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Kaelan Richards: 202-973-7175, 

UCP ANNOUNCES UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA AS WINNER OF WORLD CP DAY INVENTION CONTEST 

Team designs solar-powered wheelchair, awarded 1st prize of $20,000

Donates chair to man who submitted idea, funds to help advance World CP Day

Washington, D.C. (May 10, 2013) – United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) and its international partners have announced the winner of the first annual World CP Day invention contest: a team from the University of Virginia, who created a solar-powered wheelchair.

World CP Day was established in 2012 as a way to raise awareness and support for people living with cerebral palsy around the world. Through the “Change My World In One Minute” contest, people can submit ideas for something that would make a real difference in the lives of people with cerebral palsy—and an incredible 473 ideas were submitted. From these, three final ideas were selected: a fold-up motorized wheelchair, a documentary on cerebral palsy in the 21st century and a solar-powered wheelchair. The public was then invited to submit proposals for a chance to win $25,000 and to bring their ideas to life.

The team from the University of Virginia, led by Dr. Mool Gupta, included six students: Dennis Waldron, Duncan McGillivray, Craig Ungaro, Ankit Shah, Maria Michael and Kyung Kim, and was primarily constructed at the National Institute of Aerospace’s Research and Innovation Laboratories Facility. The concept for the wheelchair was inspired by the design of retractable roofs on convertible cars and utilizes lightweight yet robust materials with high efficiency solar cells. This innovative combination enables the wheelchair to increase its range by more than 40 percent over battery usage, and to run a one mile per hour indefinitely without consuming any battery charge. Operated by a single switch, the wheelchair includes standard components as well as USB power outlets. 

Awarded $20,000 for their first prize invention, Dr. Gupta and his students decided to use the prize money to refine and ship the wheelchair to the man who posted the suggestion online, Alper Sirvan, who has cerebral palsy, and donate the remaining proceeds back to UCP to help advance World CP Day in the years to come. 

“UCP is thrilled to present this award to the University of Virginia for their creation of a solar powered wheelchair as part of the first World Cerebral Palsy Day’s Change My Life in One Minute invention contest, which focused on concrete, attainable ideas that could change people’s lives. We are very proud to say that, together with the incredible efforts of the University of Virginia, Dr. Gupta, and all of the students and partners involved, one of these ideas has been brought to life,” said Stephen Bennett, President and CEO of United Cerebral Palsy. “And it is truly inspiring to hear of the University of Virginia’s decision to use the prize money to send the wheelchair to the man who inspired the idea and return the remaining funds. I applaud these extraordinary individuals for their work, and appreciate their efforts in helping to ensure that people living with cerebral palsy can live their lives to the fullest.”

“This team of graduate and undergraduate students have created a device that will truly benefit those with disabilities,” Engineering School Dean James H. Aylor said. “The students on the team are excellent examples of the type of engineer we strive to produce in the U.Va. Engineering School – innovative leaders who are agents of change in society. I am thankful for the World CP Day organization for giving them this opportunity and for the National Institute of Aerospace for providing laboratory space.”

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About United Cerebral Palsy
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) educates, advocates and provides support services through an affiliate network to ensure a life without limits for people with a spectrum of disabilities. Together with nearly 100 affiliates, UCP has a mission to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with disabilities by supporting more than 176,000 children and adults every day—one person at a time, one family at a time. UCP works to enact real change—to revolutionize care, raise standards of living and create opportunities—impacting the lives of millions living with disabilities. For more than 60 years, UCP has worked to ensure the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in every facet of society. Together, with parents and caregivers, UCP will continue to push for the social, legal and technological changes that increase accessibility and independence, allowing people with disabilities to dream their own dreams, for the next 60 years, and beyond. For more information, please visit www.ucp.org.

