We connected with our newest partner, All Wheels Up—which increases awareness for safer and more dignified accessible air travel through research and advocacy—through Dr. Cheryl Archbald, recipient of the BCPH Professional Grant in 2022. 

Awarded by lottery to a BCPH Professional member who joined by January 2022, the grant empowers the recipient to identify a public health organization to receive $10,000 in support. Dr. Archbald selected All Wheels Up based on her experiences raising a child with special needs who uses a wheelchair. “I have directly experienced the challenges of airplane travel for passengers with disabilities,” she explains. “I am confident that the BCPH grant will provide assistance with furthering these important efforts to improve global accessibility of airplane travel for individuals with disabilities.” 

Dr. Archbald, who holds degrees from Harvard College, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and volunteers with various community and professional organizations, exemplifies BCPH’s mission to democratize public health.

All Wheels Up’s mission is to increase awareness for safer and more dignified accessible air travel through research and advocacy.

Founder Michele Erwin created All Wheels Up in 2011 trying to arrange a trip to Disney World with her son Greyson who has SMA. After experiencing the difficulties of traveling with a Wheelchair, she knew something needed to be done and embarked on the journey of getting wheelchairs crash tested for Accessible commercial flight.

We ultimately found out existing wheelchair restraints from Q’Straint used in Accessible Cars and Buses can exceed the FAA requirement of 16 G’s and started testing them and working with regulators such as the FAA, Airlines, Airplane Manufacturers, and Congress to see how we can make Airplanes Accessible.

Being able to fly on Airplanes from the safety of your Wheelchair is something the disability community has wanted for years. Air Travel currently is a nightmare for us and many don’t even fly because of bad experiences; Wheelchairs get damaged constantly and even sent to the wrong airport and Airlines spend millions every year repairing them.

Our solution is for those who use electric wheelchairs, as well as properly modified Manual Wheelchairs, to independently maneuver themselves onto the plane with dignity and safety

We know Accessible Airplanes will allow Airlines to reach an untapped market of millions of customers and that it will dramatically increase the profits of the entire Travel industry.

Wheelchairs have actually flown on Airplanes before and the first time was on Air Force One when FDR flew on a modified military plane called “The Sacred Crow” to join Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin at the Yalta Conference in 1945. The plane featured an elevator that could accommodate FDR and his Wheelchair.

Military Cargo Planes like the C-130 and C-5 feature tracking that has been used to transport wheelchairs in emergency situations.

At the end of 2018, All Wheels Up was so proud Congress passed the FAA Reauthorization Act with our amendment requiring a feasibility study into wheelchair securement systems that we spent years advocating for. It also required airlines to finally report how many wheelchairs they break every month, contained a Passenger with Disabilities Bill of Rights, sets minimum seat dimensions, and much more.

The feasibility study, which you can read here, was finally released in 2021 and “did not identify any issues in this preliminary assessment that seem likely to present design and engineering challenges so formidable that they call into question the technical feasibility of an in-cabin wheelchair securement system and the value of exploring the concept further”.

In 2022 Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced plans for a new rule in the coming years to allow passengers to stay in their wheelchairs when they fly.

There are currently 4 million wheelchair users in the USA and growing according to the latest census and Adults with Disabilities spend $17 billion on travel annually. There are another 4 million in the EU and millions more in the developing world.

The FAA projects US airline passenger growth to average 2% every year and US air travel demand to go from 756.3 million passengers in 2014 and nearly double by 2035 reaching 1.14 billion passengers. The IATA projects world airline passenger growth to average 3.8% ever year and world air travel demand to double from 3.5 billion passengers in 2015 to 7 billion by 2034.

Combined with a dramatically growing elderly population, accessible planes can bring in a travel revolution.

Computer Ally specializes in total IT solutions for small and medium businesses.  We support many industries such as medicine, law, investment, finance, accounting, construction and more. We also specialize in nonprofit (501c3) organizations.  With the internet becoming the most dominant forum for communication and advertising, our 15+ years of experience and expertise will make us a valuable asset to your business.

Infinity Ivy Consulting (IIC) is a premier educational consulting firm that provides pathways to academic excellence, scholarship, and peak business performance.

The International Society for Chronic Illnesses is an effort to unite health care workers from all over the world to improve the quality of life of people with chronic conditions.

OUR VISION
To enable people with chronic conditions to focus on their aspirations instead of their illness.

OUR MISSION
To alleviate the morbidity associated with chronic illnesses through observation, analysis, implementation, and follow-up.

