Resources

Although each SCI is different, we’ve compiled this list of organizations that can provide helpful tips on your journey to recovery.

• AHN Rehabilitation Institute - Rehabilitation programs for those recovering from SCIs at locations throughout Western Pennsylvania.

• Belford Center at Ohio State University - The Belford Center for Spinal Cord Injury is focused on the treatment of spinal cord injuries as a systemic disease to reduce the onset or impact of complications associated with spinal cord injury.

• Children’s Hospital Rehab Unit - The UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s Children’s Hospital Rehabilitation Unit (CHRU) provides family-centered inpatient rehabilitation care for babies under 1-year-old to young adults up to age 25.

• Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation - National nonprofit organization dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by advancing innovative research and improving quality of life for individuals and families impacted by paralysis.

• Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute at WVU - The Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute is a multidisciplinary institute for patient care, research and education affiliated with West Virginia University.

• UPMC Rehabilitation Institute at Mercy - The UPMC Rehabilitation Institute at UPMC Mercy in uptown Pittsburgh, Pa., is a Center of Excellence in spinal cord injury.

One key aspect of recovery is peer support, for both caregivers and individuals with SCI. These organizations can help you make connections.

• Spinalpedia - SPINALpedia is a social mentoring network and video archive that allows the spinal cord injury community to motivate each other with the knowledge and triumphs gained from our individual experiences. Among the services offered are peer mentoring, employment services, legal support and educational support.

• United Spinal Association of Pittsburgh - We at the Pittsburgh Chapter of United Spinal Association seek to improve the quality of life of individuals with spinal cord injuries by providing peer support, community education, and connections to resources, and by advocating for disability rights.

Once you’ve exhausted the rehab sessions covered by insurance, there are funding sources that may be able to help you to obtain additional care.

• Contact us to learn more about funding options

Funding for assistive technology can be found from both public and private sources. This list is not all-inclusive but can be a good place to begin or expand your funding search.

• Able Gamers Charity - Creating opportunities that enable play in order to combat social isolation, foster inclusive communities, and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.

• Kelly Brush Foundation - The Kelly Brush Foundation is dedicated to making active lifestyles a reality for those who have experienced a spinal cord injury.

• Omicelo - Omicelo founds, funds and partners with companies in real estate, healthcare and sustainability to ensure the built environment promotes physical, environmental, emotional and social health.

Physical activity and sport can improve physical as well as mental health. We’ve collected sources for adaptive sports, outdoor recreation opportunities, exercise and more.

• North Hills Golf Academy - The North Hills Golf Academy is a family-oriented golf academy located in the greater Pittsburgh area. We are committed to making golf more inclusive and accessible. Regardless of ability, players can come together at NHGA to learn in a welcoming environment.

• Rise Again - Rise Again 501 (c) (3) supports individuals with spinal cord injury or illness to believe and reach beyond expectations. Rise Again will also provide grants to professionals and organizations who focus on improving the quality of life of those affected by spinal cord injury or illness.

• Steelwheelers Inc - Pittsburgh Steelwheelers, Inc. is a non-profit organization , founded in 1977 as one of the first of its kind, which provides programs for physically challenged athletes from Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio and Northern West Virginia, who desire to participate in competitive sports such as wheelchair rugby, wheelchair basketball and handcycling.

• Woodlands Foundation - The mission of The Woodlands Foundation is to enrich the lives of individuals with disabilities and chronic illness across the lifespan.

There are more scholarships available for people with SCIs than ever before and can help you prepare to start college or return to school post-injury.

• 180 Medical College Scholarship Program - The 180 Medical Scholarship Program is open to full-time college students living with specific medical conditions, including spinal cord injuries, spina bifida, transverse myelitis, neurogenic bladder, or an ostomy.

• ABC Medical - ABC Medical offers scholarships each Fall in the amount of $1000 with a focus on Adaptive Sports, Education, and those Making a Difference in their community or in the lives of those around them.

• Fighting Back Scholarship Program - Fighting Back provides scholarships for individuals fighting back from a life-changing injury or illness.

Scientists continue to investigate new ways to better understand and treat spinal cord injuries. Here are some organizations funding that research.

• Mission for Miracles - Mission for Miracles is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports medical facilities that treat all neurological conditions (ranging from spinal cord and brain injuries to Alzheimer’s and addiction), recovery research facilities, and regional organizations/nonprofits helping families heal and recover together.

• The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis - The Miami Project’s international team of more than 175 scientists, researchers, clinicians and support staff is dedicated to improving the quality of life and, ultimately, finding a cure for paralysis.

Living with an SCI is complicated, but you don’t have to do it alone. There are lots of organizations that help individuals with disabilities with everything from finding a caregiver to financial advising.

• Achieva Family Trust - A special needs trust (also known as a supplemental needs trust) helps protect the assets of a person with a disability. The assets in the trust are used for the benefit of the individual with a disability to improve his or her quality of life.

• CLASS: Community Living And Supportive Services - The mission of CLASS is to support people with disabilities as they explore options, participate in the community and strive toward equality. We are… Working Toward A Community Where Each Belongs.

• Empowering Hope - Empowering Hope is a non-profit organization committed to providing financial, emotional and physical support to those who have been affected by a complex neurological condition.

• Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL) - The mission of Human Engineering Research Laboratories is to continuously improve the mobility and function of people with disabilities through advances engineering in clinical research and medical rehabilitation.

• Omicelo - Omicelo founds, funds and partners with companies in real estate, healthcare and sustainability to ensure the built environment promotes physical, environmental, emotional and social health.