Pushin' On: UAB Spinal Cord Injury Model System Digital Newsletter Volume 32 | Number 2

Pushin’ ON VOL 32 | NUM 2 2014 UAB Spinal Cord Injury Model System Digital Newsletter Headline News Welcome to the new Pushin’ On! We have a new, modern look to give you a more visually interesting newsletter. There is more content to give you more information. You can also click on highlighted text to easily send emails and quickly go to websites. And now, you will get audio and video whenever it is needed to give you a true interactive multimedia experience. Email us to tell us what you think. The University of Alabama at Birmingham Spinal Cord Injury Model System (UAB-SCIMS) provides Pushin’ On twice annually as an informational resource for people with spinal cord injury (SCI). UAB-SCIMS Program Director: Amie B McLain, MD Editor: Phil Klebine, MA 529 Spain Rehabilitation Center 1717 6th Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35233-7330 Phone: [phone] TDD: 205-934-4642 Fax: [phone] WWW.UAB.EDU/SCI [email protected] /UABSCIMS /UABSCIMS /UABSCIMS Pushin’ On is funded by grant #H133N060021 from the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living. Opinions expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the granting agency. ©2014 University of Alabama Board of Trustees. The University of Alabama at Birmingham provides equal opportunity in education and employment. ReWalk Robotics announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the ReWalk Personal System for home use. ReWalk is now the only exoskeleton in the US with FDA clearance. ReWalk is a robotic exoskeleton that enables people with paraplegia (T7-L5 levels of injury) to stand up, sit down or walk. ReWalk consists of a customized metal brace that supports the legs and part of the upper body, motors that supply movement at the hips, knees, and ankles, a tilt sensor, and a backpack that contains the computer and power supply. Crutches provide the user with additional stability when walking, standing, and rising up from a chair. The user operates the device with a wireless remote control worn on the wrist. Go to Website President Obama has signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). For people with disabilities, the WIOA increases their access to high quality workforce services and prepares them for employment. Here are the highlights of what the WIOA does: • Improves the American Job Center System to provide physical and programmatic accessibility to employment and training services for individuals with disabilities. • Youth with disabilities will receive extensive pre-employment transition services. • State vocational rehabilitation agencies will set aside at least 15 percent of their funding to provide transition services to youth with disabilities. • A committee will advise the Secretary of Labor on strategies to increase competitive integrated employment for individuals with disabilities. • State vocational rehabilitation grant programs will engage employers to improve participant employment outcomes. The Pathway Study is testing the safety and potential benefit of neural stem cell transplantation in patients with cervical spinal cord injury. Go to the website to see if you qualify for this study. You will be asked some questions about your health and your injury. The information you provide about your health and injury will only be shared with those involved with the study and only if you give your permission. If you qualify for further consideration as a potential subject, then the research center will be given your contact information and will follow up with you within 2 to 4 business days. If you do not qualify for further consideration, your information will be stored until the end of the study and then destroyed.