of the 2013 USA Canoe/Kayak National Team; already cleared for the Paralympic trials with her eyes set firmly on Brazil 2016.

And she’s traveled throughout Asia, exposing villagers to adaptive athletics and documenting it on video. Really awesome stuff. Read on to learn all about this Hawaiian lady who is the very definition of fierce. Read this entry

by Tiff -

Accessible Amtrak Trains For All

For anyone who really doesn’t like flying as a wheelchair-user (it can be pretty bad, especially when the baggage handlers break your chair), taking an accessible train is a fantastic alternative. Tickets cost about the same, sometimes even cheaper, and some stretches of tracks even let the trains go as fast as 150 mph.

And the best part of riding a train – you don’t have to leave your wheelchair in the care of untrained monkeys a.k.a. baggage handlers. Win infinity. Read on for three awesome videos dedicated to the impressiveness of Amtrak accessible trains. Read this entry

by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Rob Summers

In an alternate universe, Rob Summers would’ve been playing a major league baseball right now. Most likely practicing as we speak. That was where his life was headed. After turning down the MLB draft in high school and wanting to go to college first, he helped Oregon State University win the College World Series.

And in 2006 he was ready to move onto the next phase of his life – major league baseball. But a hit and run accident on July 21st, 2006 changed everything in an instant, breaking his neck and paralyzing him from the chest down. Baseball was no longer in the cards, but Rob Summers wasn’t about to accept his injury as permanent, even if he wouldn’t never again be able to compete in baseball at a competitive level.

Here’s how Rob Summers made history becoming the first person to receive a groundbreaking spinal cord electrical stimulation implant. Read this entry

by Tiff -

10 Correct Ways to Interact with People with Disabilities

It’s no secret a lot of people in the world aren’t comfortable around people with disabilities, despite the fact that 1 in 5 people have some kind of disability (or a “limiting permanent physical condition” for those who can’t refer to themselves as disabled yet).

It can take time getting comfortable with the idea of being disabled, and it can take even longer for people to get comfortable around us. If you’ve never gotten to know someone with a disability before, or maybe you’re meeting a person with a disability and are worried you might make a fool of yourself, here are 10 must-know tips on interacting with people with disabilities. Read this entry

Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

by Tiff -

‘Handicapped Parking’ Wars

It’s a fight out there trying to park your bad self. The idea of handicapped parking may have been thought of years ago (still hate that word), yet people still can’t seem to help themselves from our choice spots. Seriously, it has happened in every city, every day of the week, for decades on end, and people still don’t seem to get it.

One of the worst is when the last handicapped parking spot is taken right before your eyes (by an AB no less), but let’s not forget the unending fun when a vehicle parks too close to you, blocking you in. Does handicapped drama happen in your life too? Check out three videos on this touchy subject

by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Amanda Boxtel

“Hope and acceptance can co-exist” – my favorite quote from Amanda Boxtel, the first ambassador for Ekso, makers of the cutting-edge robotic walking suit, and co-founder of Challenge Aspen, an adapted skiing organization.

Amanda has no problem intertwining two different ways of dealing with disability – moving on AND hoping for a “cure,” proving you don’t have to choose a side. Read on for a peek into the life of Amanda Boxtel –  an ambassador, motivational speaker and accomplished mono-skiier. Read entry