Bob’s Wheelchair Blog

Nerves Pave the Path to Greatness

Guest blog by Ian Ruder, Consumer Advocate, Portland, OR.  CELA (Continuing Education and Legislative Advocacy Conference)

Standing in the 100-year-old marble halls of Russell Senate Office Building at 8:45 a.m. waiting for Sen. Jeff Merkley's staff to open the giant wooden doors and let me in for my first meeting of the day, I thought I had everything under control.

It was my first time lobbying on Capitol Hill as a consumer advocate and considering the majestic setting and importance of what we were doing, I was somewhat surpised I wasn't nervous. But I'd memorized all my talking points about complex rehab, I knew what the hoped for "takeaways" were and if anything went wrong, my friend, Kevin, a whip-smart rep from United Seating and Mobility, had my back. I was ready.

Minutes later, inside the office with other constituents, the senator walked in and walked over to me. My mind went blank. I'm fairly sure that in between stuttering and awkwardly pausing I said something about complex rehab, durable medical equipment and what a pleasure it was to meet him.  Honestly, I'm just glad there's no audio recording and that I look good in the photo the staff photographer took.

If you fast fowarded the tape of my day on Capitol Hill seven and half hours to our last of nine meetings with different representatives, staffers and senators you would see a different scene. No more stumbling. No more stuttering. All those talking points? Kevin and I had them down cold.

He'd talk about the need for a separate benefit then I'd tag in with details on how such a benefit resembled what had already been done with orthotics and prosthetics. He'd talk about how reimbursement cuts hurt complex rehab providers, then I'd tag in with an anecdote about the impact of reduced access.  Back and forth we went, answering questions, hitting our points, and feeding off each other like two politicians making the Sunday morning TV rounds.

Despite the hectic schedule of running back and forth across the Capitol and navigating the maze-like buildings, we were both energized. There was something about seeing the looks of emerging recognition on the faces of the people we met with that was invigorating. In many cases the staffers had admittedly no knowledge of what complex rehab was before we met with them. Mere minutes later, most were asking questions enthusiastically and many expressing a desire to follow up or learn more.

Even the most cynical of the cynics couldn't have helped but come away optimistic about the future.

It wasn't until about 5 p.m. when Kevin and I sat down on a shady bench in front of the Capitol and looked down the shimmering water along the National Mall that it struck us; we were dead tired.  We laughed, exchanged fist bumps and sat back thinking about all we had accomplished.

"So what do we do next?" I asked.

Chicago Abilities Expo

The Chicago Abilities Expo is set to kick off this upcoming weekend July 9th through the 11th at the Schaumburg Convention Center.  The event is filled with exciting new products, free workshops and fun events.   We attended the Los Angeles Abilities Expo and had a wonderful time taking in all the sites, sounds and activities of the Expo.  If you attend (admission is free) be sure to stop by and see Ms. Wheelchair America Erika Bogan.  The activites and events are many including: Assistance Dogs Demonstrations, Competitive Billiards, Table Tennis, Wheelchair Super X Fun Course, Creative Movement and Dance, Power Soccer, Quad Rugby plus so much more. 

The Abilities Expo site is at http://www.abilitiesexpo.com/chicago/index.html.   Thank you for stopping by.

Let the Games Continue!

I doubt that I will be forgetting the 2010 winter Olympics anytime soon. Not with such an epic hockey game between team Canada and the US, Apolo Ohno becoming the most decorated US winter athlete in history in winning his eighth medal, Sean White defending half pipe gold with his gravity defying Double McTwist 1260 (I had to look that up), or watching Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette put tragedy aside and post her career best to win bronze.  However, I’m pretty excited to see what the Paralympics have in store.  Let the Games continue!
The 2010 Winter Paralympic games will be host to 1000 athletes from 40 countries on March 12th when they hit the ice and snow to compete in 5 sports; alpine and cross country skiing, ice sledge hockey, wheelchair curling, and biathlon. Here are some stories to pay attention to. Chris Daw, a Canadian veteran of the summer Paralympics, will be competing to defend gold in Wheelchair Curling after winning it all in Torino 4 years ago. He has been competing in Paralympics games for over 25 years. Colette Bourgonje of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan has competed in over 8 Paralympics Games since 1992 and she will compete in cross country skiing and trying to add to her stack of 8 medals. She has already been named to the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame. Verena Bentele from Tettnang, Germany, is a biathlete competing in the visually impaired class. She is competing for her 3rd gold in as many games. She won her first gold at as a rookie in the Nagano Paralympics in 1998 at the age of 16 and her second at the Salt lake Games two days after injuring her foot and being told by her doctor she would not be able to compete. Finally, if you haven’t seen Sledge Hockey before you have to check it out.  Can Team Canada 3-pete and take the gold in Sledge and prove that when it comes to pucks and sticks Canada is simply the best? If they win, Canada will have swept the world with both the men’s and women’s hockey teams winning gold over the Americans in the Olympics just a week ago.

For this and more check out the official website of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Games at: http://www.vancouver2010.com/paralympic-games/

Blog 01.15.10

Welcome to the new United Seating and Mobility website.  We are excited to be announcing the new site and hope you will enjoy experiencing all the new features offered.  We have information and items of value for you as a consumer, a healthcare professional, or a health plan provider.  United Seating and Mobility has helped more than a hundred thousand people overcome obstacles to their mobility by putting lives in motion.  We know what we do is important, and we are honored to be a part of our clients’ lives.

Please let us know what you think.  Sincerely, Bob