If Natalie Barnhard was put on this earth to be a change agent who produces results measurable in bricks and mortar – then she has found and fulfilled her purpose.
Barnhard is a community activist, speaker, entrepreneur, advocate for people with disabilities, and the Founder and President of the Motion Project Foundation, Inc., formerly Wheels With Wings Foundation. Based in Buffalo, she founded and serves as a member of the Western New York Chapter of United Spinal Association.
Barnhard’s tireless advocacy, from creating a nonprofit to participating in several United Spinal Roll on Capitol Hill legislative advocacy events, has earned her the honor of being the recipient of this year’s Finn Bullers Advocate of the Year Award.
Roll on Capitol Hill addresses issues that impact the independence and quality of life of individuals living with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D).
The late Bullers was a journalist and advocate who fought for better coverage under Medicare and Medicaid for customized wheelchairs, ratification of the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities and working with stakeholders across the country to get local communities to adopt a modern, dynamic disability symbol, which is now known as the Accessible Icon Project.
“This award is such an honor because I’m able to bring awareness to the changes I am working hard to make here in my community,” Barnhard said. “As an advocate I hope to make lasting changes for people who live with SCI/D with their physical recovery and create a better quality of life for everyone through physical rehabilitation, accessibility, care and support.”
Prior to her SCI in 2004, Barnhard was a physical therapist assistant and a licensed massage therapist. She used her hands to help people heal.
“I was at work when a 600-pound weight machine toppled over on top of me, injuring my spine at C-5/C-6. I was 24 at the time,” she said. “I remember in rehab crying in bed and telling my mother that ‘I was given a gift to help people heal using my hands. Now I’m paralyzed and I can’t physically help people in any way. So, what am I going to do now?’ My mother said `Natalie, you can’t change what happened, but you can change what you do going forward by trusting God.’ And I found a purpose.”
Barnhard quickly learned that she could still assist countless people. She started Wheels with Wings, now Motion Project, a nonprofit for other people with SCI/D. It awards quality of life grants for wheelchairs, sports equipment, rehab, modifications to homes, accessible vehicles and other items often not covered fully or at all by insurance plans as well as focusing on advocacy and resources for those newly injured.
“Workers Compensation paid for most of my long stay in rehab at the Shepherd Center [Spinal Cord & Brain Injury Rehabilitation hospital] in Atlanta,” she said. “But I knew a lot of people didn’t have the funding for care or durable medical equipment.”
“I saw the need for creating additional support in funding for wheelchairs, vehicles, shower chairs,” Barnhard added. “While the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services does cover mobility assistive equipment for mobility-related activities of daily living such as bathing, too many people with disabilities have protracted negotiations, not all are victories, with insurance companies to ensure they get what they need. It’s appalling!”
Barnhard credits United Spinal’s Roll on Capitol Hill for “empowering me to continue advocating for people with disabilities not only nationally but also in my local community as well. I love feeling like I have a voice to make lasting change,” she said.
For years, Barnhard had a dream to start a local rehabilitation facility in Buffalo. Through fundraising and a significant amount of her own money, the Natalie Barnhard Center for SCI Rehabilitation and Recovery will open its doors in June and celebrate a grand opening with VIPs in September. The center is supported by the Motion Project Foundation, the new name for the new focus of the former Wheels with Wings.
“It is like any fitness center or gym where you go to work out – but everything is geared to people with SCI or related needs,” she said. “The equipment is adapted and the trainers understand what the goals and expectations are. It’s not like going to PT in an institution, it’s going to a warm, colorful and fun place.”
The 6,000-square-foot facility includes the rehab/workout area, a treatment room, kitchen, offices and spaces for caregivers and support groups to meet. Barnhard spent more than a year looking for a location that features lots of accessible parking, transit access and a prime location near the airport, hotels, restaurants and amenities.
Barnhard said the work will continue far beyond the opening, as she works to raise funds to create an endowment to cover the costs for everyone to be able to attend as well as pay for and maintain modern equipment and the overall facility.
“My goal is to make changes here in my community. My faith in God has only increased my passion to do this. It has allowed me to be a therapist again. I get to help people again,” she said.
With a Memorandum of Understanding, the center will officially collaborate with the University of Buffalo on research and education. It is partnering with a local trauma hospital to help patients and their families with care navigation, resources and advocacy.
“I don’t know why, but I have been given an opportunity to improve lives,” Barnhard said in a reverent and humble tone. “When you can make positive changes that will create a legacy that last beyond your own life — that’s profound.”
—Steve Wright, Contributing Writer