Our History
After the formation of the Swiss Paraplegic Foundation in 1975, the Swiss Paraplegic Association (SPA) followed on April 27th, 1980. Both were founded by the past head physician of the Swiss Paraplegic Center Basel (today REHAB Basel), Guido A. Zäch, together with the 7 already existing Wheelchair Clubs Basel, Biel, Kriens, Uster, St. Gallen, Wetzikon and Zurich.
Today, 27 Wheelchair Clubs throughout Switzerland, over 4000 Active and over 7000 Passive members belong to the Swiss Paraplegics Association (SPA). The SPA supports to a great extend financially as well as administratively the 27 Wheelchair Clubs which are honorary (volunteer) based managed. The 54 delegates (two from each club) are representing the supreme authority, the Assembly of Delegates.
| 1966 | Founding of Kriens wheelchair club (today Zentralschweiz wheelchair club) |
| 1969 | Founding of Uster wheelchair club (today Züri Oberland wheelchair club) |
| 1970 |
Founding Paraplegic Group of Fribourg (renamed Fribourg Wheelchair Club, 1981) |
| 1972 | Founding of Basel wheelchair group (today beider Basel wheelchair club) |
| 1975 | Founding of the Swiss Paraplegic Foundation |
| 1976 | Founding of BSC 76 Wetzikon (today Züri Oberland wheelchair club) and Bienne wheelchair club |
| 1979 | Founding of Bern and Tessin wheelchair clubs |
| 1980 | Founding of the Swiss Paraplegic Association (SPA) |
| Founding of Zürich and St. Gallen wheelchair clubs | |
| 1982 | Accession of Bern wheelchair club |
| First issue of Paracontact in both German and French in A5 format, with a red cover and an unbelievable length of 80 pages! | |
| 1983 | Opening an own SPA branch office in Kriens |
| Founding of Zürich wheelchair diving club | |
| 1984 | Founding of Bern wheelchair diving club and Gruyère wheelchair club |
| 1985 | Founding of de la Côte and Naters (today Oberwallis wheelchair club) |
| 1986 | Founding of Aarau wheelchair club (today Aargau wheelchair club) |
| 1987 | Founding of Lausanne, Solothurn and Yverdon (today du nord Vaudois wheelchair club) |
| 1989 | Founding of Jura wheelchair club |
| The Culture and Leisure section issues a holiday concept | |
| 1990 | Founding of Chur and Geneva wheelchair clubs |
| 1991 | Founding of Winterthur-Schaffhausen wheelchair club |
| 1992 | Founding of Neuchâtel wheelchair club and accession of Tessin wheelchair club |
| 1993 | Admission of the Swiss Paraplegic Association in Swiss Olympic as the organisation for Wheelchair Sport |
| Founding of the Swiss Paraplegic Committee (the SPA is a benefactor) | |
| First issue of the sports magazine «Go Ahead» under the title «ParaSportContact», as the Para Contact is now published only four times per year. Editors Daniela Jutzeler and André Deville | |
| 1995 | Opening of the Centre for Obstacle-free Building as a nationwide specialised department |
| Rugby World Championship in Nottwil | |
| Founding of the Wallis Romande Wheelchair Club | |
|
1997/1998
|
The long experienced Central Secretary Werner Waldispühl hands over the SPA leadership to the new director, Dr. Thomas Troger |
| 1998 | Founding of Thurgau wheelchair club and Aargau wheelchair tennis club |
| Enterprise reorganisation and introduction of modern management structures | |
| The SPA initiates a referendum to oppose the abolition of the quarter disability payment (4th disability insurance revision) | |
| Basketball European «B» Championship held in Nottwil, Switzerland | |
| Member’s publication receives the characteristic square with the title Paracontact | |
|
1999
|
Conducted a referendum campaign against the abolition of the quarter disability payment (Won the referendum of the Swiss people with 69% majority) |
| Rugby European Championship in Nottwil, Switzerland | |
| 2000 | Paracontact is published in colour for the first time |
| For the first time the SPA signs service contracts with the wheelchair clubs (earlier directly with the Federal Social Insurance) | |
| 2001 | Acquisition of the Institute for Vocational Assessment and Employment |
| Track and field athletics European Championships in Nottwil | |
