Jordan Jr. was only two years out of high school when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943 during the height of World War II. Two years later, while stationed in France, Jordan’s jeep rolled while traversing a minefield in northern France.
The crash left him permanently paralyzed from a spinal cord injury and he was sent back to the United States to recover. In many ways, his battle was only beginning. Jordan, like many of his military comrades, returned stateside with mobility challenges and unique medical needs, but found a world that was not ready for their arrival.
They were unable to access their homes, navigate public transportation, or participate in society. Medical knowledge was limited, rehabilitation was still developing, and many veterans remained in hospital wards unsure of what their futures might hold. Some were described as “dead-enders” or “no-hopers.” Unwilling to accept this as their new normal, these veterans banded together, just as they did in combat overseas, to battle their new reality head-on.
They wanted more than survival. They wanted homes, careers, families, and meaningful lives outside an institution. And they wanted it for everyone.
In January of 1946, 70 paraplegic veterans gathered in the Recreation Hall of the Red Cross at Birmingham General Hospital in Van Nuys, California, to map a pathway for their advocacy. This marked the first meeting and formation of Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), a nonprofit Veterans Service Organization that provides support and services for veterans with spinal cord injuries and diseases (SCI/D), like multiple sclerosis (MS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Editor’s picks The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century Six months later, the organization launched one of the earliest and most prominent disability publications dedicated to individuals with spinal cord injuries and diseases, PN Magazine, or Paraplegia News.
Still in production today, PN continues to be a vital resource for news, information, and support tailored to the disability community. What began as a way to reclaim their lives outside of hospital beds laid the foundation for America’s adaptive sports movement. Ten months after PVA was founded, its members organized the nation’s first wheelchair basketball game while receiving care at Birmingham Veterans Administration Hospital.
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