by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Michael Graves

You may have heard of Michael Graves’ before, especially if you shop at Target for kitchen gadgets. A man who had been paralyzed for only 11 years but designed both memorable buildings and high-style health products (and teaching design at Princeton along the way), Michael’s goal in architecture was to always be about making functional things more beautiful. And boy did he succeed.

Michael is the mind behind hundreds of stunning buildings all around world, including Disney’s headquarters in Burbank, California. He was a powerhouse architect since the ’80s and continued designing until the day of his death. A few health setbacks never turned off Michael Graves’ desire to design, it only fueled his desire to design.

His disability inspired him to start thinking about redesigning everything in the healthcare world too, from patient rooms to wheelchairs, and he’s come up with some beautiful stuff. Read on for the backstory of one of America’s greatest architects, Michael Graves. Read this entry

by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Wes Bandemer

He may have grown up a country boy, but Wes Bandemer is no longer living the simple country life. This is former motocross racer has transformed into a passionate advocate for embryonic stem cells, having traveled to India twice. And the moment he has regained is huge.

But it hasn’t been an easy road. Wes had to work hard to find funding and still relies on a wheelchair and PCAs everyday. His dream of becoming 100% independent may still yet have to come to fruition, but he has big hopes it may one day happen.

For more on a quadriplegic who refuses to put a timeline on his recovery, this is the effervescently optimistic Wes Bandemer. Read this entry

by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Carolyn Pioro

Fifteen years ago, Carolyn Pioro’s life forever changed. Carolyn was a circus performer for a Toronto-based company, Cirque Sublime, where she was a rope/bungee trapeze performer and trained with a group of three others on the flying trapeze. Read this entry

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SCI Superstar: Bethany Hoppe

Bethany Hoppe of Nashville, aka the “Rolling Diva,” wears so many hats she could open her own hat shop. A dancer, voice-over artist, college instructor, author, advocate, wheelchair athlete, public speaker, wife and mother, in spite of her disability Bethany has been unstoppable in the game called life.

Her journey however into becoming the fierce woman she is today began in an unassuming place – a simple dairy farm. Once old enough, Bethany left home, setting forth on a path that even most able-bodied people wouldn’t be able to keep up with.

One of the most vocal advocates out there for women with disabilities, and an artist at the very core of who she is, this is the amazing Bethany Hoppe. Read this entry

by Tiff -

The “Best of the Best” WCMX Videos

We’ve talked about the emerging sport of WCMX before. It’s hard not to profile these awesome videos. Whether you’re watching these fearless wheelchair-users throw themselves down steep ramps or precariously balance themselves on a stair rail (yes they do this), this sport is beyond entertaining.  It’s so cool you can’t take your eyes away.

So to celebrate our obsession with this new wheelchair sport, we’ve decided to profile three of the most impressive WCMX videos out there, and we found some good ones you surely will forgot for a very long time.

From an epic handrail contest to a throwdown, read this entry

by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Shaun Doss

Whether he is at the skate park, on the court or out on the ice rink, Shaun Doss is at home. Injured before he was 5 years old, this little youngster has big plans to become the next big thing in the wheelchair sports world and he’s already got a great head start.

And don’t let his plans for the future fool you – he is still interested in walking again – and he has undergone procedures throughout the last handful of years to make this a reality; a great combination of looking ahead yet living for today that many see hard to strike a balance with.

But not Shaun! Read this entry

by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Amanda McGrory

One of the most successful wheelchair athletes in US history, Amanda McGrory is reigning royalty of the US wheelchair racing circuit. With four Paralympic medals to her name, including gold in the 5,000 meter and 22 marathon wins overall worldwide, she’s now a professional athlete with two national sponsors.

But adapted sports weren’t the first thing Amanda thought of after becoming paralyzed. She went through the typical morning period before discovering her life’s passion – wheelchair racing. Check out her story of fanciful wins below! Read this entry

by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Chuck Bittner

With the tongue-in-cheek gamer nickname ONLYUSEmeFACE, Chuck Bittner is one of the world’s most impressive gamers. As a C5 quadriplegic, Chuck plays console games using only his face and since 2011, he’s been on a mission to bring universal key remapping to the gaming industry.

In layman’s speak – he wants every console game to allow players to change which keys on a controller control movement for gameplay. He has amassed hundreds of signatures over the years, and he’s still pounding the industry hard.

Also a hilarious self-dubbed “can’t stand up comedian,” Chuck has introduced a whole new world into life with quadriplegia. Here is his awesome story. Read more

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Ms. Wheelchair Montana 2014 is a mom, wife and gun advocate

One look at rolling red-haired beauty Starla Hilliard-Barnes, and you probably wouldn’t be too surprised to hear she’s Ms. Wheelchair Montana 2014. But you might be surprised to find out a few other things. An avid dirt biker and the devoted mother to a 2 year old girl, this 26 year old paraplegic isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.

Her journey into paralysis however wasn’t that long ago. Having already run for a national pageant title and won, as well as founded a nonprofit dedicated to help others with disabilities explore the world via outdoor adventures, she’s taken her accident and made something good out of it. We love people just like her.

A fighter, dreamer and epic survivor, this is the beautiful story of the Starla Hilliard-Barnes. Read this entry

by Tiff -

Fire Dance: Best of Wheelchair Salsa

For a style of dance that’s only been around since the 1970s, salsa has gone on to become one of the most popular styles of dance. And wheelchair salsa is just as popular.

Quick with intense Latin flair, it’s hard to find a style of dance that has been adapted so well. Whether it’s a couple enjoying the dance or a dazzling group performance of wheelchair salsa dancers, there are some amazing wheelchair salsa videos out there too.

We’ve scoured the internet for the best-of wheelchair salsa videos and uncovered three you’ll absolutely love. Watch and feel the beat yourself. Read this entry