Harlan Hahn, pioneer in disability rights movement

Harlan Hahn, a longtime University of Southern California professor of political science and champion of disability rights who successfully sued the university to improve access for disabled people campuswide, died April 23 at his Santa Monica home. He was 68. Click here for article.

Novick no stranger to beating long odds The political insider, a onetime Justice Department star, transforms himself into a credible U.S. Senate candidate

As his family explains it, Novick found out that he would have to defend a giant pharmaceutical firm that had sold an allegedly dangerous drug and he just couldn't do that. Click here for more.

WHAT?! 'DEAF' GI BEING SENT BACK TO WAR

A New York soldier thought he had done his duty battling America's enemies overseas after losing the hearing in his left ear and injuring a knee. But Uncle Sam isn't finished with James Raymond, yet. Now he's headed to Iraq. Click here for article.

 PBS; KET production Program title: The ABCs of HDTV Program PREMIERED: Feb 9, 2008

Description: Nick Clooney hosts a look at the nationwide switch from analog to digital television, what it means for people who receive TV signals over the air, and the new features and services available via digital Link to web cast of program: http://www.ket.org/cgi-bin/cheetah/watch_video.pl?nola=kabch+000000&altdir=&template=

Wheelchair Fight Begins in San Francisco

Now a San Francisco supervisor, Alioto-Pier is running into similar trouble at City Hall, where her colleagues recently voted against a plan to lower the board president's elevated speaking dais so a ramp could be installed. Click here for more.

PAI Sues National Day Care Center for Failure to Accommodate Student with Epilepsy

Protection and Advocacy, Inc. recently received court approval to add the Epilepsy Foundation of America as a plaintiff in a previously filed lawsuit in Federal Court against Tutor Time Child Care/Learning Centers, LLC for its discriminatory policy against a child with epilepsy. Click here for more.

BELLEVUE HOSPITAL, NYC

BELLEVUE EYED AS LUXE HOTELOriginally, officials considered turning the 1931 Italian Renaissance-style building on First Avenue between 29th and 30th streets into condos, but oddly, the layout of a mental institution is better suited to a hotel, Melissa Konur, vice president of the city's Economic Development Commission, told The Post. Click here for more

Cops Dump Over Guy in Wheelchair

Second Wheelchair Dumping Case Probed In Florida

Deputies dump paralyzed man from wheelchair --In Hillsborough County, Florida, police were caught, by their own surveillance cameras, dumping a quadriplegic man from his wheelchair and onto the ground. Apparently they were trying to determine whether or not he actually needed the chair. Click here for CBS video.

Play Video Related Links Deputy Dumps Man From Wheelchair TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Another inmate who uses a wheelchair is complaining of abuse by Hillsborough County jail detention deputies. Click here for article and video.

Former Chinese gymnast Sang Lan, who has been paralysed since her fall competing at the 1998 Goodwill Games in New York and now a TV host, makes an appearance at the 3rd Beijing International Sports Film Festival, in July 2007. China has 60 million disabled people and basketball is hugely popular in a country where homegrown NBA stars like Yao Ming are idolised. (AFP/File) Photo Tools

Resident's suit says Scarsdale lacks enough handicap parking at station

SCARSDALE - The village and town face a lawsuit from a disabled resident who says there is an inadequate number of handicap parking spaces for rail commuters at the Metro-North station. Click here for article.

Better Transit for City’s Disabled Is Urged

In addition to problems that have long plagued the public transit system, like the dearth of subway stations with elevators and a shortage of taxicabs that are wheelchair-accessible, the report also cited problems — including rude paratransit drivers, insensitive subway employees and poorly maintained equipment — that council members believe can be quickly and inexpensively corrected.Click here for article.

Is Your Web Site Accessible to the Handicapped?

While the Internet has opened up tremendous possibilities for communication and convenience for those with sight, hearing or mobility impairments, it can also be very frustrating for them if Web sites are not accessible, says Cynthia Waddell of the International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet. Click here for article.

Disabled are only Discounted in Hollywood: Time for Change

“It’s sad. I go into businesses and companies and I’m fully accepted in the corporate world, but not when it comes to a TV show or film project,” actress Teal Sherer explained. Click here for article.

Blind Students Navigate Harvard Bureaucracy

Sitting in her seventh-grade classroom nearly a decade ago, Emily K. Crockett '08-'10 blinked, just as she did thousands of times a day. Click here for article.

Awful Marketing TGI Fridays tosses out disabled customer

 Now this isn’t any way to win customer loyalty - a Wheeling Illinois TGI Friday’s restaurant asked a disabled customer and her companion guide dog to leave the restaurant a few days ago because they claimed guide dogs weren’t allowed, and didn’t have to be, no matter what the federal law stated. Click here for article.

BEAUTIFUL BALLET VIDEO (She without hand, he without leg - ballet - Hand in Hand)

Two dancers with disabilities performing a ballet: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LnLVRQCjh8c

Abilities United Productions provides representation in today's media for people with a disability.

We are the motion picture and television production company dedicated to bringing together those of all Abilities United in "Breaking the Hollywood Stereotypes of Characters and People with a Disability."Click here for more.

