Spinal Cord Injuries Australia (SCIA) is a

non-government organisation A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

which provides advocacy and services to people with

spinal cord injury A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. Symptoms may include loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in the parts of the body served by the spinal cor ...

(

paraplegia Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neural ...

, quadriplegia) and similar conditions.

History

SCIA was established in 1967 as the Australian Quadriplegic Association (AQA) by a group of patients in

Prince Henry Hospital The Prince Henry Hospital site, formerly known as the Prince Henry Hospital, Sydney, is a heritage-listed former teaching hospital and infectious diseases hospital and now University of New South Wales, UNSW teaching hospital and rehabilitatio ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. They were unable to leave hospital because there was no accommodation or services to support them in the community. AQA was renamed in 2003. Under SCIA's constitution at least 50% of its board of directors must have a spinal cord injury or similar condition. The founding members were Trevor Annetts, Tom Clarke, Graeme Dunne, David Fox, Peter Harris, George Mamo, Jim McGrath, Robert McKenzie, Alan Moore, John Munday, Cecil Murr, Brian Shirt, Paul Sorgo, Stan Wanless, and Warren Mowbray. David Fox was the first president. They were encouraged to set up an organisation by

social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

Gary Garrison, supported by Dr

George Burniston George Garrett Burniston (23 November 1914 – 27 June 1992) was an Australian physician who specialised in rehabilitation medicine. He had a long association with Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney and the University of New South Wales, having e ...

. They were successful in securing accommodation at Bon Accord Nursing Home in Coogee and later established Ashton House in Maroubra. AQA developed a number of other supported group accommodation residences and transitional accommodation services.

Services

Services provided by SCIA today are information
advocacyaccessible accommodationNDIS Plan Management and Support Coordinationemploymentpeer and family support
an
NeuroMoves
an innovative, holistic, evidence-based exercise and therapy service for people living with a neurological condition or physical disability. The SCIA Customer Connect team responds to more than 850 calls a year from disabled Australians and their families, and maintains a library of disability resources at the SCIA office in Sydney, New South Wales. the SCIA online Resource Library provides a wide variety of resources for people with spinal cord injuries and their families, containing articles and contact details of medical, support and advisory services. A regional information team also provides individual support and advice for people with spinal cord injury in coastal and inland NSW. SCIA advocates for independent living services that would support people with high level care needs in their own homes, such as

public housing Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...

, personal care, housekeeping, equipment supply and

income support Income Support is an income-related benefit in the United Kingdom for some people who are on a low income, but have a reason for not actively seeking work. Claimants of Income Support may be entitled to certain other benefits, for example, Housi ...

. Over time these were introduced by federal and state governments. SCIA also campaigns for increased employment opportunities for people with disabilities, increased funding for disability equipment programs and for the provision of more wheelchair-accessible public transport."Wheelchair-accessible transport concessions"
from the hearings of the Australian Parliament SCIA services are funded by State and Federal government grants, public donations, fundraising activities and commercial contracts including SCIA's Geo and Data coding for the Transport for New South Wales Centre for Road Safety and the Teamsafe program.

References

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External links

official homepage
Health charities in Australia Disability organisations based in Australia Wheelchair organizations Medical and health organisations based in New South Wales