Amputee
Coalition of America
Conference
Orlando,
Florida
July 7 -
9
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The Amputee Coalition of
America will host its 10th national
Conference in Orlando, Florida July 7 -
9.
The ACA Conference is the largest
gathering of amputees in the world -
over 500 attendees are expected to make
the trip to Orlando.
One of the highlights of conference
is Saturday's Exhibitor Display. This
unique event allows amputees first hand
experience at checking out the latest
gadgets and prosthetic technology - the
only exhibition open to end users in
the world. Over 80 exhibitors will be
attending this years event.
Other features include seminars on
gait training, consumer advocacy, pain
management, emotional, self-esteem and
wellness and vascular & diabetic
education.
For more information on registration
check out the Amputee Coalition of
America's WEB Page at http://www.amputee-coalition.org/aca/annual_mtg/index.html
Here is what past attendees have to
say about past years ACA conferences
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Saw
an AK amputee, like me, Black
Belt Sonny Couch do
sumersaults and bounce right
up again, stand balanced for
minutes on one leg (his
prosthesis) & fight off
attackers (in a mock battle)
and similar gymnastics I had
thought impossible for an AK
to do. It convinced me that if
he could do it, so could an
old guy like me.
Had
the opportunity to meet a
bunch of great guys and gals,
there, and was impressed with
everyone I met.
Art
Yeomans Tulsa
OK
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I
think that attending the ACA
conference was one of the most
exhilarating experiences of my
year. There is a mood, an
exuberance , that just can't
be expressed through the
internet at times.
It's
an overwhelming experience to
see in front of you, so many
levels of progress,
determination, and comaraderie
in a group of supposed
strangers.
The
social interaction is
non-stop, the activities
diverse enough to entertain
all and the sessions are
informative enough to teach
everyone at least one new
thing or spark another
query.
Stacey
Asby Atlanta
GA
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The
ACA convention was the first
I'd attended and the memories
of the friends I've met there
still bring a smile to me. The
technological exhibits and
seminars on gait were very
interesting, but like the
others mentioned, the
highlight was meeting others.
Friends from the web, authors
of books and leaders of other
support groups seemed to be
everywhere. For the first time
I felt as if we were the norm
and the few able bodied guests
of the hotel were "unusual".
Highly recommended!
James
Stewart Hamilton,
Ontario
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In
all my years involved with
sport and meeting other
athletic amputees, the one
thing missing was a sharing of
experiences. We always seemed
too wrapped in the competition
and never had time to relax
and enjoy the company of other
amputees.
The
ACA Conference creates a sense
of commaraderie that was often
missing in sport. Just having
500 other amputees together in
one hotel is enough of a power
boost for a t least six months
after I came back to
Vancouver.
Too
bad it is only for a few short
days.
Ian
Gregson, Vancouver,
BC
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Check
out some photos from the 1999
Conference in
Reno
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