PROFILE: Edy Lopez(sci)

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PROFILE: Edy Lopez
Sheila McKenna

December 22, 2002

ROLE

Office manager-mailroom supervisor at the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association; member of the ESPV Nets wheelchair basketball team and member the National Wheelchair Basketball Association; recognized on Nov. 20 for his work by the Queens Borough President's Task Force on Persons with Disabilities.

BIOGRAPHY

41; born in Bronx, raised in Puerto Rico; at age 18, while serving on an aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy, an injury he suffered eventually led to disability; an amputee, he alternates between a wheelchair and a prosthesis; has worked at EPVA for past 13 years; married to Marisol for 20 years, three sons; lives in Flushing.

IMPACT

"EPVA hosts the tri-state games, veterans games in basketball, softball, ice hockey and tennis. But the clinics for the kids are held to create awareness for the children that there are sports out there for them. I worked mostly in basketball and we've been fortunate in that so many of them have taken advantage. Because the difference between the child without sports and with sports is incredible."

FOCUS

"Creating an awareness of the importance of sports ... especially for the young parents who have children who are either born with disabilities or acquire disabilities due to an accident. It's a natural instinct to want to shelter them, but they also need an outlet. They need to be part of society and, with or without a disability, they need to be productive. I've been disabled for 22 years and I've only known about EPVA for the past 13, which is unfortunate because I would have qualified for Team USA Paralympics."

PROUD OF

"I worked for an organization, EPVA, that has opened the doors for people of all disabilities. We have helped in terms of bringing social workers, doctors and mental health programs together. We have also done a lot for spinal cord injury research. EPVA has worked on research projects at Yale to create new information for MS, spina bifida and all other types of spinal diseases."
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