Here at LIM Innovations we pride ourselves on the diversity of our team. We have a fantastic group of engineers, designers, machinists, clinicians, and amputees with relevant experience in the field. With such a diverse group working behind the scenes, we invite you to join one of our staff members each week for an in-depth look at what they bring to table. It is our goal to provide our loyal reader’s a behind-the-scenes look at LIM Innovations. Ranjit Steiner, Marketing Director, picks up the pen this week to discuss his first experience at the ACA National Conference.
I attended my first ACA National Conference last week in Arizona.
I have been an amputee for nearly five years, and have learned a lot in that time. I can still remember my first track meet four years ago. I walked up to Kortney Clemons, whose videos I had been watching on YouTube since deciding to amputate my leg, and asked him if I could warm up with him. Without hesitation, he introduced himself and told me to jump right in. Last season, I was on the other end of the table. I was on the infield warming up, when a new Paralympic hopeful came up to me and asked if he could join me in my warm up.
Attending the ACA National Conference reminded me of those moments, because I was exposed to both ends of the spectrum again. This time I was right in the middle of it all. I learned from more experienced amputees, and provided whatever experience I have to newer amputees.
LIM Innovations took center stage at the event. We had a booth on the showroom floor, hosted a product workshop, participated in a panel discussion on advancements in prosthetic socket technology, and sponsored the first Night Under the Stars event.
The Night Under the Stars event proved to be the highlight of the conference. We launched a video campaign “If I had it my way”, where amputees were asked to introduce themselves and share what they would do with their life if they had it their way. We had nearly 40 participants of all different backgrounds. The answers ranged from singing and dancing again to giving away legs to children in need, and everything in-between. The goal is to impact health insurers and policy makers to provide better care and coverage for advanced prosthetic technology.
What I was not expecting, was the drawn-out emotional responses and personal connection to the question. I began to wonder how many people had truly thought about what they would do if they had it their way prior to that moment on camera. It was an eye-opening experience to see people share such personal and intricate details of their lives with a complete stranger. Being behind that camera is an experience I would not trade for anything else.
I am hopeful that this campaign will have a lasting impact, not only on the people who participated and shared their stories with us, but also on Capitol Hill.
LIM Innovations has compiled a short video, capturing a snippet of each person’s response, to take to Capitol Hill. We hope to use this video to influence policy, and improve the access to care for amputees.
We hope you enjoy the video, encourage you to share it on your social media networks, and invite you to contact us to find out how you can work with LIM Innovations and the Amputee Coalition to take action and lobby for your limb.
If you would like to get involved, please reach out to me at rsteiner@liminnovations.com or check out the Amputee Coalition’s Grassroots Advocacy Center.
LIM Innovations encourages all of our followers to sign the petition to rescind the recent Medicare proposal. We support our LIM Certified Providers, Infinite Socket users, and the rest of the amputee community to improve access to care and advanced prosthetic technology.