The purpose of The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Quality of Life program grants is to fund non-profit organizations that serve paralyzed individuals and their families and caregivers by enhancing their independence, their everyday happiness, and their access. The three categories in which grants are provided are the Actively Achieving, Bridging Barriers, and Caring and Coping categories. Actively Achieving projects allow paralyzed people to participate in enjoyable activities such as riding a bike or training for a job, while Bridging Barriers projects enable them to overcome the obstacles that prevent them from participating fully in society by providing accessibility modifications and access to special technology. Caring and Coping projects support the caregivers of the paralyzed with peer networks, conferences, and other supportive groups and services.
The value of this program is that for the paralyzed individual it removes some of the limitations of being paralyzed, and for the family and caregivers, it makes his job easier and frees him up somewhat to live his own life. The usual limitations of paralysis are so severe that without the Quality of Life grants, most individuals bound to a bed or a wheelchair have few opportunities to participate in activities that other people take for granted. This undoubtedly leads to depression and hopelessness as they have little to look forward to each day and only minimal variety in their daily routine. Moreover, the burden on family and caregivers is generally severe, restricting them to staying with the paralyzed individual and take care of his needs virtually around the clock. Through this program's grants, each paralyzed individual and those that care for his needs can live a more normal life with fewer hindrances and greater quality of life to make their lives worth living. The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation's Quality of Life grants acknowledge "the im...