St. Petersburg Resident Jennifer French to Be Honored By National Disability Nonprofit

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Oct. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — United Spinal Association will host its third annual StrongWheeled Together Awards ceremony tonight in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. at the Abilities Expo at the Broward County Convention Center. The Awards celebrate the cultural and intellectual leadership of wheelchair users who have impacted the fabric of American life, part of a broader initiative that pays tribute to the power of community.

United Spinal Association is proud to present St. Petersburg, Fla. resident Jennifer French with the Brooke Ellison Community Visionary Award. The Community Visionary Award will be presented to Jennifer French of St. Petersburg, Fla., Executive Director of Neurotech Network and one of the most recent recipients of the Craig H. Neilsen Visionary Prize. French is also the past president and a founding member of the North American Spinal Cord Injury Consortium, co-lead on the SCI-Powered Network, and co-organizer of the iBCI Collaborative Community.

French is also an accomplished parasailer who won the silver medal with Team USA in 2012. Sports is another locus of activism and advocacy for her, having founded the Warrior Sailing Program for injured and disabled veterans. She is also the author of On My Feet Again: My Journey Out of the Wheelchair Using Neurotechnology. She has lived with quadriplegia since 1998. United Spinal is honored to present French with the first-ever Community Visionary Award.

This year, the Award recognizes winners across two additional categories.

Named for a stem cell research and medical ethics trailblazer whose passing last year shook the community, the Brooke Ellison Community Visionary Award honors an individual who has changed the face of the fields of technology or business. The recipient’s work must exemplify ideals around civic engagement and social responsibility that align with United Spinal’s vision.

The James J. Peters Community Builder Award is named after United Spinal’s most significant historic leader, a veteran and civil rights activist. It honors an individual who has achieved significant social progress for wheelchair users. The Community Builder Award will be presented to Mack Marsh of Franklin, Texas, a long-time advocate for people with disabilities, and founder of the Parking Mobility program, which educates and mobilizes community members against accessible parking abuse.

The Barry Corbet Community Voice Award honors a creative professional who has advanced the positive and authentic representation of people with disabilities in American public life. The Community Voice Award will be presented to Regan Linton of Alexandria, Va., an accomplished actor, filmmaker, writer, and outspoken leader on inclusion in the arts. She is the co-director of the award-winning documentary IMPERFECT.

The StrongWheeled Together Awards arose from a multi-issue campaign created by United Spinal in 2022 to raise the profile of people with disabilities in American life, invigorate the cause of disability justice for a new generation, and broaden the historic coalition that has fought for disability rights. It is part of a companion events series and conference that is taking place virtually in 2024.