About the World CP Day Campaign:
World Cerebral Palsy Day is an innovative way for 17 million people with CP to tell the world what they need to make their lives better and it's a way to turn some of those ideas into reality. World CP Day was piloted in 2012. From 1 August, people with cerebral palsy, their families and friends posted ideas online for something that could be created, developed or modified that would change the world for someone with cerebral palsy. Ideas were posted as text or video. Each idea needed to take only 1 minute to read or watch. From World CP Day, September 4, people were encouraged to go online, review the ideas and vote for the concepts that could have the greatest impact on people’s lives. At the end of September, the World Cerebral Palsy Day Panel reviewed the ideas and public votes. Three ideas were shortlisted for development. Social activists, researchers, inventors, and innovators were then invited to turn the shortlisted ideas into reality. They competed for a total prize pool of $25,000. The winner was announced on April 27, 013.

World CP Day partners include organizations from America, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Finland, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Singapore, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, St Lucia, Sweden, Turkey and the UK.

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CONTACT:

Kaelan Richards: 202-973-7175,

UCP ANNOUNCES $25,000 INNOVATION CONTEST 

Challenges inventors to bring three ideas to life and help better the lives of people with disabilities

Washington, DC (January 9, 2013) – United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) has announced $25,000 in prize money to anyone who can create one of the three winning ideas submitted to the World Cerebral Palsy Day’s “Change my World in 1 Minute” contest.

Estblished in 2012 as an international day of awareness about cerebral palsy, World CP Day is focused on change and innovation that can make a real difference for people living with disabilities. To jumpstart this change, World CP Day’s “Change my World in 1 Minute” contest challenged people to submit ideas that would help improve mobility, independence, accessibility, communication or social connections for people living with cerebral palsy, offering $25,000 in prize money to who ever can bring these three ideas to life.

 Solar-powered wheelchair:

A solar-powered wheelchair would enable individuals who rely on motorized wheelchairs to charge their chairs on the go with solar energy and eliminate current battery life limitations.

Fold-up motorized wheelchair:

This idea proposes developing a motorized wheelchair that could be easily disassembled to fit into a regular car or SUV, instead of a specially modified vehicle.

Documentary: Cerebral Palsy in the 21st Century:

A documentary focusing on the successes of people with cerebral palsy and work to develop role models for the millions of people living with disabilities around the world.

The “Change my world in 1 minute” contest identified these three ideas as the best of nearly 500 global submissions. Inventors from around the world are invited to join the contest and compete for a share of the $25,000 in prize money. Submissions are due on March 31, 2013, and the winners will be announced on the next World Cerebral Palsy Day: September 2, 2013. Find out more about the contest and get involved today!

“We're challenging the world to bring these three innovative ideas to life—and to help people living with disabilities become more independent, increase accessibility, and raise awareness,” said Stephen Bennett, President & CEO of United Cerebral Palsy. “We invite everyone, including universities, engineers, companies, inventors, hackers and makers to bring their best thinking to the contest. This is a chance to use the best of humanity's gifts to change the lives of others. Let’s get started!”

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About United Cerebral Palsy

United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) educates, advocates and provides support services through an affiliate network to ensure a life without limits for people with a spectrum of disabilities. Together with nearly 100 affiliates, UCP has a mission to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with disabilities by supporting more than 176,000 children and adults every day—one person at a time, one family at a time. UCP works to enact real change—to revolutionize care, raise standards of living and create opportunities—impacting the lives of millions living with disabilities. For more than 60 years, UCP has worked to ensure the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in every facet of society. Together, with parents and caregivers, UCP will continue to push for the social, legal and technological changes that increase accessibility and independence, allowing people with disabilities to dream their own dreams, for the next 60 years, and beyond. For more information, please visit www.ucp.org.

Three ideas chosen to help “Change my world in 1 minute” for people living with disabilities

Washington, DC (December 10, 2012) – United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) has announced the winning ideas for the World Cerebral Palsy Day “Change my world in 1 minute” contest, which challenged people to submit ideas that would help improve mobility, independence, accessibility, communication or social connections for people living with cerebral palsy.

Nearly 500 ideas were submitted to the “Change my world in 1 minute” contest, and more than 5,800 people voted for the ideas they thought would make a difference in lives of people with disabilities. The World Cerebral Palsy Day Panel carefully reviewed each proposal and has selected three innovative and dynamic ideas. The next phase of the contest will enable anyone to build the three final ideas and compete for a share of the $25,000 prize money and the opportunity to see their ideas brought to life.

