Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at www.acceleratemed.org/SCI. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: redcap.link/sciforumpod Presented at the SCI Forum on March 26, 2025 After a spinal cord injury, people must adapt to changes in their physical abilities while also navigating structural ableism—a system of policies, institutions, and societal norms that disadvantage disabled individuals. How does ableism shape their interactions and self-perception? And how does ableism intersect with sexism? This forum will feature a panel of women sharing their experiences with ableism after acquired disability, discussing its personal and professional effects, and exploring how it appears and is addressed in different settings. Please join us to share your thoughts, perspectives, and questions on navigating ableism after spinal cord injury. The discussion will be moderated by Whitney Morean, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in rehabilitation psychology at UW.

Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at www.acceleratemed.org/SCI. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: redcap.link/sciforumpod After spinal cord injury, individuals often work with many different rehabilitation therapists and providers across both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation as they recover and as function changes over time. We had the chance to talk to several different kinds of rehabilitation therapists and providers about their work including: What is involved in becoming a therapist? What are the main things that each discipline works on with their SCI patients? Why does someone choose to be a therapist and work in rehabilitation?. In this episode, we talk with Amy Starosta, PhD about her work as a rehabilitation psychologist at Harborview Medical Center and learn about the role of “rehab psychology” in rehabilitation after SCI. We discuss how rehab psychology can help with adjustment and changes from the initial injury and throughout one’s lifetime.

Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at http://www.acceleratemed.org/SCI. After conducting a feasibility trial, Amy Starosta PhD, a rehabilitation psychologist, discusses her new randomized control trial of hypnotic cognitive therapy for pain. This is a 3-year study taking place on the inpatient rehabilitation unit at Harborview Medical Center. Feasibility Paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37364685/ Case Study Paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37445573/

Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at http://www.acceleratemed.org/SCI. We are joined by Deborah Crane MD, a spinal cord injury physician, to hear about her study looking at the feasibility of short, but high intensity exercise program for people with new SCI. This 2-year study will be conducted on the inpatient unit at Harborview Medical Center.

Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at http://www.acceleratemed.org/SCI. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod The ADA: What You Need To Know The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the law that protects people with disabilities from discrimination. How well do you understand this law and how it applies to your daily life? In this presentation, Conrad Reynoldson, of the law firm Washington Civil & Disability Advocate (www.wacda.com), provides practical information for people with SCI who want to better understand their rights under the ADA, including what to do if you suspect a violation and how to advocate for yourself and others. Originally presented on April 26, 2017

Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at http://www.acceleratemed.org/SCI. A Panel Discussion: Originally presented on November 4, 2017 at the SCI Wellness Summit. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod People who have just sustained a catastrophic injury like SCI often feel vulnerable, overwhelmed and anxious about the future. The health providers who care for them can make a huge difference in how patients adjust and prepare for their new lives. In this forum, four individuals with different injury levels and years since injury discuss their experiences with health care providers during inpatient rehab and after discharge. They share what they thought health care providers did well and what providers could have done or said differently. Moderated by UW clinical psychologist Jeanne Hoffman, PhD.

Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at http://www.acceleratemed.org/SCI. A Panel Discussion: Originally presented on February 21, 2017 After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod Women with spinal cord injury are a minority within a minority. Because they make up only about 25% of all people with spinal cord injuries, they can often feel that their needs are not addressed, and they may have a hard time getting answers to their specific questions about health issues unique to their sex. In this panel discussion, five women with spinal cord injuries share their experiences and offer useful information about staying healthy while living with a spinal cord injury. Also on the panel is Erica Bechtel, MD, SCI Fellow at the Puget Sound VA Medical Center. The discussion is moderated by UW rehabilitation medicine psychologist Jeanne Hoffman, PhD. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://is.gd/sciforumpod

Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at http://www.acceleratemed.org/SCI. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod Simon Calcavecchia was pursuing his dreams of being a rugby player when he sustained a spinal cord injury. Education and a foray into hip-hop ultimately led him to create a series of children’s books starring the characters of Frank (wiener dog who has two wheels) and his pal Mustard (a yellow bird). They go on adventures based on Simon’s real life experiences such as “Stuck in the Mud.” Along with his illustrator, their mission is to create more children's books with themes of inclusion, kindness, and never giving up! Hear more about the books, Simon’s work with children in the community, the Frank and Mustard hip-hop songs, and more in this fun interview. Visit https://www.frankandmustard.com/ to learn more!

Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at http://www.acceleratemed.org/SCI. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod Several years after his spinal cord injury, Lan Remme became a poet. We spoke with Lan some time ago about this journey, how he learned to write and pursue this passion, and of the valuable lessons that he learned (and that we can all learn) from finding something that brings us and others joy. In addition, writing poetry brought profound benefits for Lan. We were deeply saddened when Lan died in June of 2021. We are grateful that we had the opportunity to speak with Lan about his poetry. This recording will be a lasting and special memento for us. There is a dedication to Lan and his family as part of this podcast. At the end, we have included a reading of one of Lan’s poems written after this interview. We hope that you will listen and find the same pleasure in listening to Lan and his poetry that we did.

Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at http://www.acceleratemed.org/SCI. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod After spinal cord injury, individuals often work with many different rehabilitation therapists across both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation as they recover and as function changes over time. We had the chance to talk to several different kinds of rehabilitation therapists about their work including: What is involved in becoming a therapist? What are the main things that each discipline works on with their SCI patients? Why does someone choose to be a therapist and work in rehabilitation? In the fourth podcast of this series, we talk with Celina Smith MS, CCC/SLP about her work as a speech language pathologist and learn about what speech therapists focus on when working with people who have had a spinal cord injury.

Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at http://www.acceleratemed.org/SCI. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod COVID-19 has changed our lives dramatically in the last seven months. From constant masking to a jump in telemedicine to quarantining, everyone has seen major disruptions to their daily routines. But what does COVID-19 mean specifically for people with a spinal cord injury? In this forum, Aaron Bunnell M.D., U.W. assistant professor of Rehabilitation Medicine and Jeanne Hoffman PhD, professor in the department of Rehabilitation Medicine and director of the Northwest Regional SCI System, discuss what we know and do not know about COVID-19 and spinal cord injury. They discuss Dr. Bunnell’s work in U.W. Medicine’s post COVID telehealth clinic as well as the potential issues for people with SCI and a diagnosis of COVID-19, the pros and cons of in-person routine care, and strategies for minimizing exposure from caregivers.