Microtel Inns & Suites Debuts New Prototype Suite Design

ATLANTA (Nov 14, 2007) - Microtel Inns & Suites, the all new-construction economy/limited service hotel chain, has unveiled an innovative new hotel suite prototype. The design consists of four zones in a space-efficient layout that creates a contemporary and comfortable environment with unexpected enhancements that guests would not ordinarily expect to find in an economy hotel. Click here for release.

Inflation Beats Social Security Increase 3:1

The Consumer Price Index since year 2000 has grown from 169 base points to 208.5 base points in September 2007, for an actual increase of 39.5 percent during the period. Payments have increased by about 12 percent. Inflation so far for January through September 2007 is running at 6.1 percent, or the highest rate since 1982. Click here for article.

First generation of intellectually disabled to outlive parents raises concern

They have spent years crying for their children, fighting for their rights and pleading for help and understanding from often indifferent bureaucracies. Now, as they head into their golden years, the parents of intellectually disabled children are confronted with a new and frightening question - what will happen to their sons and daughters when they are gone? Click here for article.

Songs speak to those with disabilities

It's a romantic snapshot. She dances. He watches. And when the music's over, they put their arms around each other and go home. The songwriter was Doc Pomus, a blues singer who had polio and used crutches and a wheelchair. His wife was a Broadway actress who liked going out on the town. Click here for more.

Finding adequate care for elderly, disabled requires research

Do your homework and choose carefully. Slick brochures showing smiling senior faces don't tell the whole story. Click here for article.

The Rear way?

When Accessibility Isn’t Hospitality IN my first few visits to Buddakan, one of the flashiest restaurants in Manhattan, I thought I’d taken in every twist and turn of the kaleidoscopic labyrinth it inhabits, every little detail. Click here for article.

Chamber of Commerce Opposes ADA Restoration!! On Tuesday, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest business federation, in a letter addressed to the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, went on record as opposing the ADA Restoration Act of 2007 (H.R. 3195 ... Click here for more.

The United Nations humanitarian Coordinator for Somali Erick Laroche chats with disabled girl in an internally displaced camp situated on the outskirts of the capital Mogadishu, Wednesday Aug. 1, 2007. (AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)

No charges for trucker in wheelchair incident Driver unknowingly pushed disabled man for miles at speeds up to 50 mph.. Click here fo article.

Wheelchair user taken on wild 50-mph ride. Ben Carpenter got the ride of a lifetime when his electric wheelchair became lodged in the grille of a semitrailer and was accidentally pushed down a highway for several miles at about 50 mph. Click here for article.

Hollywood Finds Its Disorder Du Jour

AUTISM has become to disorders what Africa is to social issues, the celebrity cause du jour. Click here for more.

Expert panel faults U.S. policies on disabled people

Outdated U.S. policies are keeping many disabled Americans from getting help they need, an expert panel said on Tuesday in a report faulting government inaction toward the needs of this growing population. Click here for more.

HOME Fund Allocations for Tenant-Based Rental Assistance. Click here for more.

Vouchers Eyed For Students with Disabilities. Click here for more.

ILCs and Relocating Persons from Nursing Homes. Click here for more.

AAPD urges TX Gov. Perry to Protect Emilio Gonzales

Last week, JFA sent out an action alert to make readers aware of the case of young Emilio Gonzales in Austin, Texas, and urge readers to write Governor Perry to intervene on his behalf. On account of Texas's "futile care" laws, 16-month Emilio. Click here for more.

Willowbrook Expose' 35 Years Later

January 2007 marked the 35th anniversary of Geraldo Rivera’s historic expose' on the conditions at Willowbrook State School for the Mentally Retarded located on Staten Island. Click here for more.

Disability in the News: "Life on wheels an ongoing battle" (Bronx Beat)

The MTA has installed elevators in five Bronx subway stations and 25 Manhattan stations. Click here for more.

Lack of Jobs, Accessible Homes Another Disability to Overcome

BERKELEY, D.C. - In the 35 years since the disability rights movement took root in Berkeley, changes have swept the nation without achieving the goal of full equality. Click here for more.

A French Theater Where Even Those Who Can't Hear Share One Language

PARIS, Feb. 7 - Emmanuelle Laborit is a strikingly expressive actress. While her lively face is conveying her feelings, her fast-moving hands and arms elucidate her thoughts. Being deaf since birth has never deterred her. Talented and determined, she has built her stage and screen career around her gift for communication. Now, at 35, she is embarking on her greatest theatrical adventure so far. Click here for more.

Curb Ramps Liberate Americans with Disabilities - And Everyone Else

Since 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act has required them on new construction, renovations and wherever a city does major street or sidewalk work. Click here for more.

Mentally disabled man writes book about childhood memories

When Russell McLeland started putting some of his childhood memories to paper, he didn’t know how far his endeavor would take him. He found out in December when his publisher called to tell him two large boxes of his book “Cuzs” had arrived. Click here for article.

Medicaid Funds to Keep Persons Out of Institutions -

Section 6086 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 has not received much attention. It offers States a new opportunity to provide a full (or partial) range of community-based services for seniors and people with disabilities. Click here for more.

Patient inspired awareness of disabled veterans monument

A veteran, Wiitanen loves to talk about his passion for honoring other veterans. Click here for article.

