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NEWS
The Abilities Expo Goes Virtual
The Abilities Expo is the longest-running and largest showcase of disability-related products, services and events in the U.S., and soon you will be able to attend it from your living room. The Abilities Virtual Experience will allow anyone to experience this “Disability Disneyland” without masks, travel, social distancing or any other pandemic-related worries. Click here for info on how to register.
WATCH
Leon: The Film
Leon Ford — a black man who was shot and paralyzed by the Pittsburgh police at the age of 19 — opens up about trauma and mental health in this powerful documentary. “Those officers took something from me. It’s not just the ability to walk. It’s something deeper,” he says. Take a moment to watch this much-needed look at finding strength in your community.
CALL FOR STORIES
Black Lives Matter
We are in the midst of an historic national conversation about race, discrimination and police brutality. To ensure that the voices of wheelchair users and people with disabilities are heard in this discussion, we are reaching out to collect personal stories and essays for the August issue of New Mobility. If you’d like to submit something about your experience as a black person with SCI/D, we’d need a draft by 7/1. If you’d like to contribute via an interview or another method, we will arrange a time or means that works for you. Please email submissions or questions to iruder@unitedspinal.org.
PRO TIPS
Wearing Out the Kids During a Pandemic
While trying to deal with the craziness of managing a toddler and a puppy during the lockdown, Seth McBride learned a few things about multitasking: A 3-year-old makes a great weight vest, a handcycle can be used as a dog sled, and it is possible for a wheelchair user to teach their kid how to ride a pedal bike.
Taking Back the Water
For Ali Ingersol, swimming is life. When a diving accident caused a C6 spinal cord injury, she wanted nothing more than to get back in the water. She shares her journey and some pro tips to help you — whether you’re looking to swim laps or simply float, weightless in the sun — explore the wonders of the water.
BLOG
Black Lives Matter: Finding and Reclaiming Who I Am
Like many within our community, Kris McElroy is a member of multiple marginalized groups. McElroy is black, disabled and transgender. These were identities that he often had to compartmentalize, until he attended a recent Black Lives Matter march. “Something changed that day for me while I was rolling in my wheelchair next to my wife during our very first protest,” he writes. “I was reclaiming my identity, power and value on my own terms.”
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** This post was originally published on https://www.newmobility.com/2020/06/new-mobilitys-biweekly-newsletter-june-15-2020/
