Our Vision
A world in which paralysis from spinal cord injury is curable.
Our Mission
We will unite and educate our community to support and advocate for the restoration of function in Spinal Cord Injury.
GUSU is a non-profit - 501(c)3
A Culture Aware of Spinal Cord Injury Challenges
Let's run an experiment. When you think of somebody with a spinal cord injury what is the first image in your mind? If you're like most people, you pictured a wheelchair. This is an accurate image, a large number of those with SCI are paralyzed, being forced into either a power or manual (push) wheelchair for their day-to-day lives. Paralysis is an obvious and challenging obstacle we face, but not the only one. What the general public does not typically picture is the risk for devastating pressure sores if a person with SCI is not able to shift their weight or the severe physiological reaction caused by autonomic dysreflexia, which has numerous triggers. Learn more about secondary conditions.
An understanding public doesn't only need to know about the negative aspects of our lives, there is also a stigma that those so severely disabled cannot be productive. The success of many persons with SCI is proof that our lives are different, but not over.
The passing of the Americans with Disabilities act of 1990 was a radical recognition of persons with disabilities. The act is comprised of five titles covering a range of rights for those with disabilities, both mental and physical. The most recognizable being employment and reasonable access. Learn about the ADA here. The passing of this act brought the lives of those with disabilities into the popular perspective. Though, as you can imagine, there are many types and forms of disability. Thankfully SCI represents a relatively small number of Americans with disabilities. This is good in that many don't have to suffer the daily struggles of living with SCI, though our limited numbers mean the American public has less interaction and understanding of what it means to have a spinal cord injury. Our goal is to bring the publics’ attention to the many aspects of SCI life, with a greater understanding of our injury the general public can become an effective advocate and partner.
A Community United
As noted above, those suffering from SCI represent only a portion of the larger population of the disabled. Even within our smaller community of SCI there exists many different kinds of injury, people, and therefore, needs. This diverse population means there are many different people that desire many different things. As GUSU, we only speak for ourselves, and what we desire is a focus on funding for curative research as well as ongoing fitness for those with SCI. This focus is often called curative research. Another focus of the SCI community is care. Broadly speaking this includes: more physical access to transportation, public spaces, services, equal opportunities, government funded support. There are other needs amongst the SCI community, you can learn more here.
Before curative research had published any definitive studies, access and long-term care were a main desire of the SCI community. Since the early 80’s dozens of successful studies have escalated curative research into not only the theoretical, but into the tangible, future. Where our SCI community parts is that seeding funds into curative research can be seen as taking money away from supporting access/care. We believe that access, care, and curative progress are not mutually exclusive. This is how we want to unite our community. Educating those who do not know about the progress of a medical cure is crucial in garnering the support to push these research programs to finding a solution. We believe there is room for growth in both access and support of curative research for SCI.
Champions to Restore Function
As an organization comprised of people suffering from SCI and those whose lives are affected by it, our firm belief is that modern science and medicine can and will find a means to restore function lost from a spinal cord injury. The atmosphere of medical science is broad and diverse, like any large industry. As champions of this cause we will work to organize, focus, drive, and publicize this process through the many challenges leading to a tangible solution.
A world in which paralysis from spinal cord injury is curable.
Our Mission
We will unite and educate our community to support and advocate for the restoration of function in Spinal Cord Injury.
GUSU is a non-profit - 501(c)3
A Culture Aware of Spinal Cord Injury Challenges
Let's run an experiment. When you think of somebody with a spinal cord injury what is the first image in your mind? If you're like most people, you pictured a wheelchair. This is an accurate image, a large number of those with SCI are paralyzed, being forced into either a power or manual (push) wheelchair for their day-to-day lives. Paralysis is an obvious and challenging obstacle we face, but not the only one. What the general public does not typically picture is the risk for devastating pressure sores if a person with SCI is not able to shift their weight or the severe physiological reaction caused by autonomic dysreflexia, which has numerous triggers. Learn more about secondary conditions.
An understanding public doesn't only need to know about the negative aspects of our lives, there is also a stigma that those so severely disabled cannot be productive. The success of many persons with SCI is proof that our lives are different, but not over.
The passing of the Americans with Disabilities act of 1990 was a radical recognition of persons with disabilities. The act is comprised of five titles covering a range of rights for those with disabilities, both mental and physical. The most recognizable being employment and reasonable access. Learn about the ADA here. The passing of this act brought the lives of those with disabilities into the popular perspective. Though, as you can imagine, there are many types and forms of disability. Thankfully SCI represents a relatively small number of Americans with disabilities. This is good in that many don't have to suffer the daily struggles of living with SCI, though our limited numbers mean the American public has less interaction and understanding of what it means to have a spinal cord injury. Our goal is to bring the publics’ attention to the many aspects of SCI life, with a greater understanding of our injury the general public can become an effective advocate and partner.
A Community United
As noted above, those suffering from SCI represent only a portion of the larger population of the disabled. Even within our smaller community of SCI there exists many different kinds of injury, people, and therefore, needs. This diverse population means there are many different people that desire many different things. As GUSU, we only speak for ourselves, and what we desire is a focus on funding for curative research as well as ongoing fitness for those with SCI. This focus is often called curative research. Another focus of the SCI community is care. Broadly speaking this includes: more physical access to transportation, public spaces, services, equal opportunities, government funded support. There are other needs amongst the SCI community, you can learn more here.
Before curative research had published any definitive studies, access and long-term care were a main desire of the SCI community. Since the early 80’s dozens of successful studies have escalated curative research into not only the theoretical, but into the tangible, future. Where our SCI community parts is that seeding funds into curative research can be seen as taking money away from supporting access/care. We believe that access, care, and curative progress are not mutually exclusive. This is how we want to unite our community. Educating those who do not know about the progress of a medical cure is crucial in garnering the support to push these research programs to finding a solution. We believe there is room for growth in both access and support of curative research for SCI.
Champions to Restore Function
As an organization comprised of people suffering from SCI and those whose lives are affected by it, our firm belief is that modern science and medicine can and will find a means to restore function lost from a spinal cord injury. The atmosphere of medical science is broad and diverse, like any large industry. As champions of this cause we will work to organize, focus, drive, and publicize this process through the many challenges leading to a tangible solution.