2005 Census Data Regarding People With Disabilities

Many disability advocates need up to date statistics by State or county for people with disabilities. The 2005 American Community Survey which can be found at http://factfinder.census.gov and provides a lot of useful current data. Here is a national summary of the data: Click here for more.

AAPD TO PRESENT 2007 HENRY B. BETTS AWARD TO ESTEEMED NATIONAL DISABILITY RIGHTS ORGANIZER MARK JOHNSON Award Presentation to be Made at AAPD Leadership Gala in Washington, DC - March 7, 2007

Johnson, who at the age of 20 sustained a C 5-6 spinal cord injury, went on to dedicate his life to creating an identifiable sense of community among people with disabilities. After completing a Masters in Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, he became a counselor at the Charlotte Rehabilitation Hospital, and helped establish the Metrolina Chapter of the National Paraplegia Foundation and one of the first Title VII Independent Living Centers in the U.S. Click here for more.

Stephen Hawking, the thinker, physicist, mathmatician and author of the best-seller 'A Brief History of Time,' lectures in Santa Clara, Calif., in this file photo from April 11, 1996. Hawking showed off his sense of humor Monday, Dec. 11,2006, telling an Israeli TV interviewer that 'the only advantage of my disability is that I do not get put on a lot of boring committees.' (AP Photo/Craig Fujii-File))

JERUSALEM - Stephen Hawking showed off his sense of humor Monday, telling an Israeli TV interviewer that "the only advantage of my disability is that I do not get put on a lot of boring committees." Click here for article.

N.O.D. Announces Finalists for Accessible America Awards; Winning Disability Friendly Communities to be Named on January 11

An independent, five-member judging panel of distinguished disability advocates and professionals from across the United States will select the winners, with results to be announced January 11, 2007. Read press release, click here.

Low Micronutrient Levels as a Predictor of Incident Disability in Older Women

Background The role of nutritional status in the disablement process is still unclear. The objective of this study was to assess whether low concentrations of nutrients predict the development and course of disability. Click here for article.

Housing Vouchers for Money Follows the Person - Information Bulletin

Housing is as one of the most difficult barriers to transition persons from institutions into the community. When your State is developing its Money Follows the Person application, you might consider the following sources of housing subsidies that persons in institutions might use. Click here for more.

U.N.: N. Korea puts disabled in camps

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The North Korean government rounds up disabled people and sends them away from the capital Pyongyang to special camps, where they are sorted by their handicap and subjected to "subhuman conditions," a recently released U.N. report said. Click here for more.

Medicare and You 2007 Handbook Now Available

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is encouraging people with Medicare to review their current coverage this fall to see if it will meet their needs in 2007. Click here for more.

Clinicians, Advocates Assail CMS Undermining of Wheelchair Access for Medicare Beneficiaries

Clinicians and advocates representing seniors and people living with disabilities today charged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) with "dismantling" the Medicare benefit for power mobility equipment by dramatically reducing the reimbursements for power wheelchairs. Click here for more.

New Data Offers Hope to Patients With Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia

Bipolar disorder is the sixth largest cause of disability worldwide in people aged 15-44 years[1] and is commonly mistaken for other diseases such as acute depression. Click here for article.

CDC: Among disabled, Southerners less healthy

ATLANTA Southerners with disabilities are in worse health than people with disabilities in other parts of the country, according to a federal report released today. Click here for article.

In UK: Blind Man Becomes Newspaper Owner!

John Perry, formally Editor of "disabilities.afreepress.com” becomes owner of www.allincluded.org, a free worldwide online newspaper covering local, national and international issues. Click here for more.

More, click here.

Disability rights and the civil rights revolution

Those of us who come from the first wave of disability rights advocates began our struggle within the civil rights movement of the 1960s. We learned an important lesson from that movement as to how a minority of citizens could change the way a society views the rights of all the people. Click here for article.

This is the third in a series of Oregonian Articles on Shelter Workshops.Out of the mainstream Workers with disabilities remain in insulated eddies despite a consensus

Out of the mainstream. Click here for First article.

Subminimum wages, shorted pay widespread. Click here for Second article.

Out of the mainstream. Click here for Third article.

Blind veterans are refusing to give in to their disability

He was a young lieutenant on a fast-track career, a platoon leader with the 1st Armored Division in Germany. Then Army doctors told him he was going blind from retinitis pigmentosa. Click here for article.

Disabled, but with pay

A staggering 70% of working Americans could afford only a month's unpaid vacation - or less - before they would need to go back to work to pay their bills, a new survey indicates. Click here for article.

Center for Discovery on the cutting edge of disability care

That is why U.S. Senator Charles Schumer chose the Center to announce a new $860 million federal initiative, the Combating Autism Act, during a scheduled mid-day appearance Friday. Click here for article.

Supes. to Disabled: Wait for Access, Disabled to Supes.: Wait for lawsuits.

The Supes. still act as if SF is in a separate island universe, at least as far as compliance with the American with Disabilities Act is concerned. Awareness of the law of the land somehow hasn't reached into the hearts and minds of the Supes. Click here for article.

