Publications target spinal cord injury

An extensive collection of audiovisuals and publications on spinal cord injury is available from the Spain Rehabilitation Center at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.

The materials are produced and distributed by the Medical Rehabilitation Research and Training Center in Secondary Complications in Spinal Cord Injury at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. They are written for individuals with spinal cord injury, families, teachers, personal care assistants, and health care professionals. Subjects include accommodating students with disabilities, family adjustment to spinal cord injury, lists of organizations for individuals with spinal cord injury, nutrition, bowel management, bladder management, sexuality, and a review of research.

Some of the publications are available on the organization’s World Wide Web site at http://www.spinalcord.uab.edu.

For more information, contact: University of Alabama in Birmingham-Spain Rehabilitation Center, Training Office, Room 506, 1717 Sixth Ave. S, Birmingham, AL 35233-7330. Telephone: (205) 934-3283. TDD: (205) 934-4642. Fax: (205) 934-2709.

CARF monograph deals with ethical issues

CARF...The Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission, with headquarters in Tucson, AZ, has developed a 130-page monograph, The Persons Served: Ethical Perspectives on CARF’s Accreditation Standards and Guidelines, tailored for medical rehabilitation providers.

The monograph was edited by John D. Banja, PhD, coordinator of clinical ethics education at Emory University Medical Center and professor in the department of rehabilitation at Emory University School of Medicine.

Develop policies, resolve problems

Written by 10 authorities in the field of medical ethics, the monograph was developed to assist providers in developing practical policies and mechanisms for resolution when ethical dilemmas occur in rehabilitation.

Each chapter is tied to CARF accreditation standards from a recent Standards Manual and Interpretive Guidelines for Medical Rehabilitation. Topics include records access and the records of persons served, admission criteria, benefits, dignity, patient satisfaction, individual rights and the disability rights movement, guardianships and conservators, and confidentiality.

The monograph (item 5140.24) costs $60 plus $7 shipping and handling. To order, contact CARF, 4891 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85712. Fax: (520) 318-1129. Telephone orders are not accepted, but for questions about ordering, call (520) 325-1044. For more details, see the CARF World Wide Web site: http://www.CARF.org.

Book educates children about disabilities

A book that educates children about other children with physical limitations has been written by Jamee Heelan, OTR, coordinator of the children’s amputee program at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC).

The Making of My Special Hand tells the story of a girl born without a left hand who was fitted with a battery-powered "helper" hand at the RIC. The book is designed to demystify disability for all children.

Heelan’s second book, the story of a child in a wheelchair, is slated for publication by the end of the year. The first book, which costs $14.95 plus $3 for shipping and handling, can be ordered from the Education and Training Department, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, 345 E. Superior St., Room 1641, Chicago, IL 60611. Telephone (312) 908-2859.