| Tennis World Team Cup in Sion | |
| 2002 | Curling World Championship in Sursee, Switzerland |
| The SPA introduces the Association’s website www.spv.ch and www.rollihotel.ch (wheelchair accessible hotels) | |
|
2004
|
The SPA establishes contact with various European organisations representing disabled, to discuss founding a European Spinal Cord Injury Federation (ESCIF) |
| The new disability equality law (BehiG) comes into force | |
| Curling World Championship in Sursee, Switzerland | |
| Basketball European «B» Championship in Uster, Switzerland | |
|
2006
|
Founding of the European Spinal Cord Injury Federation (ESCIF) on the initiative of the SPA. The SPA operates the head office |
| Hand-cycling World Championship in Aigle, Switzerland | |
| Sport shooting World Championship in Sargans, Switzerland | |
| Table tennis in Montreux, Switzerland | |
| 2007 | Founding of Carouge wheelchair club |
| Launching of the www.rollstuhlsportevents.ch website | |
| 2008 | Dissolution of Bern Wheelchair Diving Club |
| For the first time awareness courses offered to companies, associations and private persons | |
| Enhancement of public affairs in Bern with recruitment of extra resource personnel | |
| The network strategy continues to be enhanced through specific appointments to committees | |
| SPA inaugurates the social policy advisory group | |
| Curling World Championship in Sursee, Switzerland | |
| Basketball European «B» Championship in Nottwil, Switzerland | |
| 2009 | Set up counselling services section |
| New assignment for vocational assessment and employment: The service returns to SPC | |
| Strategic cooperation agreement with the Swiss Paraplegic Foundation (SPF) through a service mandate | |
| The Clinique romande de réadaptation (CRR) and the SPA seal a cooperation agreement in the sector rehabilitation of spinal cord injuries. The SPA opens an office in Sion | |
| Daniel Joggi hands over the presidency to Christian Betl and becomes president of the Swiss Paraplegic Foundation. | |
| Wheelchair Sport Switzerland is given new structures and boosts professionalization of wheelchair sport | |
| IAWS track & field athletics Junior World Championships held in Nottwil | |
| 2010 | The SPA is awarded 4 stars for business excellence (EFQM) |
| The SPC provides membership administration services to the wheelchair clubs through the RIA Portal | |
| Introduction of the sport lectures service | |
| Opening of the sports advisory corner at the Bellikon Rehabilitation Clinic | |
| Badminton European Championship in Filzbach, Switzerland | |
| 2011 | Wheelchair clubs Wetzikon and Uster merge to become wheelchair club Zürich Upland |
| The Centre for Obstacle Free Building assumes the property management of the SPA | |
| Rugby European Championship in Nottwil | |
| 2012 | Expansion and professionalization of sport lectures |
| The new Sports Promotion Act comes into force | |
| 2013 | The Tessin wheelchair club InSuperAbili is affiliated as the 27th club |
| Expansion of public affairs section due to the disability insurance revision 6b | |
| The SPC begins to develop the new department «Applied Knowledge Transfer» | |
| The SPC enters into cooperation with the University of Lucerne | |
| The area of legal advice is enhanced | |
| 2014 | An IPC Athletics Grand Prix takes place in Switzerland for the first time |
| The SPV takes a seat on the board of Integration Handicap | |
| The SPV takes over the web application Paramap and further develops the service | |
| The Area of Life Counseling is enhanced | |
| Para-Archery European Championships in Nottwil, Switzerland | |
|
2015
|
The SPC opens the Jubilee Year of the organizations of the Swiss Paraplegic Group with the presentation of a new wheelchair accessible converted coach |
| Other events will follow | |
| The Institute for Social and Legal Advice (ISLA) is renamed the Institute of Legal Advice (ILA) | |
| Para-cycling World Championships in Nottwil | |
| 2016 | The SPV is awarded 5 stars for Business Excellence (EFQM) |
| The SPV wins the Swiss Arbeitgeber Award (Category 50-99 employees) |