The end of the year always prompts deep reflection and appreciation from me. This year, especially, was filled with revelations about who United Spinal Association is and who we can be.
The longer I am a part of our organization’s efforts to make a difference for our community, the more I discover what we’re able to accomplish. Rather than fall into a routine or become too comfortable, I encourage us to push through boundaries and venture into the unknown and unfamiliar. Only there, on the border between “why not” and “what if,” can we achieve truly transformative change for our community.
My efforts pay off when I feel the realm of the unknown grow smaller and smaller. Recently, United Spinal’s partnership with Amazon opened the door to the cosmos. Our member Rhonel Cinous participated in the Artemis mission to the moon, patching into the Orion spacecraft using Alexa technology.
I journeyed to Mission Control and witnessed the full impact of technology and the opportunities it opens, especially for people with disabilities. Watching Rhonel, a quadriplegic leader of our Tech Access Group, communicate with a spacecraft is the closest I’ve come to experiencing real magic at work.
There are tremendous practical implications from our virtual voyage to the stars for the future of people with disabilities on earth. We accomplished a mission to the moon! What holds us back from boardrooms and workplaces? It’s time for us to move from the margins and take our place in the center. Our relationships with tech companies show how we can do this. Our members assist industry giants in designing voice-activation technology and demonstrate its day-to-day use in kitchens, offices and living rooms — and now, on a spacecraft.
The Future is Calling
I hope that in 2023 more companies will answer our challenge to involve people with disabilities as genuine participants and agents in our destinies rather than fall back on symbolic gestures. We live in an era of remarkable innovation, and no one should be left behind based on antiquated biases.
Let’s move into the future together.
We’re doing our own part to drive United Spinal and our historic disability rights advocacy forward. We are renewing the ranks of the rolling revolution. Our Grassroots Advocacy Network accomplished its goal of registering hundreds of new advocates this year, and we’re not stopping there. Our StrongWheeled Together Awards recognized rising stars from our community — and I’m thrilled to say that we’re turning the Awards into an annual tradition.
With new faces come fresh perspectives. We need to embrace transformation and change to ensure a bright future for people with disabilities. This year, United Spinal undertook a robust strategic planning process that encouraged deep introspection about our identity and goals. We brought together many incredible people from the wider United Spinal family to engage in this fresh and honest conversation. One thing became clear during this process: Our community is strong, and our organization has the power to make transformative change.
While enjoying our family and friends this holiday season, let’s reflect on the new year that is rapidly approaching. As we celebrate our accomplishments of 2022, let’s relish the opportunities 2023 brings for renewal, rebirth and regeneration. I want to thank everyone in our wider community for the possibilities you’ve opened for me. And to the disability rights movement, thank you for allowing me to dream limitlessly.
Thanks to NASA for the photo of the moon taken from Orion. The photo of Vincenzo Piscopo and Rhonel Cinous show them at Mission Control.