Learning disability no match for driven actress

A learning disability could have derailed Tess Howsam. It could have kept her off the honor roll at Fountain Valley School of Colorado. It could have deterred her from the stage, where she has matured into a successful actress. Click here for article.

In Alaska, Senate votes to change terminology for disabled

The Legislature has approved a bill striking the term "handicapped" from Alaska code and replacing it with "disabled." Click here for article.

Marking the 26th national Day of the Sick, the Korean bishops wrote: “It is not physical disabilities but social indifference and prejudice, that pose 'obstacles' for sick people.”

Korean bishops: "Live together with disabled people in God-given love". Click here for more.

This is to inform you all that http://www.beyondlimits.tv is now live in its pilot form.

Like any pilot, there may be lots which needs to be changed. Yet to make it better, we will need your help. ALSO... Please note that there is a link which says "support us". Click here for more.

Policy Proposals for Improving SSDI, SSI and Medicaid Work Incentives Prepared By Jensen and Silverstein

Allen Jensen and Robert "Bobby" Silverstein recently proposed policies for improving SSDI work incentives (e.g., addressing the cash cliff). Policies for updating and improving SSI and Medicaid work incentives are also proposed. Click here for more.

Access Middle East

Karen Saba's assignment for Mercy Corps is daunting in both its aim and its breadth. Click here for more.

'Conscience Clauses' Could Usher Healthcare Access Crisis

As legal loopholes that allow healthcare providers to refuse to offer services they deem "morally objectionable" crop up around the nation, their breadth and severity grow, raising concerns of broadening impact. . Click here for more.

In UK: Disabled users to test websites

Disabled people are being drafted in to help ensure websites are usable by all. Click here for article.

How to Protect Disabled Loved Ones in Long Term: John Wasik

March 13 (Bloomberg) -- Like many parents, Nadine Vogel learned about planning for her two daughters with special needs out of necessity. Click here for article.

HALF MOON BAY Golf course to offer carts for disabled

People who can't walk will soon be able to play a round of golf at the Half Moon Bay Golf Links, thanks to a partial settlement of a class-action lawsuit announced Thursday. For article click here.

Remodeling for disabled a touchy topic Advocates want housing in unincorporated areas to be permanently accessible

It's tough finding living space with ramps, widened doorways, and kitchens and bathrooms fitted for people who use wheelchairs or have other physicial limitations. Click here for article.

Prolonged Hospital Stays for Disabled Are Criticized in D.C.

But the 54-year-old patient didn't leave her hospital bed until Feb. 9 -- 91 days after doctors gave the okay. Click here for article.

Adapting Your Home To Maximize Mobility

Stephen Bennett doesn't need a wheelchair-accessible bathroom. But the president and chief executive of United Cerebral Palsy has lots of friends and professional acquaintances who do and says "when I have friends over, I want them to be able to go to the bathroom in my house." Click here for article.

Ailing, disabled prisoners present challenge

South Mississippi jails provide basic first aid and health care for inmates but are ill-equipped to deal with chronically sick or disabled prisoners. Click here for article.

A Doctor's Fight: More Forced Care For the Mentally Ill

Every other week, Jeff Demann drives to a clinic in rural Michigan, drops his pants and gets a shot of an antipsychotic drug that he says makes him sick. Click here for more.

Lack of HAVA Compliance in New York State By BRAD WILLIAMS

At issue is HAVA's mandatory requirement to remove barriers and increase access so that citizens can vote "privately and independently," Click here for more.

AP Photo: Bill Lasher Jr. who started Lasher Sports LLC in March, holds one of his custom...

Customized Wheelchairs Offer Stylish Ride . Click here for article.

SINGAPORE : A man with a walking disability was fined $400 in court on Wednesday for parking in a lot meant for the handicapped.

Man with disability fined $400 for parking car in disabled lot. Click here for article.

Psychosocial Disability Fluctuates In Parallel With Bipolar Symptom Changes

With every increase or decrease in depressive symptom severity, there is a corresponding significant and stepwise increase or decrease in psychosocial disability among patients with bipolar disorder....Click here for article.

Communication Device May Have Saved Lives In Thanksgiving Parade Balloon Mishap

By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express

ALBANY, NEW YORK--For years, many people who do not talk have considered text-to-speech communicators to be their lifesavers. Click here for more.

From http://www.InclusionDaily.com

Talking Turkey About Medicare

For 40 years, Medicare has offered older Americans and Americans with disabilities affordable access to needed health care because the private marketplace is unable to meet their needs. Click here for article.

The Greatest!U.S. President George W. Bush (R) awards boxing legend Muhammad Ali (C) with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, as Ali's wife Lonnie watches, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington

Ali's Legacy to Endure in His Hometown

Muhammad Ali draws huge crowd to event opening.
President Clinton on hand to honor boxing legend at Muhammad Ali Center.
Click here for article.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Angelo Dundee was back in Muhammad Ali's corner. The famed trainer visited Ali's hometown on Friday for a firsthand look at a six-story center built to promote Ali's humanitarian work and relive his boxing triumphs. Click here for article.

Different instruments, rhythms and notes can be felt through five finger pads attached to the "Vibrato" speaker.

Speaker allows deaf to feel music A new device is helping deaf people to "hear" music through vibrations, 200 years after the technique was used by Beethoven as he lost his hearing. . Click here for article.

