Paralyzed Veterans is the only congressionally chartered organization entirely dedicated to veterans with spinal cord injuries and diseases. They work to empower paralyzed veterans by offering them the means to be independent while supporting research and treatment options.

 

PV has helped people like Aubrey Youngs find a life for herself after a fluke accident took away her ability to walk. They were there with support for Lance Gieselmann after he was ejected from his tank and left paralyzed from the chest down.

 

Sense 1946, Paralyzed Veterans has been making a difference in so many of our soldiers lives. We were able to speak with Mark Daley, Communications Director of Paralyzed Veterans of America, about PV and the services it has provided.

 

What is the mission of Paralyzed Veterans of America?

 

Our mission is to create an America where all veterans, and people with disabilities, and their families, have everything they need to thrive — and to live full and productive lives.

 

What is your primary goal and how do you hope to accomplish it?

 

Our primary goal is to empower veterans with disabilities and their families through our national office in DC, our 34 chapters and our national service offices across the nation. We:

- Fight for quality VA health care and ample military benefits.

- Promote and provide wheelchair sports and recreational activities.

- Lead the charge to make America more accessible.

- Empower paralyzed veterans with the tools they need to secure good

careers at a time when the unemployment rate for veterans with severe disabilities is 85 percent.

- Invest in research to find new treatments and a cure for paralysis.

 

We provide our services to all veterans and their families free of charge. We simply couldn’t do it without America’s generous support.

 

How long has Paralyzed Veterans of America been around?

 

Sixty-four years ago, Paralyzed Veterans of America was founded by a band of spinal cord injured service members who returned home from World War II.

 

What sparked the idea for Paralyzed Veterans of America?

 

When our young paralyzed service members of the “Greatest Generation” returned home, they faced a world with few solutions to the new challenges they faced — from a medical community not knowing how to treat them to an inaccessible nation. These veterans made a decision not just to live, but to live with dignity as contributors to society. They created Paralyzed Veterans of America, dedicated to veterans service, medical research and civil rights for people with disabilities.

 

Where does the funding come from?

 

We are a non-profit charity that relies on donations from the generous American public. We receive no government funding. And we provide our services free to our members.

 

How have you helped veterans and their families?

 

- We built a national network of trained service officers deployed at VA hospitals to help all veterans secure the medical and military benefits they have earned through their service and sacrifice;

- We fought for and secured over $3 billion in military benefits and tens of billions in VA health-care funding for all veterans;

- We pioneered wheelchair sports with basketball and for 25 years we’ve co-presented the National Veterans Wheelchair Games — the largest annual wheelchair sports event in the world– which has grown to include 17 events;

- We led the charge for the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (1990), making our nation more accessible;

- We helped hundreds of veterans secure careers through our emerging network of specialized vocational rehabilitation offices.

- We led the way in establishing the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals, an organization comprised of physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and therapists, dedicated to advancing interdisciplinary health care for people living with spinal cord injury and dysfunction;

- We invested millions in research, new treatments, and finding a cure for paralysis—helping to increase life span of a paralyzed veteran from near zero after injury back in the 1940s to near normal today;

 

What challenges do you face when trying to help veterans and their families?

 

One of the biggest challenges is making eligible veterans aware of the benefits and services that we offer freely — from expert assistance in applying for earned military benefits to getting into wheelchair sports.

 

 

How many people do you reach?

 

The answer is: not enough! We want everyone to know about us!

 

What are the biggest obstacles you face when trying to reach people?

 

The biggest obstacle is awareness. We want all veterans who need our help to know about us and to access our services and all Americans who want to help veterans to know about our work so they can support us. So thanks for helping us spread the word.  

 

How can our readers get involved?

 

During this special week we are launching Mission: ABLE, a new campaign that will enlist all Americans – citizens, communities and companies – to help our paralyzed heroes fully live the lives they deserve and to receive what they need most:  care, benefits and jobs.

 

A good example is why we are focusing our attention on these three areas is the issue of jobs. The unemployment rate for veterans with severe disabilities is 85%. Yet we know that with the right help, veterans with disabilities can actively compete in the job market, bringing incredible skills and experience from their lives in the service. In turn, employers get great employees. Through Mission: ABLE we intend to make this grim statistic a thing of the past.

Please join our mission at www.mission-able.com.

 

What message would you like to communicate to our readers?

 

Please take a minute out of your busy day to think about the challenges facing veterans with disabilities and their families –and then do something good for paralyzed veterans in your community. Please check out our website www.pva.org.