We are back with another episode of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast. On today's episode we are closing out the month of May with some updates and good news for the wheelchair user community. Ramp. It. Up! GAAD May 18,2023 https://unitedspinal.org/adaptive-technology-equals-independence-for-the-disability-community/ https://unitedspinal.org/five-ways-you-can-promote-global-accessibility-awareness-day/ CMS Seat Elevation  https://unitedspinal.org/disability-community-celebrates-newly-expanded-medicare-benefit-for-power-wheelchairs/ https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncaca ..read more

Welcome back for another episode of the Ramp. It. Up! Podcast. On this episode I am joined by Fouzan Alam and Bliss Chapman from Neuralink, a neurotechnology company founded by Elon Musk. Neuralink is currently developing implantable brain–computer interfaces: building devices now that have the potential to help people with paralysis. Fouzan is a project manager on their clinical team and Bliss is a software engineer on the brain-computer interfaces team. We discuss where the company is in the process, how it will impact the SCI community, and what the future of brain-computer interface holds ..read more

On today's episode of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast we are wrapping up Women’s History Month with a good friend of mine, Erin Taylor. Get To Know Our Guest For more than 15 years, Erin Taylor has dedicated herself to advocating for health equity and promoting wellness by helping eliminate barriers and health disparities for disabled people throughout Oregon. She does this by interweaving equity, inclusion, and accessibility throughout her work and being intentional in her commitment to diversifying awareness of the vast range of disability experiences and identities. Ensuring that disabled peop ..read more

On this episode of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast, in honor of Women's History Month, I am joined by Jean L. Minkel, PT, ATP. We chat about her early years as a Physical Therapist, her influence on early assistive technology, and her crusade to effect insurance policy change. Ramp. It. Up!   Get To Know Our Guest   Ms. Minkel is a physical therapist and master clinician well recognized for her work in Assistive Technology.  Jean has a passion for ensuring that people with a mobility disability have access to the products and services needed to support full participation in life.&nbs ..read more

Welcome back for another episode of the Ramp. It. Up! Podcast. It's that time of year again, Valentines Day! But before you go out and buy flowers and chocolates, you have to find yourself a date! Ryan DeRoche, peer mentor, United Spinal Association member and the host of After Dark: for men with SCI, joins me on the podcast to talk about dating after SCI from the male perspective.  Ramp. It. Up! Get To Know Our Guest In 2011, Ryan had a mountain bike accident in Girona, Spain. He injured his C3, C4, C5, vertebrae with incomplete damage to his spinal cord at C4. When he was stable enou ..read more

Welcome back for another episode of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast. Accessibility is an important and frequent topic of concern for wheelchair users and people with disabilities as a whole. This episode we cover some of the pain points of "accessible" transportation and what can be done to improve them. Ramp. It. Up! Question of the day: What was your worst/best experience with accessible transportation?  Click here to learn how to report transportation issues. Resources:   Retired Veterans of America (RVA) Full Video RVA Video Clip Steve Wright interview with USDOT Secretary  ..read more

HAPPY NEW YEAR from the Ramp. It. Up! Podcast. History of Haitian Independence Day and Soup Joumou Favorite Episodes Season 1 Episode 2:  Quadriplegia: Year One  Season 1  Episode 8:  25 Years in the Game  Season  2  Episode 13:   Roll a mile in my shoes  Season  2  Episode 16:  The Happy Quadriplegic: Arnedo Carbo  Season  3  Episode 3:  Valentines Day with Leon and Tierra Harris  Season  3  Episode 18:   SCI Awareness Month 2022: iAccess Life   Question of the day: What ..read more

Only two days left 'til Christmas, and since you all have been so nice this year, Santa has brought you another episode of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast! Its been about two weeks since the end of the Artemis 1 Mission and my visit to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. It was an overall amazing experience and I was blessed to be a part of it. On this trip I recall the experience flying for the first time since my SCI six years ago and interacting with Alexa in SPACE! Ramp. It. Up! https://wsvn.com/news/7spotlight/south-florida-man-left-disabled-after-accident-offered-opportuni ..read more

After a long hiatus, we are back for another episode of the Ramp. It. Up! Podcast! I know I have been gone for a long time but you have to listen to this episode to find out what's been going on! No hints! No previews! I know it's a long episode but definitely worth a listen! (Ok one hint...its my 6 year SCI anniversary and a couple friends join me on the show) Ramp it up! Click the link below to register for the United Spinal Association's TechTalks https://unitedspinal.org/events/techtalks/ Stay Connected to the PodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ramp.it.up.podcast/Facebook ..read more

On this week’s episode of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast I am joined by Dr. Guy Romain, physical therapist and owner of NeuroFit 360. We talk about his work with spinal cord injury patients, his passion for activity based therapy, and his vision for the future of the field. Ramp. It. Up! Get To Know Our Guest Dr. Guy Romain earned his B.S in Health Science From Montclair State University in 1995. His career started as a health educator for at risk youth at the Englewood's Health Department in New Jersey. He moved to Florida 2 years later to start his physical therapy educational journey at Nova ..read more