Independent living centers at risk from state, federal budget cuts

The state’s centers for independent living, already reeling from deep cuts, appealed Tuesday for legislators to reject a proposal to eliminate all state funding for their facilities. The five centers, first established under state law in 1988, provide a wide array of training, counseling and referral services to thousands of residents with physical and mental disabilities, the elderly and the poor.

Ed Roberts activist Google Doodle honors leader of the disability rights movement

People with SCI Wanted for Rowing-Based Exercise Study

If you are between the ages of 18 and 40, have become spinal cord injured within the last three to twelve months, and have some arm strength, you may be eligible for a new exercise-focused research study, based at Spaulding Hospital Cambridge.  

New science helps a paralyzed man move his legs for the first time in years

January 2015

Olympic Swimmer Amy Van Dyken Determined to Walk Again

Amy Van Dyken, the six-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer who became paralyzed when she severed her spinal cord in an ATV crash this summer, says she is determined to walk again.

Man With Severed Spine Walks Again in 'World First'

Darek Fidyka, who was paralyzed from the waist down, is walking after undergoing an experimental procedure, offering hope to millions of people.

Paraplegic in an exoskeleton opens the World Cup -- with a kick

posted June 2014

Juliana Pinto, a 29-year-old paraplegic, was one of eight patients chosen for the opening ceremony after extensive training in a lab in Sao Paulo.

Stimulation restores some function for 4 paralyzed men

April 8, 2014

An electrical device implanted in the backs of four paralyzed men has helped them move their legs, hips and toes during experimental research. It's a promising development for paralysis treatment, but doctors warn it isn't a cure. 

Repair Stem Cells Institute Announces "Double Benefits for SCI" Stem Cells Treatment

Posted April2014

RSCI’s one-day treatment program in Florida, USA, is priced to bring stem cell treatment benefits to the greatest possible number of SCI patients.

Tobii EyeMobile: Control Windows 8 tablets using only your eyes

Posted March 2014

Now, navigating and controlling nearly any modern, off-the-shelf Windows 8 Pro tablet can be done with the simple, natural and relaxed movement of the eyes. 

Adaptive Snowboarding and Other Winter Sports

Jan 29, 2014

Whether you were born with a disability or received it after an injury, it should never prevent you from enjoying life and the excitement of sports. From soccer and basketball to more extreme sports, like snowboarding, skiing, and dirt biking, there is something to fit everyone's style. 

TEK Robotic Mobilization Device: designed to replace wheelchairs

January 2014

The TEK Robotic Mobilization Device is a machine developed to replace the wheelchair. In this demonstration video, we see a man with a severe injury to his spinal cord able to move about in ways that a wheelchair would make very difficult.

Tongue piercing lets paralyzed drive wheelchairs

January 2014

An experimental device is letting paralyzed people drive wheelchairs simply by flicking their tongue in the right direction.

Senate Bill Introduced To Create Separate Benefit Category for Complex Rehab Technology

Senators Chuck Shumer and Thad Cochran Join In Bipartisan Introduction of Senate Companion Bill S. 948

Ekso Bionics' robotic suit eyes-on (video)

Since last we saw the Ekso Bionics robotic suit, which helps folks with lower-extremity paralysis or weakness to stand up and walk, the $110,000 exoskeleton has been on the market for about a year.

NCART: Schumer to Introduce Senate Bill for Separate Benefit Category

posted April 2013

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will introduce a Senate companion bill to provide a separate Medicare benefit category for complex rehab technology (CRT).

All-terrain chairs open doors

December 27, 2012

Kurt Johnston, 28, of Osh Kosh, has gone turkey hunting in his chair in the fields and forests of Wisconsin. It's cool, he says. We tell everyone it looks like a tank.

Nobel Winners Unlocked Cells Unlimited Potential

posted October 2012

The two scientists who won this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine discovered that cells in our body have the remarkable ability to reinvent themselves.

UK Paraplegic Woman Uses Robotic Suit to Walk

posted September 2012

A British woman paralyzed from the chest down by a horse riding accident has become the first person to take home a robotic exoskeleton that enables her to walk.

SCI Total Fitness Program Breaks Down the Barriers of Exercise For People with Spinal Cord Injury

July 10, 2012

SCI Total Fitness, an exercise ideology created by Physical Therapist Kristin McNealus, has launched the first online exercise program for people with spinal cord injuries.

Paralyzed Rats Learn to Walk Again In Rehabilitation Experiment

posted June 2012

Swiss scientists have restored mobility to rats paralyzed by spinal cord injuries, a development that could inspire new hope for people who've suffered from similar debilitation.

Compressed Natural Gas Fueling Station Opens at Metro Taxi

Metro Taxi, Connecticut’s largest, full-service taxi company, recently unveiled a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling station and rolled out its new Metro Access wheelchair-accessible taxi that is powered by CNG.

Landmark Spinal Repair Stem Cell Trial

November 21, 2011

The fifth and final patient in the Geron Corp sponsored trial of a human embryonic-stem-cell-derived treatment for severe spinal cord injury was treated on Nov. 16. at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.

Lack Of Accessible Cabs Doesn’t Sit Well With Senator

November 18, 2011

More than two decades after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, one of the chief architects of the legislation is looking to eliminate transportation hurdles that people with disabilities continue to face.

More Than Walking: filmaker's SCI joureny

Posted August 2011

Jonathan Sigworth - the youngest of three brothers - received a spinal cord injury at age 19 while studying in northern India in February 2006.

StemCells, Inc. Initiates World’s First Neural Stem Cell Trial in Spinal Cord Injury

Posted: March 2011

StemCells, Inc. (Nasdaq:STEM) announced today the initiation of a Phase I/II clinical trial of its proprietary HuCNS-SC(R) human neural stem cells in chronic spinal cord injury. This trial is now open for enrollment, and will accrue patients with both complete and incomplete degrees of paralysis who are three to 12 months post-injury. The trial is being conducted in Switzerland at the Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, a world leading medical center for spinal cord injury and rehabilitation.

First patient treated in embryonic stem cell trial

posted October 2010

WASHINGTON — U.S. doctors have begun treating the first patient to receive human embryonic stem cells, but details of the landmark clinical trial are being kept confidential, Geron Corp said on Monday. Geron has the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration license to use the controversial cells to treat people, in this case patients with new spinal cord injuries. It is the first publicly known use of human embryonic stem cells in people.

Robotic Legs Get Wheelchair Users Walking

Posted July 2010

A new pair of robotic legs out of New Zealand lets wheelchair users do the improbable--stand, walk, and even go up and down stairs. Users transfer themselves from their chair into the Robotic Exoskeleton (Rex) by holding on to Rex's legs. They then strap themselves in and use a hand-controlled joystick and control pad to maneuver the battery-powered mobility-assist device on solid, stable surfaces such as those inside the home or workplace.

Paralyzed Rats Walk Again

September 20, 2009

(HealthDay News) -- A three-pronged approach to treating spinal cord injuries allowed paralyzed rats to walk without receiving signals from the brain, scientists report. The combined treatment enabled the rats to walk with a near-normal gait on a treadmill, without the muscles receiving signals from the brain.