Local Yoga Pioneer
Recognized
At age 13, Matthew
Sanford from Duluth, Minn., now aged 42, was involved in a car crash
that left him paralyzed from the chest down. Advice from his doctors
to “forget his lower body,” however,
was what really crippled Sanford, until he discovered yoga at age
25. Now a nationally recognized yoga teacher, author and renowned
expert in mind-body integration, Sanford is in the running to be
named “America’s Greatest Hometown Hero.” He
has been identified as one of the nation’s top 40 heroes
in the 6th Annual Volvo for Life Awards – an annual, nationwide
search for real-life heroes across America.
The American public can visit www.volvoforlifeawards.com and vote
for Sanford. This democratic vote will decide the program finalists
in Volvo’s hero search. Three winning heroes will receive $100,000
for their charities. One winner will receive a new Volvo car every
three years for life.
In 2001, Sanford founded Mind
Body Solutions, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the simple
and practical notion that minds and bodies work better together,
offering programs in the workplace, in corporations, at the yoga
studio and in the community at large. Sanford teaches yoga to people
of all abilities at the Courage Center in Golden Valley and at studios
throughout the country, but he is a pioneer in adapting yoga for
people living with disabilities. Sanford also shares his philosophy
on the fundamental importance of the mind-body relationship in his
memoir Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence. He is currently
using his personal experience to help transform the delivery of healthcare,
including an initiative for veterans. ![]()
Source: www.volvoforlifeawards.com
New
Head for U of M Equal
Opportunity Office
Kimberly Hewitt Boyd was
recently named the new director of the University of Minnesota
Office for Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA). Boyd
joined the university from Hamline University Law School, where she
served as assistant dean for students and multicultural affairs.
A native of Minneapolis, Boyd was previously a partner in the law
firm of Rider Bennett and has served as an in-house attorney for
the Minneapolis Public Schools.
The Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) was
founded in 1972 to ensure that all University community members uphold
federal and state civil rights laws and regulations, as well as University
equal opportunity policies. It is committed to eliminating individual
and systemic barriers that inhibit individuals and groups from attaining
equal access to University of Minnesota employment, education, programs
and services.
“The EOAA Office … has
done a great job of being a resource to the university for educational
opportunities and conflict resolution,” Boyd said. “I
hope to capitalize on the existing good will and push even harder
to increase the visibility of our office so more people can look
to us as a resource for diversity education, training, complaint
processing and resolution. I want to make the environment better
for all people.” ![]()
Source:
Bob San, University News Service
Arc Conference Celebrate
Attitude
Changes
The Arc of Minnesota and its
13 local chapters convened recently in Duluth to address how to provide
continued support for Minnesotans with intellectual and developmental
disabilities, and to celebrate the progress made during the organization’s nearly
60 years of advocacy.
“Since The Arc of Minnesota’s creation in the 1950s
by a small group of concerned parents, it has worked to advance the
rights of people with developmental disabilities to live, work and
learn as active members of our community,” said The Arc of
Minnesota’s Executive Director Steve Larson. “We have
come a long way since the days of state-run institutions, and now
our friends and neighbors with developmental disabilities are finding
greater acceptance and new opportunities for growth and self determination.”
At the top of The Arc of Minnesota’s agenda is to discuss
ways that people with developmental disabilities and their families
can have more control over services such as housing or caregivers,
and how the quality of those services can also be improved.
“This annual conference enables us to connect, celebrate the
great progress that we have made as individuals and as a state, and
to listen to our members and their families so that we are providing
them with the services they need most,” said Les Bauer, outgoing
president of The Arc of Minnesota. The majority of conference attendees
are people with developmental disabilities and their families, and
others who care for them. ![]()
Source:
The Arc of Minnesota, www.arcmn.org
Breakthrough
Rehab Technology
Announced
New technology that may help stroke and
other neurological patients to regain lost hand control and improve
mobility is now available at Courage Center in Golden Valley.
One aspect is neuro-rehabilitation therapy for the upper extremities.
The prosthesis is a soft polymer fitting that rests over the hand
and forearm. Embedded in the device are surface electrodes that stimulate
muscles in the hand and wrist. A microprocessor allows the therapist
to program the device with a series of exercises customized for each
person.
Another neuro-rehabilitation system, for the lower extremities,
is designed to help people experiencing foot drop to regain mobility
and help “normalize” walking and gait. The L300 uses
wireless communication to “talk” to its components, eliminating
wires and allowing the clinician the ability to fine-tune settings
while the patient is actually walking. This system is appropriate
for a range of conditions, including traumatic brain injury, multiple
sclerosis, cerebral palsy and incomplete spinal cord injury.
Source:
Courage Center, visit www.courage.org
