Paralyzed Veterans of America Blog

Justin Hall went to sleep on a September 2024 night thinking Hurricane Helene would miss them. He had checked the forecast and decided Grovetown, Georgia, the quiet community outside Augusta where he lives, was probably in the clear.He was wrong.“When Helene hit, when I went to sleep that night, I thought that it was going […]

Paralyzed Veterans of America and GOVX have joined forces — and for the communities they both serve, the timing couldn’t be better.The new partnership connects two organizations with deep roots in American military life. PVA has spent more than 80 years supporting veterans living with spinal cord injuries and diseases, like MS and ALS, helping […]

At South by Southwest, a conference known for launching the next big thing, Paralyzed Veterans of America made the case last week that the most transformative ideas in technology, design, and culture haven’t come from abundance. They’ve come from need and the courage to challenge the status quo.The panel discussion, “Disability: The Ultimate Innovation Driver,” […]

On a humid afternoon in Georgia, Amy Dotson sat behind the wheel of her 2024 Honda Odyssey and smiled at the quiet hum of independence.Dotson, a member of Paralyzed Veterans of America’s Southeastern Chapter, enjoys a life full of advocacy, adaptive sports, and miles on the open road. But the path there was long, winding, […]

The question sounds simple enough: Who gets to participate?At South by Southwest on March 18, Paralyzed Veterans of America gathered a panel to work through the answer, and what emerged was less a feel-good conversation about ramps and reserved parking than a hard-edged argument about power, belonging, and the cost of getting it wrong.The panel, […]

On January 18, 1946, in the recreation hall of the Red Cross at Birmingham General Hospital in Van Nuys, California, about 70 World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries gathered for a meeting that would change the course of disability civil rights in America.They returned from the battlefields of Europe and the Pacific to […]

Shana Milan knows what it’s like to wake up feeling uncertain. Some mornings, she’s ready to tackle her to-do list. Other days, chronic pain from several disabilities including migraines, multiple sclerosis, neuropathy, and spinal stenosis keeps her in bed. The unpredictability ended her ability to work a traditional job and sent her into a deep […]

Every day in Fallbrook, California, Jhoonar Barerra follows a routine that keeps him moving forward. The 49-year-old Army veteran lifts weights, stretches on the floor, and prepares for his next wheelchair basketball practice. It is a far cry from where his story could have ended 18 years ago.Barerra served from 1999 to 2007 as a […]

When Joel’s father, a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, was diagnosed with ALS in 2022, it shifted the teenager’s outlook on life and health. “It taught me the importance of living life to the fullest and staying strong,” says Joel, 19, who lives in Minnesota. Though he’d been hitting the gym since playing football in elementary […]

After serving in Iraq in the U.S. Marine Corps, Paul built a successful civilian career in critical infrastructure security. Starting as a wire puller for a small company, he rose through the ranks to become a project leader at a global tech firm, developing high-stakes security systems for nuclear facilities around the world.Now, he’s about […]