Did you know that according to a recent MDA survey, only 21% of adults living with neuromuscular disease are working part or full-time? Many individuals with disabilities have a desire to work but face employment hurdles, including the lack of wraparound support services, inaccessible workplaces, discriminatory wages, and a potential loss of Supplemental Security Income . . .
At Daytona International Speedway, if you see a silver wheelchair-accessible minivan flash by outside the stadium, it’s shuttling people who need assistance getting around the expansive venue. Philip James “PJ” Nicholoff would be happy knowing that his family donated his beloved van to the speedway, and its back windows display signage honoring him. A big . . .
It’s a new year and MDA’s commitment to transforming the lives of people living with neuromuscular disease through advocacy remains a top priority. We accomplished a lot last year, but we still have many vital goals to accomplish in 2022. We are excited to share a sneak peek at the advocacy team’s agenda for the . . .
For more than 70 years, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) has been committed to empowering people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases to reach their potential. Through the decades, MDA has led the way through our innovations in care, research, and advocacy. This year, we go bigger. In an interview with . . .
2021 was another challenging year for many, but once again, MDA’s grassroots advocates were relentless in ensuring lawmakers heard their voices. Throughout the year, our volunteers emailed, called, and met with important decision-makers urging them to act on vital public policy that will improve the lives of people living with neuromuscular disease and their families. . . .
Here at MDA, we are working to ensure all contact information is up-to-date for those who are registered in order to serve you as well as we possibly can. If your dependent has recently turned 18, please encourage them to email our MDA National Resource Center, at resourcecenter@mdausa.org, to update their contact information and to hear . . .
It can be overwhelming for educators to learn the various challenges associated with neuromuscular diseases and to take those considerations into the classroom. The good news is that these students also come with their own unique set of deep strengths, and educators’ role in encouraging, supporting, and motivating them draws on many of the skills . . .
Broken wheelchairs. Inaccessible seating. Hard to navigate aircraft. For too many in the neuromuscular community, traveling by air is not accessible. We sat down with Paul Melmeyer, MDA’s VP of Public Policy and Advocacy to hear about his recent appointment to the Air Carrier Access Act Advisory Committee and the Association’s work on accessible air . . .
The urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the drug-development landscape, driving rapid development, US review, and, in one case, new therapeutic approval. To bring critical drugs to market, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is utilizing a special emergency program announced in April 2020 to accelerate approval of promising coronavirus therapies, an initiative . . .
2021 is a new year: The country has a new administration, and a new Congress has been sworn in. What isn’t new is MDA’s commitment to working tirelessly in Washington, DC, to transform the lives of people living with neuromuscular diseases (NMDs). Here’s a sneak peek at some of the issues we’ll be working on . . .
