What we do
Aspire's projects and services have a very simple goal - to provide the support needed to take those who use them from injury to independence.
Our services cover a diverse range of areas, all of which we know are in demand by many of the 40,000 people living with spinal cord injury in the UK. Sometimes we are called upon to provide a practical solution; a grant for a wheelchair that will give the user independent mobility for the first time since their injury or housing that will allow the tenant to move out of a care home, for example. At other times we simply need to pass on information, training or advice gleaned from our years of experience - a simple solution, but one that can have a dramatic impact on those who are still learning about their injury and what is available to them.
What we do and when is dictated by the individual using the services - every situation is unique and so we avoid a 'one size fits all' approach in favour of meeting the specific needs of those who we work with. To meet these needs effectively, our services frequently operate in conjunction with one another; a patient might be desperate to use a computer again, which could see our Independent Living Officer ensure they have the relevant Assistive Technology training before helping them complete a Human Needs application form for the equipment they need.
Meanwhile, the research carried out by the Aspire Professor for Disability Sciences is constantly uncovering new ideas that will develop into new ways of working and our campaigning takes everything that Aspire does and ensures that our expertise feeds into national policy and practice.
The results of our work, in all its guises, can be seen in the independent lives of those we work with.