TUCSON, Ariz. — Nearly 1,000 amputees, caregivers, family members and friends gathered for the opening ceremony of the 2015 Amputee Coalition National Conference, here.
Susan Stout, president and CEO of the Amputee Coalition, highlighted some of the Coalition’s recent accomplishments.
“First, as you may have noticed, we made some progress with the [Transportation Security Administration] TSA,” she said. “Because of our efforts and advocacy, we were able to eliminate the cast scope in security screenings, which was very problematic for amputees and is now no longer being done.”
The Amputee Coalition updated its peer visitor curriculum, almost doubling the number of peer visits in the past 2 years. The Coalition also relaunched its website, reached 60,000 likes on its Facebook page and has committed to increasing video education opportunities.
Thanks to contributions to the Kathy Spozio Bridge to Ability Scholarship, 10 scholarships were awarded to new amputees, enabling them to attend the conference for the first time.
Susan Stout
“Over the next few days, I hope you will learn some new information, forge some new connections and encounter technologies that will empower you to shine,” Stout said. “Through your support, membership and volunteering, we have and will continue to make a lasting difference for the limb loss community.” – by Shawn M. Carter
Reference:
Stout S. Opening ceremony. Presented at: Amputee Coalition National Conference; July 23-25, 2015; Tucson, Ariz.
Disclosure: Stout reports no relevant financial disclosures.