OUR PROGRAMS

• PRMP
  The Peer Research Mentorship Program (PRMP) was started with the goal of providing mentorship to new researchers who aren’t able to find a guide. The mentors will see through the entire research from the formation of research question to publication in a journal of good standing. Projects ranging from meta-analyses and systematic reviews to observational studies and short communications are conducted in the program.
• TRCCI
  Trainee-led Research Collaborative for Chronic Illnesses is ISCI’s endeavor to produce high-impact research through sharing of workload and exchanging ideas and skills among health care workers and trainees.
• UM4CI
  Unconventional Methods for Chronic Illnesses (UM4CI) focuses on patient education and advocacy for alternative methods in medicine to enable self-care and home-management in patients with chronic conditions. Through this program, we aim to shift the current trends in chronic illness management towards a patient – centered holistic care

OUR IMPACT
The International Society for Chronic Illnesses was started in June 2021 in two nations, with about 60 members and one active program.

Over the last year, we are pleased to share with you that we have increased our reach to several nations across Asia, Africa, and North and South America with 850+ members and three active programs.

The Malaysian Doctors for Women & Children is an academic forum made up of Malaysian doctors who are passionate about the scientific discourse of surrounding issues that impact women and children. How might an academic forum help with women’s and children’s issues, you may ask? We believe that it is important for doctors and healthcare professionals to understand the non-medical issues that may affect the decision-making of our patients, as health or illness do not occur in isolation from the many variables of a person’s life. Understanding these non-medical issues encourages us to view the patient as an individual with their own hopes and wishes, and by understanding these issues, we move towards a non-paternalistic doctor-patient relationship where collaboration is key and patient compliance and satisfaction are high.

There are many civil society organisations (CSO) that work for the rights of women and children in Malaysia. We believe that doctors and healthcare professionals are key persons in advancing women’s and children’s rights. We wish to encourage doctors and healthcare professionals to learn more about these non-medical issues and to work hand-in-hand with CSOs by providing evidence-based research, as well as to celebrate incredible Malaysian and Asian women who are at the forefront of women’s and children’s rights advocacy!

In Red Carpet Manuscript, Dr. Rob provides a clear, compassionate, and entertaining roadmap for how you, as an author, can conquer Hollywood. In this book, you will learn about the Hollywood mindset you need to win, the contracts Hollywood offers authors, and the specific adaptation documents Hollywood needs before it can seriously begin considering your work. In this book, you will also learn how to find and directly reach out to busy Hollywood executives and be given practical strategies and tools to be as successful as possible as an author in Hollywood.

The Smiles for Success Foundation (SFS) was established in 1995 by members from the American Association of Women Dentists. The Smiles for Success Foundation was formed to assist women in transition from welfare to work who cannot afford the cost of dental care. Facing a job interview for them may mean self-consciousness, embarrassment and pain as they attempt to hide decayed, missing and damaged teeth.

In early 1996, the pilot program was launched in New York City, and programs in Boston, Denver, and Philadelphia were developed in 1998. Smiles for Success is now active in several states.

Smiles for Success offers cost-free dental care to women who have completed community programs or are currently enrolled in job readiness programs with community based agencies, religious institutions or rehabilitative systems. While restoring oral health and a healthy smile, Smiles for Success gives participants a competitive edge in the job market by enhancing their appearance and assurance.

Smiles for Success also work in partnership with the aforementioned training programs, which have accredited, with successful records and training and placing women in jobs. In addition, each multiple Smiles for Success local area program works in conjunction with a clothing Agency for their interviews.

Smiles for Success was founded help those who are helping themselves. The dental care offered is intended as a short-term solution to those who need treatment unavailable to them through government programs or traditional insurance, as they move from welfare to work.

Recognizing the enormous lack of adequate dental care among the disadvantage, Smiles for Success educates and instructs women treated by the volunteer dentists so they and their families will then seek and maintain permanent dental care as they become financially stable.

Dentists Wishing to Volunteer

Dentists wishing to participate in this rewarding program should complete the Volunteer Dentist Application and return it to Smiles for Success office. Upon review and approval, participants are then referred to the dentist by the participant’s job training or placement program. Dentists’ services are donated. Any laboratory fees will be covered by partner labs or reimbursed to dentists who are members of the American Association of Women Dentists. Dentists interested in joining the AAWD can apply for membership at aawd.org at 800-920-2293 for more information.

Corporate Sponsorship Interest

Funding for the Smiles for Success Foundation program is provided to the generosity of corporate sponsorships, individual donations, and grants. Initial funding through grants from the Foundation of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, the Gillette Hayden Memorial Foundation, the Quaade Foundation, and the ADA Foundation made it possible to provide the basic services to get this worthwhile program established.

Make a Contribution to the Smiles for Success Foundation

Your donation will help make it possible to continue and extend Smiles for Success programs into new areas and provide services to even more clients. The Smiles for Success Foundation is recognized by the IRS as a charitable organization under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code. As such, donations to the foundation are tax-deductible as charitable contributions to the extent permitted under the law. Click here to make your donation.

If you have any questions, please contact the SFS National Office at 800-920-2293 or send an email to [email protected].

Focused on educating future leaders in public health, Student Health Equity Forum‘s mission is to create a dialogue on the importance of health equity and engage in projects with partner organizations in Boston and across the globe on leading public health issues.