Disability rights group sues Detroit over sidewalk access issues

DETROIT The city of Detroit is being sued by a disability rights group that claims several city sidewalks and intersections are impassable by people in wheelchairs. Click here for article.

CBS) Kevin Hall has already beaten some tough odds, thanks to a caring family and a lot of hard work.

Deaf Golfer Beats The Odds A good golf game is often like a good life: It's about turning weaknesses into strengths. Professional golfer Kevin Hall learned that lesson. Click here for article and video clip.

Disability Meets The Boom, by Frank Bowe from Ragged Edge Online

These are hard times for disability advocates. The nation, and most states, have other priorities. Hurricanes Rita and Katrina have dominated the news and our attention in recent weeks. Click here for article.

Disabled Employees Sue Rehab Administration for Discriminatory Job Termination

A group of disabled and older Rehabilitation Services Administration employees sued Department of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings on Sept. 20, 2005 in federal court in Washington, D.C., asking the court to keep her from firing them when the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1 . Click here for more.

Mothers Were Asked How They Found Out Their Babies Had Down Syndrome

Mr. Skotko, whose sister has Down syndrome, saw his project swept up in a complicated debate over the termination of fetuses diagnosed with disabilities. It raised a provocative question: Can what a doctor says influence how a woman chooses? Click here for article.

British artist Alison Lapper, who was born with no arms and shortened legs due to a congenital disorder, accompanied by her five-year-old son Parys poses for photographers, backdropped by the white, 13 ton sculpture inspired by her by artist Mark Quinn, after it was unveiled in central London's Trafalgar Square, Thursday Sept. 15, 2005. Lapper posed naked for Quinn when she was eight months pregnant, in what the artist says was a tribute to motherhood and people with disabilities. The sculpture will remain in place for 18 months. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

ALISON LAPPER PREGNANT TAKES UP PLINTH POSITION IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE.

How did brave Alison Lapper manage to cope? Click here for article.

Disability Rights Movement Gains Momentum

The public's perception of the disabled is improving in Korea as the disability rights movement proceeds, but the disabled are still playing a very minor role in the movement itself. Click here for article.

Lowering the Barriers for Disabled Visitors

ROSANGELA BERMAN-BIELER brings a certain sensitivity to her work as an expert on disability issues in the Caribbean for the World Bank. Ms. Berman-Bieler, who lives in Washington, is also a quadriplegic who relies on a wheelchair. Just getting off a plane in a place like St. Lucia, she said, presents problems because there are no Jetways. Click here for article.

The Medicaid Kill-Off by Marta Russell

President George W. Bush and Congress slashed $10 billion from the Medicaid budget for this coming year. Medicaid is the primary public health care program for impoverished persons that serves over 53 million people. The cut is clearly an attack on poor people, and it may wind up killing disabled and chronically ill persons before all is done. It is also a strike from those segments in our society who wish to dismantle the entire Medicaid system. Worse, it will force a rollback of disabled people's civil rights. For full story, go to: Click here for more.

Making Special Education Work For Your Child In Queens. Click here for article.

Understanding the relationship between pain, impairment and physical disability

The association between pain, impairment and disability is frequently observed in clinical practice but the relationship is not as straight-forward as just one to one; for example some patients may have severe pain but little impairment. Click here for article.

Disabled Seven year-old, thrown out of theater for enjoying movie.

Just don't have too much fun at the local movie theater, or you might get thrown out. Click here for article.

ADA and the New Eugenics By Andrew J. Imparato and Anne C. Sommers

The ADA stands in marked contrast to some deeply troubling U.S. history that some in today's biotechnology industry and many bioethicists have not completely abandoned. Click here for article.

'Dying in sleep' linked to sleep apnea - study

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People who die in their sleep may stop breathing because they have lost too many brain cells, U.S. researchers reported on Monday. Sleep apnea -- a condition in which people stop breathing for long stretches of time in their sleep -- may sometimes be caused by the destruction of cells in the brain stem, where autonomic functions such as breathing are controlled, they said. Click here for article.

Discovering That Denial of Paralysis Is Not Just a Problem of the Mind

Dr. Anna Berti sits facing a patient whose paralyzed left arm rests in her lap next to her good right arm. "Can you raise your left arm?" Dr. Berti asks. "Yes," the patient says. Click here for article.

Obesity has effect on disability, not life expectancy, for adults 70+, Study

New research shows that obese adults who reach the age of 70 are at no greater risk of dying than their non-obese counterparts, but they do have a much greater probability of spending their remaining years disabled. Click here for article.

Access for disabled to the House to be examined.

Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), who uses a wheelchair, will testify on the first of three panels and said he will address both what has already been done and what still needs to be done immediately. Click here for more.

Congress of California Seniors, Technology Authority Launch Innovative Effort Promoting Role of Technology In Aging, Disability

Sacramento, CA - June 22, 2005 -- The Congress of California Seniors, a leading seniors" advocacy group is launching a major first-of-its-kind effort promoting the role of technology in successful aging and disability issues under the direction of a leading authority on technology"s potential beneficial contribution in those areas. Click here for press release.

