Independence Cup & Adaptive Sailing featured on CBS Chicago. July 28, 2026 Body. CBS Chicago recently featured a segment about the Independence Cup, the nation's premier and longest-running regatta for adaptive sailors. The Independence Cup is sponsored by Shirley Ryan AbilityLab's Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program. Through the event, sailors with a range of functional impairments - from spinal cord injury to vision loss - compete on Lake Michigan in specially designed, accessible sailboats. Thirty sailors from around North America competed in the Independence Cup. CBS Chicago followed along with Ginny D., a visually impaired sailor from Toronto, and her crew as they got ready to race on Lake Michigan. "As a visually impaired person, I was always the crew. I thought that's all I could do," said Ginny in the CBS segment. "In 2019, I joined a blind sailing group in Toronto, and, ever since then, I've been working on helming. I just love it - the freedom of being on the water, the invigoration, the wind on my face." The Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program has a longstanding mission of expanding access to sailing on Lake Michigan for people with physical impairments. Justin "Judd" Goldman was 17 when he experienced a bone disease that resulted in significant physical impairments. After realizing there were few sports he could participate in, Judd discovered sailing. After a lifetime of sailing, Judd passed away in 1989 at age 75. In 1990, his wife, Sliv, son, Peter, and daughter, Judy, established the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation as a public/private partnership with the Chicago Park District. Over the next 35 years, the foundation offered a unique, learn-to-sail program to bring the joy and independence of adaptive sailing to thousands of participants. In 2026, a generous gift from the foundation and family of Peter and Carol Goldman helped to establish the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. "We're really proud and honored to be a part of offering opportunities to everybody of all abilities," said Derek Daniels, director of adaptive sports and fitness at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, in the CBS segment. Mentioned page. Shirley Ryan AbilityLab's Pablo Celnik, MD, CEO, and John Dunkin, PT, vice president, strategic alliances, recently visited Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, Ill., to meet with hospital leaders and... A recent segment on WBEZ-FM, Chicago's NPR affiliate, highlighted Shirley Ryan AbilityLab's thriving adaptive sports program - Chicago's most comprehensive, which offers year-round competitive and recreational sports opportunities for youth and adults living with a physical impairment. Richard Harvey, MD, is retiring after more than 30 years with Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. He is the David W. Trott Clinical Chair of The John and Kathy Schreiber Brain Innovation Center at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, as well as the Wesley and Suzanne Dixon Stroke Chair for Stroke Rehabilitation Research.

Shirley Ryan AbilityLab joins Henry Ford Health to celebrate milestone in Detroit hospital expansion. June 01, 2026 Body. Henry Ford Health recently celebrated the "topping out" of Henry Ford Hospital's new patient tower by placing the final steel beam at the top of the tower currently under construction. This marks a significant milestone in a $2.2 billion expansion plan to reimagine Henry Ford Health's Detroit campus. Shirley Ryan AbilityLab - known for its innovative approach to rehabilitation that leverages the latest in scientific breakthroughs, tools and technology - will occupy three of the top floors in the new tower in a 72-bed, state-of-the-art physical medicine and rehabilitation facility. The inclusion of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab was made possible through a nearly $130 million investment by the Gilbert Family Foundation. Cheri Blauwet, MD, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab's chief clinical officer and senior vice president, attended the topping-out celebration on behalf of the rehabilitation hospital. "Each year, tens of thousands of people across greater Detroit survive life-altering conditions - stroke, brain and spinal cord injury, cancer and amputation - and the need for specialized rehabilitation is only accelerating as the population ages," said Dr. Blauwet during her remarks. "It's an honor to help shape this next chapter in Detroit and bring world-class physical medicine and rehabilitation care directly to this community." The patient tower is the most visible component of the expansion project known as Destination: Grand that is transforming the 111-year-old hospital campus in Detroit's New Center neighborhood. "For more than 70 years, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab has defined the standard in rehabilitation, advancing science-driven care that helps people strengthen how they function, move and communicate," said Pablo Celnik, MD, CEO of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. "Through Destination: Grand, patients in Detroit will no longer need to leave their community to access world-class rehabilitation care and recoveries. We are deeply grateful to the entire Henry Ford Health team and the Gilbert Family Foundation for making this shared vision a reality." Since breaking ground in September 2024, construction crews have installed 6,800 tons of steel and logged more than 600,000 cumulative work hours. Eventually, they will cover the building's façade with more than three football fields' worth of glass. "This steel beam symbolizes the strength of our commitment to the city we've called home for more than a century," said Henry Ford Health President and CEO Bob Riney. "This milestone moment brings us one step closer to opening the hospital of the future, where people from Detroit and around the world will have access to the very best in medical breakthroughs, technology, treatment, and healing environments, regardless of where they live or their socio-economic status." Mentioned page. Shirley Ryan AbilityLab will now offer accessible sailing on Lake Michigan to those with physical impairments. Shirley Ryan AbilityLab again has been recognized as the national leader in rehabilitation, topping the U.S. News & World Report list for the 35th consecutive year. It remains the only hospital of any kind to hold this distinction, and has been ranked the No. 1 rehabilitation hospital every year since 1991. Shirley Ryan AbilityLab Chief Operating Officer Laura Ferrio recently appeared as a guest on JR Sunday with Mark Hollis on WJR-AM for a conversation about how the rehabilitation hospital's expansion into Detroit will benefit healthcare in the region.