The winning ideas from the contest are: 

Solar-powered wheelchair:

Submitted by an individual with cerebral palsy, this idea would enable individuals who rely on motorized wheelchairs to charge their chairs on the go with solar energy and eliminate current battery life limitations.

Fold-up motorized wheelchair:

This idea proposes developing a motorized wheelchair that could be easily disassembled to fit into a regular car or SUV, instead of a specially modified vehicle. An individual who relies on a motorized wheelchair but does not have an adaptive van submitted the idea, stating that getting to work each day is a challenge, and a fold-up wheelchair would “make life with CP so much easier.”

Documentary: Cerebral Palsy in the 21st Century:

This idea proposes a documentary focused on the successes of people with cerebral palsy and would work to develop role models for the millions of people living with disabilities around the world.

With the final selections made, the World Cerebral Palsy Day Panel now invites researchers, innovators and inventors to create these three products. The resulting inventions will be judged on April 19, 2013, and the winners will be eligible for a share of the $25,000 prize.

“We are thrilled that so many creative and diverse ideas were submitted to the World CP Day “Change my world in 1 minute” contest. The panel reviewed each entry carefully and the final three exemplify the innovative and groundbreaking designs we think will make a real difference in the lives of people living with cerebral palsy,” said Stephen Bennett, President & CEO of UCP. “UCP wishes every inventor the best of luck in their work, and we are looking forward to next step in this process and bringing these ideas to life.”

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About United Cerebral Palsy

United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) educates, advocates and provides support services through an affiliate network to ensure a life without limits for people with a spectrum of disabilities. Together with nearly 100 affiliates, UCP has a mission to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with disabilities by supporting more than 176,000 children and adults every day—one person at a time, one family at a time. UCP works to enact real change—to revolutionize care, raise standards of living and create opportunities—impacting the lives of millions living with disabilities. For more than 60 years, UCP has worked to ensure the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in every facet of society. Together, with parents and caregivers, UCP will continue to push for the social, legal and technological changes that increase accessibility and independence, allowing people with disabilities to dream their own dreams, for the next 60 years, and beyond. For more information, please visit www.ucp.org.

 International fundraising and fitness event raises over $700,000 

More than 5,800 people vote for World CP Day ideas to change the world

Washington, DC (October 17, 2012) – United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) has announced the final results from the first annual World CP Day and the World CP Challenge, an international awareness and fundraising campaign for people living with cerebral palsy.

World CP Day, held on September 4, marked the beginning of a month dedicated to ideas to make the world a better place for people living with cerebral palsy. 461 ideas were submitted to the “Change my world in 1 minute” contest, which challenged people to come up with ideas that would help individuals with cerebral palsy through improved mobility, independence, accessibility, communication or social connection. Over 5,800 votes were cast, and the World Cerebral Palsy Day Panel is now reviewing the proposals. The winners will be announced in March, 2013, and researchers, innovators and inventors will be given grants to turn their ideas into reality.

World CP Day also served as the kick-off for the World CP Challenge, a month-long event to raise awareness, encourage people to exercise, and raise money to support individuals living with cerebral palsy. Throughout September, teams from around the world exercised and raised donations to help people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities. A total of 6,999 people, including 2,183 in the United States, formed teams and entered their activities and fundraising efforts on the World CP Challenge website—and raised a total of $774,399 worldwide.

“The success of our first World CP Day and the World CP Challenge is an incredible achievement, and I am so proud of the efforts of all of those who participated. From innovative ideas submitted to the “Change my world in 1 minute” campaign, to the amount of donations raised, the dedication and commitment throughout the entire month of September was extraordinary,” said Stephen Bennett, President & CEO of UCP. “I applaud the efforts of our teams around the world, and look forward to the exciting work to be done as we continue to strive to ensure that people living with cerebral palsy can live their lives to the fullest.”