Developer to Modify Units to Aid Disabled

One of the nation's largest residential apartment developers agreed yesterday to survey and, if needed, retrofit thousands of apartments in 71 buildings across the country to settle charges that its properties are not accessible to the physically handicapped. Click here for article.

Study: U.S. Leads In Mental Illness, Lags in Treatment

One-quarter of all Americans met the criteria for having a mental illness within the past year, and fully a quarter of those had a "serious" disorder that significantly disrupted their ability to function day to day, according to the largest and most detailed survey of the nation's mental health, published yesterday. Click here for more.

A handicapped man with a child in Japan. The number of people in Japan who live at home with physical disabilities has surged to 3.33 million, up from 1.41 million in 1970 and 3.02 million in 1996(AFP/File/Yoshikazu Tsuno)

Kelly Buckland, head of the State Independent Living Council, introduces a bill to the House State Affairs Committee during the past legislative session. Buckland is well-known around the Statehouse for his advocacy on behalf of disability rights. Tuesday, he received the 2005 Hewlett-Packard Co. Award for Distinguished Leadership in Human Rights.

HP honors disability rights advocate Kelly Buckland's efforts have earned national recognition;

Kelly Buckland, a nationally known advocate for disabled people, was honored Tuesday with the 2005 Hewlett-Packard Co. Award for Distinguished Leadership in Human Rights. Click here for article.

Bethany Hamilton.in 2003

Then & Now: Bethany Hamilton. Click here for article.New

The Surfer Girl's Faith

Thirteen-year-old Bethany Hamilton, a top-ranked amateur surfer, was catching waves off the coast of Kilauea, Hawaii, one morning last October when the attack happened. As she took a breather, dangling her arm in the Pacific waters, a "gray blur" suddenly appeared...Click here for article.

Interview: Judy Heumann, World Bank Advisor on Disability & Development

Interviewed by Ilene Zeitzer Q. What do you feel is the impact you have had as a person with a disability on the governance process, using your experience at the Department of Education and now at the World Bank? Click here for more.

A disability movement is to be born

In this last decade, the disability community in Malta has made significant progress on the ‘services’ dimension. What previously focused on charity-based and individualised, fragmented and sporadic initiatives, is now emerging in a package of community services and new programmes in the health, welfare and educational spheres. There has also been a significant increase in public awareness with certain disability issues finding their way into the national agenda. Click here for article.

Another view: The flaws in Oregon's suicide law.

Most glaring, though the law requires doctors to document lethal prescriptions thoroughly, it sets no penalties for failing to report. Click here for more.

Congress studies disabled care In the aftermath of Schiavo's death, experts talk about legal needs, quality of life.

WASHINGTON -- Away from the noisy right-to-die debate that marked Terri Schiavo's last days, Congress on Wednesday began a more pragmatic look at the quality of hospice care and the legal needs of the disabled in America. Click here for article.

Supreme Court ruled on ...

Court Broadens Scope of Age-Discrimination Protections. Click here for article.

Disability group embraces taxi service review

A disability lobby group has welcomed an ACT Government review of wheelchair accessible taxi services. Click here for article.

Social Security is unearned income

Social Security payments don't qualify as earned income. Does this also apply to Social Security disability payments? Click here for more.

Judge's ruling grants disabled gay veteran tax break. He's 100 percent exempt from tax

NEWARK — A gay, disabled veteran who owns a home with his partner should receive the same tax break that a married veteran would receive, a judge has ruled. Click here for article.

Gene blamed for eyesight threat

Half of all cases of an eye disease which is a leading cause of blindness are caused by a faulty gene, US scientists suggest. Click here for article.

Wal-Mart Is Found Liable in Bias Against Disabled Man

A federal jury found yesterday that Wal-Mart Stores had discriminated against a disabled Long Island man who briefly held a job at the company's Centereach, N.Y., store, and ordered the company to pay him $7.5 million in damages. Click here for article.

Arc honors 'Voices of Disability' columnist

Arc of Oakland County has named Jerry Wolffe, "Voices of Disability" columnist for The Daily Oakland Press, the winner of its 2005 Media Award. Click here for article.

"Disability Organizations Respond to SABE's Letter" (Reply to letter below)Click here for more.

"Self-Advocates Challenge Disability Organizations" Click here for more.

US Rates of Death, Disability from Sexual Behaviour Triple Other Wealthy Nations

Newswise — The rates of premature death and disability attributable to sexual behaviour in the United States are triple those of other wealthy nations, suggests research in Sexually Transmitted Infections. Click here for article.

Scientists find gene that prevents regrowth of hearing cells

WASHINGTON - Researchers have discovered a gene in mice that prevents regeneration of cells in the inner ear, which could lead to a way to reverse hearing loss in humans. Click here for article.

Universal Access: Not Just for the Disabled

Paying attention to one group's disabilities enhances usability for everyone else. Click here for article.

IL History at Berkeley

History of disability inclusion at UC Berkeley. Click here for more.

Disabled student pursues dream of becoming journalist

ALLIANCE, Ohio -- Student Allen Hines types six words a minute and has difficulty with pronunciation because of spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. But Hines hasn't let his disability get in the way of his goal of being a journalist. Click here for article.