Shirley Ryan AbilityLab receives $5 million gift from Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation. by Megan Washburn 13 May 10:33 PDT Shirley Ryan AbilityLab receives $5 million gift from Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation (C) Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Through a generous gift valued at more than $5 million, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, ranked the nation's No. 1 rehabilitation hospital, will now offer accessible sailing on Lake Michigan to those with physical impairments. The gift - given by the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation and the family of Peter and Carol Goldman - will result in what's to be called Shirley Ryan AbilityLab's Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program. For more than 35 years, the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation has offered a unique, learn-to-sail program. Founded in 1990 in memory of Judd Goldman - who passed away in 1989 - by his wife, Sliv, son, Peter, and daughter, Judy, the foundation's mission has always been a personal one. "My father was 17 years old when he experienced significant physical disabilities following a bone disease. Despite great challenges, he went on to live a fulfilling life, founding a consumer packaged goods company and achieving business success," said Peter. " While navigating his disability, he found sailing to be one of the few sports that he could participate in. Since establishing the foundation in 1990, it has given as much to my family, including my wife, Carol, and our children, Karen and Jeff, as it has given to our participants." The foundation - which has since been fueled by the Goldmans, their dedicated board and a community of supporters in partnership with the Chicago Park District - has a fleet of specially designed sailboats and has offered instruction to participants with conditions ranging from multiple sclerosis to spinal cord injury. In the process, it has fostered self-esteem and independence among the thousands it has served. Shirley Ryan AbilityLab has been a strong supporter of the foundation since its inception, increasing access and driving participation through the hospital's adaptive sports program. Now, the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program will live within Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, which offers 12 adaptive sports in partnership with the Chicago Park District - from archery and golf to wheelchair basketball and softball - to hundreds of patients and community members each year. In addition to the generous philanthropic investment, including an endowment for the program from the Goldmans and the foundation, the gift comprises a fleet of adaptive sailboats and other boating equipment. "The Goldman family have been friends and steadfast supporters of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab going back decades," said Pablo A. Celnik, MD, CEO of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. "We're deeply honored they've entrusted us to help carry their vision forward, and we're humbled to continue building on their remarkable legacy for generations to come." About Shirley Ryan AbilityLab Shirley Ryan AbilityLab is the global leader in physical medicine and rehabilitation for adults and children with the most severe, complex conditions - from traumatic brain and spinal cord injury to stroke, amputation and cancer-related impairment. Founded in 1953, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab has been designated the No. 1 rehabilitation hospital in America by U.S. News & World Report every year since 1991. In March 2017, the organization opened its doors to a $550 million, 1.2-million-square-foot transitional research hospital in which clinicians, scientists, innovators and technologists work together with patients, applying novel research during rehabilitation. The central goal of the translational approach is to develop and rapidly implement new research and insights to help patients gain more function, achieve better outcomes, and enjoy greater ability and independence. Shirley Ryan AbilityLab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information, go to www.sralab.org.