Darah Gerou has dedicated her professional career advocating for people with disabilities and Veterans. Her passion for disability advocacy, as well the fact that she was raised by not one but two Marine Corps Veterans, gave her important skills she brought to her position as the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for PVA’s Veteran Career Program. Hi […]
What led you to your current role as the Associate Director of Membership and Volunteers? What does it entail? I began working in PVA’s membership and volunteer department as a temp in 2008, when I first moved to the U.S from Canada. I was hired on permanently in 2009 as the department secretary. Since then, […]
Please introduce yourself and say a little bit about yourself. I’m Anthony Steele, Central Region Director with Paralyzed Veterans of America here in Alabama. am assigned to the VA Regional Office. I have been with Paralyzed Veterans of America as a service officer since September 1995. I know you’re a member of PVA yourself, so […]
What kinds of programs does the Sports and Recreation team run? What is some current programming happening right now? The Sports and Recreation team oversee a variety of different programs, which we offer both in person and online. Some in-person activities include trap and air gun shooting, bass fishing, handcycling, bowling, billiards and more. Our […]
Did you know that PVA secures more than $1 Billion every year in disability payments for Veterans and their families? This wouldn’t be possible without the tireless work of PVA’s Veterans Benefits Department (VBD) Field Services Program. This month, we sat down with Joseph Badzmierowski, Director of Field Services for VBD. Joseph, his Associate Directors […]
What does the Architecture team do? The work the Architecture team does is very diverse. We group our work under three large categories: Accessible Design, Healthcare Architecture, and Education and Outreach. First, there’s our work in Accessible Design. We work with other architects, project managers, business owners and really anyone who is a decision-maker in […]
I’m a hand cyclist. To travel to and from the airport with my hand cycle, driving myself and having to park, is a job. One time I traveled through Houston’s George Bush Airport, parked my car where you drop off passengers, got out, got my wheelchair out, put my hand cycle on my shoulder and […]
I am a paraplegic traveler. Upon my arrival at LAX, I was placed on an aisle chair and promised that my wheelchair was at the gate. As I sat there waiting, they kept telling me it was coming. Thirty minutes later, I asked to transfer to the attendant’s bucket seat as I was worried about […]
I’d confirmed reservations for first class bulkhead seats for me and my travel assistant. Twice I’d confirmed seats and twice Alaska Airlines separated us and put us in different seats. Because of severe mobility issues I need those bulkhead seats to be close to lavatories in case I had to to go right now. Instead […]
Since 1946, Paralyzed Veterans of America has been on a mission to change lives and build brighter futures for our seriously injured heroes. We’ve had a single-minded mission—to empower our brave men and women to regain what they fought for: their freedom and independence.
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Pictured: U.S. Navy Veteran and PVA Member Howell aka. “Scrappy” with his family.