From: The Asbury Park Press

The situation at work has improved, but the disabled still face challenges. Click here for article.

THESE days I find myself, regularly and happily, in the midst of the clutter of New Yorkers you find on the bus. I particularly savor the times when all of us, riders and driver, seem of one purpose: A woman in a tailored suit and a man in slouchy pants stand together, commiserating about the traffic. Click here for article.

Don't call me handicapped!

The sensitivity of words describing black and gay people is well known, but how should disabled people be referred to? Is handicapped an offensive description? Click here for article.

Taiwan Tops U.S. In Web Survey

(AP) A university study has found Taiwan and Singapore now lead the United States and Canada in providing government services online. Click here for article.

Competitors learn to create brain signals that can control devices.

Mental ping-pong could aid paraplegics. Click here for article.

From: HealthScout

Dyslexics Have Less Gray Matter in Brain. Click here for article.

Project SHIELD

People with Physical Disabilities and Preventive Health Care Services: Click here for article.

Campaign to end 'disablism'

More than a third of Britons cannot name a single famous disabled person. Click here for article.

CMS and industry find common ground on power wheelchairs. Click here for article.

RESTORE ACCESS TO WHEELCHAIRS FOR SENIORS AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, MAKE CMS RESCIND ITS POLICY CLARIFICATION. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

"Change in Medicare's Power Chair Coverage" Click here for more.

DALLAS - Federal authorities on Thursday arrested 11 people, including a doctor, alleging that they bilked Medicare out of $15 million in fraudulent power-wheelchair claims. Click here for article.

From: SteveGoldADA@cs.com

Federal HOME MODIFICATION Funds for Accessibility. Click here for more.

From Forbes; Peace of Mind

The numbers are staggering. One child in nine has a disability, either physical or mental. Yet government support can't cover everything. What's needed is some s mart financial planning. Click here for article.

"FEC Proposal to Limit Nonprofit Advocacy."...Click here for more.

From Wired.Com:

Seeing-Eye Computer Guides Blind. Click here for article.

From CBSNews; Obese Workers On Disability

(CBS) This is about as strenuous as it gets for Teena Gamzon. Only 55, she can barely walk, rarely leaves her home and spends most of her time in bed. "According to the doctors, I have so many ailments that I won't live a long age," says Gamzon. Click here for article.

Johnson substitutes visual disability with clear sight of Olympic glory

So he got rid of the lens and went on with his life. After all, he already cleared that major hurdle en route to winning gold in the 1996 Olympics. Click here for article.

India's Disabled Demand Place in Democracy

NEW DELHI, Mar 17 (OneWorld) - Members of India's 60-million-strong disabled population will hold a pioneering convention here Saturday to pressure politicians to include disability in election manifestoes for parliamentary polls, beginning next month, and make voting procedures disabled-friendly. Click here for article.

From the NY Times

Stuck in a Walk-Up, Only Steps Away From Life. Click for article.

From The Vatican:

Quality of Society's Life Gauged by Care of Disabled, Says Pope "Rights Cannot Be Only the Prerogative of the Healthy" Click here for more.

From: The Weekly Standard

Beyond Terri's Law What we can learn from the Schiavo case. Click here for article.*

Joel Hernandez is shown in his home in Tucson, Ariz.,

"Supreme Court Rules on ADA Employment Case" Click here for article.

The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Hernandez v. Raytheon (No. 01-15512) (December 2, 2003) is a partial victory for people with disabilities because it left intact the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirement that employers may not discriminate against applicants who have been rehabilitated and do not currently use drugs illegally..Click here for message

From; JFA andhttp://www.stevegoldada.com

"Getting People out of Nursing Homes" Click here for message.

From: Columbus Business First

Ohio Supreme Court rules for teacher fired while on disability. Click here for article.

iBot Wheelchair

FDA APPROVES SALE OF IBOT WHEELCHAIR

Aug. 13, 2003 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the sale of the MEMS-enabled iBOT wheelchair. Click here for article.

From: The Boston Globe

RIGHTS OF DISABLED ARE IN JEOPARDY

RECENT RULINGS by the US Supreme Court have recognized the constitutional rights of gay Americans and upheld the use of affirmative action to open doors of opportunity for minorities. Earlier this year, the court also rejected the mantra of "states' rights" and instead reinforced the rights that working parents enjoy under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Sadly, however, for people with disabilities, the nation's courts have offered a much chillier reception. Click here for Op-Ed.

From: NY Times.Com

Lawyers for more than 1,000 current and former deaf employees at United Parcel Service yesterday announced the settlement of a discrimination lawsuit in which the company agreed to pay $10 million and to take steps to accommodate deaf workers. Click here for article*

CHICAGO (CBS 2) Former Chicago police officer Jim Mullen will join CBS 2 as a Reporter, it was announced today by Joe Ahern, President and General Manager of the station. Mullen, a nationally recognized champion for the rights and professional advancement of people with disabilities...Click here for article.

From: The New Yorker magazine

WHAT HELEN KELLER SAW. CLICK HERE FOR STORY.

Mariah "Charms" Fans

Billy spoke to Michelle's father Bill Katz by phone to get details on the story. "What was your reaction to receiving this e-mail?" asked Billy. "I couldn't believe it," said Bill. "When it first hit me, I got mad. After a while I thought about it and I said, 'There's no way she wrote this.'" Click here for article.