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About United Cerebral Palsy

United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) educates, advocates and provides support services through an affiliate network to ensure a life without limits for people with a spectrum of disabilities. Together with nearly 100 affiliates, UCP has a mission to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with disabilities by supporting more than 176,000 children and adults every day—one person at a time, one family at a time. UCP works to enact real change—to revolutionize care, raise standards of living and create opportunities—impacting the lives of millions living with disabilities. For more than 60 years, UCP has worked to ensure the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in every facet of society. Together, with parents and caregivers, UCP will continue to push for the social, legal and technological changes that increase accessibility and independence, allowing people with disabilities to dream their own dreams, for the next 60 years, and beyond. For more information, please visit www.ucp.org.

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CONTACT:
Kaelan Richards: 202-973-7175, Alicia Kubert Smith: 202-973-7168,   

UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY CELEBRATES FIRST WORLD CP DAY, LAUNCHES GLOBAL FITNESS CHALLENGE

World CP Challenge to raise awareness, support for people living with CP

Washington, DC (September 4, 2012) – United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) celebrates the first annual World Cerebral Palsy Day today with the launch of the World Cerebral Palsy Challenge, an international awareness and fundraising campaign designed to provide critical funds in support of people living with cerebral palsy.

World CP Day marks the beginning of a month dedicated to making the world better for individuals with cerebral palsy. Through the “Change my World in 1 Minute” campaign, individuals are encouraged to submit videos, texts or audio files of approximately one minute with ideas about how to change the lives of people with cerebral palsy through improved mobility, independence, accessibility, communication or social connection. For the entire month of September, any one can log on and vote at: worldcpday.org for the ideas they think would make a real difference in people’s lives. An international World Cerebral Palsy Day panel will review the most popular submissions and award grants to researchers, innovators and inventors to turn selected ideas into reality.

“We are very excited to be celebrating the first World Cerebral Palsy Day, a day which will help raise awareness and support for people living with CP, as well as make a real difference in their lives. Through the “Change My World in 1 Minute” campaign, innovative ideas and products will be realized and used to improve the lives of millions of people around the world,” said Stephen Bennett, President & CEO of UCP.

Close to 50 nations across the globe are planning awareness activities for the day, a remarkable number for this inaugural years. For a complete list of international organizations participating in the day, go to worldcpday.com.

World CP Day also marks the launch of the World CP Challenge, a month-long campaign that encourages people to get active and support individuals living with cerebral palsy. Throughout September, more than 1,000 teams comprising close to 5,000 participants and organizations around the world will compete as teams to exercise and fundraise. Each team and participant will track their daily steps with a pedometer; however, they are not limited to just walking to participate. The Challenge website offer participants a list of 40 activities —including activities for people living with disabilities— that also can count toward their daily step total. As the team’s steps are entered, their progress will be tracked as they climb their own virtual mountain representing the seven tallest peaks on the globe. The funds raised will support vital services and groundbreaking research to help people with CP.

“The World CP Challenge is a great way for people around the world to step-up, get involved, and support the approximately 57 million Americans living with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, as well as the estimated 650 million individuals worldwide. By committing to just one month of activities, anyone can help to make a lasting difference for those living with and impacted by disabilities,” Bennett said. “I challenge everyone to take part and walk, step, roll or run their way to supporting people with cerebral palsy around the world.”

Cerebral palsy is a physical disability caused by an injury to the developing brain, which usually occurs before birth. It affects movement and is a lifelong condition, but its impact varies from person to person. United Cerebral Palsy works with its nearly 100 affiliates throughout the country to educate, advocate and provide services for people living with a spectrum of disabilities, such as housing, physical therapy, assistive technology training, early intervention services, individual and family support, social and recreational programs, community living, and employment assistance.   

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About United Cerebral Palsy
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) educates, advocates and provides support services through an affiliate network to ensure a life without limits for people with a spectrum of disabilities. Together with nearly 100 affiliates, UCP has a mission to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with disabilities by supporting more than 176,000 children and adults every day—one person at a time, one family at a time. UCP works to enact real change—to revolutionize care, raise standards of living and create opportunities—impacting the lives of millions living with disabilities. For more than 60 years, UCP has worked to ensure the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in every facet of society. Together, with parents and caregivers, UCP will continue to push for the social, legal and technological changes that increase accessibility and independence, allowing people with disabilities to dream their own dreams, for the next 60 years, and beyond. For more information, please visit www.ucp.org.