Also in this issue:  

PVA President's Message  
Contributor: PVA National President Gene A. Crayton
PVA Awareness Week (PAW) takes place April 12-16. This initiative is a way to spread the word about PVA's good works and to let veterans know about the services available to them through this organization. Another important event this month is PVA's annual contribution to the Yale Center for Neuroscience and Regeneration Research. Over the course of its partnership with this facility, PVA has donated more than $100 million for spinal-cord research.

Reasons & Remarks, Redivivus  
Contributor: PN Editor Richard Hoover
The new Web site of SPORTS 'N SPOKES, PN's sister publication, debuted in January. It offers great articles—and a whole lot more—for wheelchair users who like competitive as well as noncompetitive sports and recreation. Visit www.sportsnspokes.com. Mr. Hoover also describes PVA's dedication to research for spinal-cord injury/disease. In addition, he urges everyone to read this issue's PVA President's Message, in which National President Gene A. Crayton discusses the great work PVA does.

Readers Respond  

• Healthcare-reform coverage
• Tips for mowing lawns
• Virtual Vietnam Wall

A Closer Look  
Contributor: Anita Hartshorn
It was summer 1990. My paraplegic husband and I had recently married and were honeymooning at the tenth National Veterans Wheelchair Games, in New Orleans. This was his second NVWG, and my first. The world of wheelchair sports was new to me, and I was not sure what to expect. We attended six more Games before my husband could no longer compete. Each NVWG had its own particular memories, but none could compare to the magic of my first.

People in the News  

• Jimmie Heuga, an Olympic medalist skier and multiple sclerosis advocate, passed away February 7 in Colorado.
• Edward Mays, life member of Mid-Atlantic Paralyzed Veterans of America, receives Safari Club International's 2009 Pathfinder Award.

ALS Awareness  
On January 7, The ALS Association marked its twenty-fifth anniversary as an organization and as a leader in the fight against ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). What began as a grass-roots entity quickly evolved into one of the leading ALS organizations in the U.S. Its founders had hoped that by now the disease would be conquered. But there are encouraging signs that new, highly effective treatments and a cure are on the horizon.

Research Update  

• A diaphragm pacemaker allows Edward Silcox, who is paralyzed from the neck down, to breathe without using a respirator (www.looknatural.com). Eliminating the ventilator reportedly reduces the risk of lung infection, a leading cause of death in people with SCI.
• VA Research Week is April 26-30. VA's scientists have advanced not only veterans' health but also science in general.
• A collaborative partnership of Fast Forward LLC, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and Axxam SpA will develop new treatments for MS and type 1 diabetes (www.fastforward.org / www.nationalMSsociety.org / www.providpharma.com).

Around the House  
Contributor: Larry Weinstein (www.livablehomes.org)
New homes can be built and existing ones modified in ways that will help those of us with disabilities achieve maximum independence. An accessible, energy-smart home helps maximize successful independent living for all its occupants.

Travel Tips  

• V-E trip planned for WWII vets.
• Asheville B&B is now accessible, thanks to an advocate's suggestion (www.blakehouse.com).
• Hotels.com® has new site with features that help travelers with specific accessibility needs search for and reserve appropriate hotel rooms (www.hotels.com).
• A special three-day/four-night adventure at the Grand Canyon, scheduled for May 18-21, is open to wheelchair users as well as walkers (www.TeamReeve.org).

Mobility and More  

• Ford's Transit Connect vehicle might represent the new wave for accessible transportation (www.norcalmobility.com / www.mobilityworks.com / www.BraunAbility.com).
• Researchers at the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL) at the University of Pittsburgh offer information from two of their studies on wheelchairs: Is fatigue life related to a chair's age, and What material is best? (www.herlpitt.edu)
• Mobility Works has won exclusive U.S. manufacturing and distribution rights to the innovative Martin Conquest wheelchair-accessible motorcycle (www.mobilityconquest.com).
• Complete a survey about your use of assistive technology (AT) such as wheelchairs, walkers, scooters, etc., at www.surveymonkey.com/s/8YQGJ3C.

On the Job  

• FedsHireVets.com is the main source for veterans' employment information and resources for them as well as hiring officials.
• The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (www.dol.gov/odep) launches a six-city "listening tour" to gather information about employment and people with disabilities.
• The Troops to Teachers program helps servicemen and -women transition back to civilian life and the classroom (www.proudtoserveagain.com).

On the Hill  
The Paralyzed Veterans of America Government Relations Department publishes the monthly Washington Update, in which its three entities—Advocacy, Legislation, and Health Analysis—review their activities and report on a wide variety of veteran and disability issues on Capitol Hill and within other federal departments and agencies. The February 15 issue addresses the administration's FY 2011 Budget, which includes FY 2012 advance appropriations; Project HERO (Healthcare Effectiveness through Resource Optimization), a VA pilot project in VISNs with the highest expenditures for community-based care (fee-based care); and a stakeholder meeting for the Community Living Initiative.

Veteran Advisor  
Contributor: Dave Parkinson, SBA
Home Improvement and Structural Alterations (HISA) is a VA grant program providing money for structural changes in veterans' homes to provide better access. This article contains information about eligibility and what's covered and what isn't, and clarifies requirements about contractors' bids.

Newsbeat  

• After January's earthquake, Whirlwind Wheelchair International (www.whirlwindwheelchair.org) and Joni and Friends Wheels for the World (www.joniandfriends.org) prepared to send wheelchairs to the thousands of Haitians with mobility impairments.
• The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hires five new Federal Recovery Coordinators to help eligible people access benefits (www.va.gov).
• FastMall is a free, downloadable iPhone app that helps people navigate shopping malls. It shows the way to rest rooms, routes with elevators, and more (www.FastMall.com).
• Eye exams for assistance dogs are free in May, but you have to register early (www.ACVOeyeexam.org).

Sports and Recreation  

• Arizona PVA Trapshoot: Nasty winter weather doesn't deter the hardy shoote, and Cal-Diego PVA sweeps the top awards.
• WPVA World 9-Ball Championship for Wheelchair Players: The Scandinavians finish one-two.
• Winter-Sports Rehab schedule (www.dsusa.org).

Information Center  

• The movie Heart of a Dragon (www.heartofadragonmovie.com) is an adaptation based on just a few days of Rick Hansen's Man in Motion world tour, when he was preparing to climb China's Great Wall, more than two decades ago. The first million dollars in profits will go to the Rick Hansen Foundation.
• The Newsletter of the Technical Assistance Centers is a free publication containing information related to family caregiving and lifespan respite (www.caregiver.org).
• Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: What You Need to Know addresses the wide variety of physical and emotional issues affecting people with this form of the disease (www.diamedicapub.com).
• The presentation "Aging with a Spinal Cord Injury," which took place in June 2009 at the University of Washington Medical Center, is available as a streaming video and written report (http://sci.washington.edu.info/forums/reports/aging_6.09.asp).
• "Smoking's Effects on Secondary Complications of Spinal Cord Injury," a video funded by the PVA Education Foundation, details the increased risks (www.spinalcord/uab.edu/smoking).

And Finally...  
Contributor: A. Trevor Sutton
You enter a room and count 36 arms and legs. How many individuals are in the room? Answer: 11 humans and one dog. It's an amputee support group formed to provide a community and share resources. And its mascot is "Lefty," a three-legged dog who is much more savvy than anyone could guess.