Mission & History: The 1970's
With the introduction of a new logo in 1970, United Cerebral Palsy positioned itself to take on the challenges of the next decade. Research funded by UCP helped develop a vaccine for the rubella virus, which caused more than 20,000 births of children with cerebral palsy during its initial outbreak. This important discovery eliminated a major cause of cerebral palsy.
At a 1971 dinner party, Isabelle Goldenson turned to her dinner partner and asked: If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we develop a lightweight wheelchair for people with disabilities? Mrs. Goldenson's question resulted in her husband meeting with Dr. James Fletcher, then director of NASA. Then United Cerebral Palsy and NASA co-sponsored a conference that explored the use of space age technology to benefit people with disabilities. Through this union, NASA engineers developed a lightweight wheelchair as well as medical monitoring equipment. Access to space age technology also led to other developments such as motorized wheelchairs and communication devices for people with disabilities.