Spinal Cord Injury Bounces Back

Washington , D.C. — The National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA) hosts a Washington, DC advance screening of the Sundance Film Festival award-winning documentary MURDERBALL, about quadriplegic rugby, Sunday, May 8, 2005; 6:00 PM; Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Avenue, NW.

This “sneak preview” kicks-off the Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Summit, “Facing Issues, Creating Solutions™” and the SCI Hall of Fame™.

“ MURDERBALL is not the usual tale of pitiful woe generally popular in the media,” stated NSCIA CEO Marcie Roth. “In the wake of black-eye images against life after spinal cord injury presented in Million Dollar Baby, MURDERBALL brings home the GOLD. This is a refreshingly audacious full-court expose about hard driving, competent individuals with SCI achieving dream goals in sports, love and life.”

MURDERBALL , will be released in theaters in July, and stars Mark Zupan real-life USA Rugby Team Captain. Zupan, will attend and wrangle a lively Q&A after the screening.

MURDERBALL launches SCI Summit 2005, May 9-11. The Summit will galvanize 200 thought-leaders and key influencers from across America to join forces with federal, media and corporate partners.

Another highlight of SCI Summit 2005 is a Media Plenary Monday, May 9, 2005 at 2 PM at the Mayflower to explore disability bias in the media.

Participants include Robert David Hall, star of CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation , Peabody and Emmy-Award winning reporter John Hockenberry, Tim Gilmer, Editor of New Mobility Magazine, Mary Johnson, Editor of The Ragged Edge , Marilyn Salisbury of The San Diego Union, and Dan Raviv of CBS National Radio Weekend Roundup .

Additionally, NSCIA and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts host the first-ever SCI Hall of Fame™ on May 9 at 7:30 PM at the Millennium Stage, emceed by Robert David Hall. Ten notable inductees including Teddy Pendergrass, John Hockenberry and Senator Tom Harkin, will receive awards following a 6 PM performance by jazz singer/composer with SCI Lisa Thorson.

Founded in 1948, NSCIA forges paths in policy and services that empower people with SCI . NSCIA ( www.spinalcord.org ) hosts panels of experts as media sources, covering all aspects of SCI: quality of life, research, media, rehabilitation, international issues, disabled veterans and civilians, trends and technology.