Our Mission

United Spinal Association is a national 501(c) (3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to empowering people with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D), including veterans, to live successful and fulfilling lives.

Directed by people with disabilities, United Spinal Association works to overcome the stigma of disability and remove physical barriers to inclusion for wheelchair users. We are united in our belief that business, people with disabilities and society all benefit from providing equal opportunity to pursue passions, employment, and recreational opportunities. Our goal is to actively support people with SCI/D through valuable programs and services that maximize independence and create opportunities to become leaders, advocates, and innovators.

Diversity and Inclusion Statement

United Spinal Association recognizes that we cannot fulfill our mission of enhancing the quality of life of all people living with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D) without acknowledging differences in our community. A proactive commitment to diversity and inclusion guides how we compose our workforce and board, develop grassroots leadership, and select our partners in the movement for people with disabilities. We prioritize partnership with corporations and agencies that share this broad commitment to inclusion. Without ensuring that these needs are met, we cannot build a truly representative membership organization.

We strive to represent the interests of all people living with SCI/D, including racial, ethnic and linguistic minorities, women, and LGBTQIA. We tailor our programs, advocacy, publications, and social support work to make the voices of the geographically underrepresented and socioeconomically disadvantaged members of the disability community heard everywhere from Capitol Hill to the marketplace.

The dynamic lives of our members, based across the United States, are the basis of our understanding of how these different identities intersect with the experience of paralysis. We know that we cannot move both our organization and our movement forward without a clearly articulated commitment to diversity.