Leigha Stafford has developed a deep understanding of the unique challenges the state presents for wheelchair users while working the past decade as a physical therapist in Oahu at Hawaii’s only rehab hospital. She has seen how the rugged terrain impacts accessibility and infrastructure and how the state’s island composition can impede efforts to build community.
To address these issues and help the state’s wheelchair-using population, she decided to start a Hawaii chapter of United Spinal Association.
She drew inspiration from a training trip to Craig Hospital in Colorado. “The biggest takeaway I got from Craig is their approach to the continuum of care,” she says. “They go from the hospital all the way to community. It inspired me and got my wheels going as a lot of our Hawai’i folks go to Craig for rehab, but when they come home, they may not know who to talk to. They don’t know which health care clinicians specialize in SCI. They may feel alone. So where can we fill that void?” she says.
Her first priority is to bring some of their techniques back to Hawai’i. To connect with Hawaiian wheelchair users, she built a website and Instagram page. “If somebody googled Hawai’i spinal cord injury, minimal information pops up. Now they can get in touch through our website and we can connect them to doctors, mentors, community members, etc. And we hope to reach people through social media as well. We want those who are new or veterans living with SCI to know they have a home and a community here.”
The long-term goal is to expand beyond Oahu to the other islands. “I’ve started [by] finding a … clinic on each island that works with SCI and working with them. I want to start a seating clinic on each island and have them host because they’re already working with folks living with SCI,” says Stafford.
She is dedicated to making accessible healthcare more affordable and confident partnering with United Spinal will help. “Having access to healthcare is huge for us. How do wheelchair users get their teeth cleaned? How does a woman go to an OBGYN? Who checks their vision?”
Additionally, she plans to take advantage of Hawai’i’s proximity to the ocean and abundance of nature. Stafford wants to provide both residents and visitors with opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. “We’re a remote island, we have exciting things to do, like adaptive surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, climbing and biking all year long.”
Visit hawaiisci.com to learn more. To join this chapter, become a member of United Spinal Association.