ATLANTA — Amputees receive prosthetic legs with relatively little payer resistance. Wheelchairs are a different matter.
Why do O&P professionals get the funding that home care providers can only dream of? "There are a lot of reasons," said Ann Eubank, MSSW, OTR/L, ATP, at a Nov. 17 Medtrade session on consumer advocacy. "One of them is that in our culture we do not value wheels."
Two decades after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) revolutionized access for people with disabilities, glaring gaps remain. Pointing out those deficiencies is one of the many goals of Eubank in her role as executive director of Users First Alliance, a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to ensuring appropriate access to seating and mobility equipment by empowering wheelchair users, clinicians and providers through education.
Users First Alliance (www.usersfirst.org) gives providers and patients tools and ideas to fight for access to mobility equipment. Based on the premise that people with disabilities are underrepresented, Eubank contends that like any minority, those people must organize and agitate for change.
"You don't want consumers to be passive," said Eubank, who also conducts educational/advocacy seminars for Tenn.-based Permobil. "From a sales point of view, they [patients] are going to fight for better products. No one in this country has rights without forming a voice. If we keep them silent by not offering choice — not allowing them to be mad — they will never have a voice."
So far, the message is working, membership is increasing and social networking via FaceBook has attracted more than 1,000 fans. The momentum started at the International Seating Symposium back in March 2007, and has continued with a University of Pittsburgh partnership.
Despite the efforts of industry groups, Eubank is convinced that lawmakers must hear from a lot more wheelchair users to raise awareness and capitalize on the 20-year anniversary of the ADA. "They [legislators] don't know the difference between what you do and the drop-ship-and-drive model," said Eubank. "They also don't care if all of you go out of business."
Eubank is determined to boost membership and clout, while adding another powerful voice to a growing consumer movement. Ultimately, she believes that teaching consumers how to fight can work, and providers must join in and educate consumers. "If you give up," said Eubank, "We won't have a Medtrade anymore. We can touch every wheelchair user and physical therapist. They do not say 'no' to us."