From: COPLEY NEWS SERVICE

White House may put less value on seniors, disabled. Click here for article.

"A Cause for Alarm" by Frank Bowe

I am writing this because I worry that many advocates have not yet recognized just how dire are the current prospects for disability rights and services in
Washington. Click here for more.

From NYS:Olmstead Implement in New York

Olmstead Implement in New York

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. CLICK HERE,

Prepared by The Coalition to Implement Olmstead in New York (CTIONY). Click here for paper.

Sign on to CTIONY Policy Paper

Discrimination Victim Grateful for Support

I wish to take this opportunity to publicly thank Kevin Hickson for his letter to the editor of the Port Washington News, in connection with the alleged discrimination by Blockbuster. Click here for letter.

Trial Begins in Bias Suit by Deaf U.P.S. Workers

SAN FRANCISCO, April 8 - Lawyers for 900 deaf workers at United Parcel Service argued today as a trial in their discrimination lawsuit opened that the company had excluded them from numerous job categories and generally limited them to bottom-rung positions. Click here for article.

FROM NHOYO: POINT OF VIEW by NLIHC President Sheila Crowley

One of the several taxes that the President wants to cut is the one on stock dividends. The dividend tax cut proposal has created considerable and justifiable consternation among low income housing advocates and everyone else who has an interest in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit. If the dividend tax cut is enacted, investment in tax credits is predicted to plummet, as corporations will no longer be motivated to seek the reduction in taxes that the LIHTC affords. Click here for article.

Sign language is popular with hearing students. Click here for article.

From: California

The California Supreme Court on Thursday made it easier for disabled workers to sue their employers for discrimination in a decision that will affect hundreds of pending lawsuits in California. Click here for article.

Nick Dupree, who has muscular dystrophy, is fighting to reform Alabama Medicaid laws governing in-home nursing care.

Nick wins his crusade. Click here for article

As NPR's Joseph Shapiro reports: Fighting the Medicaid System ,Ala. Youth Crusades to Extend Nursing Care for Disabled. Click here for article and audio.

Winning Half the Battle: "The federal home and community based waiver program, administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, was developed to help those individuals who would otherwise require care in a nursing facility to avoid institutional or other high-cost, out-of-home placement by providing services that are not offered under the Medicaid state plan." Click here for press release.

Alabama the Hell Hole of a State for People with Disabilities

Nick Dupree is a quadriplegic who depends on a ventilator for life and Medicaid regulations for his future care. He's approaching a medical crisis. Click here for article.

Dear Mr. President: On January 21st, a letter was submitted to your office requesting your immediate assistance in preventing the State of Alabama from unjustifiably institutionalizing and segregating Nick Dupree and others like him in nursing homes. Click here for the letter.

"Analysis of President Bush's Medicaid Proposals" Click here for more.

The bill would extend protection from hate crimes to victims targeted because of their gender, disability and sexual orientation. The law already makes it a crime to intimidate or harass someone based on race, religion, color, creed or national origin. Click here for article.

CNN MONEY:

The U.S. unemployment rate would be substantially bigger if not for a 60 percent surge in the number of Americans drawing disability benefits since 1984, according to recent research by economists at MIT and the University of Chicago. Click here for article.

From: Atlanta Journal Constitution

User-friendly houses not for disabled only Younger buyers want more ease as they get older. Click here for more.

World Bank Conference marks the International Day of Disabled

Disability in Developing Countries World Bank Conference marks the International Day of Disabled. Click here for article.

From: Justice for All

"Abort Disabled, Says One Geneticist"Click here for message.

From: Cambridge Newspapers Ltd

Hawking tops poll as greatest disabled Briton. Click here for article.

U.S. Supreme Court

The Supreme Court agreed Monday to review a case that could block the millions of disabled Americans who use state accommodations from suing over such complaints as inaccessible polling places or hard-to-use public transportation. Click here for more.

CBS News

The 60 Minutes Report: Did Insurer Cheat Disabled Clients? Click here.

The New York Times

Not a Place to Leave a Relative. Click here for article.

From:Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund

DOT STRONGLY SUPPORTS THE RIGHT OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES TO NEXT DAY PARATRANSIT SERVICE. CLICK HERE.

From: Law.com
Suit Over Airlines' Web Sites Tests Bounds of ADA

So Gumson and a Miami Beach, Fla.-based disability rights group, Access Now, filed lawsuits in U.S. District Court in Miami in June and July against Dallas-based Southwest and Dallas-based American Airlines under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Click here for article.

The Associated Press

Helen Keller beat out a moon rocket, a Cherokee chief and other symbols for a spot on Alabama's state quarter, which will be the first U.S. coin in circulation to include Braille. Click here for article.

From: NCD

The National Council on Disability (NCD) today released the inaugural paper in a series of policy documents addressing specific topics raised by detrimental rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Click here for press release.

As we commemorate the horrific occurrences of September 11, 2001, and as we plan for how our nation will respond to contingencies that we all hope will never occur again, the presence among us of 54 million Americans with disabilities must not be overlooked or forgotten. Click here for report.

A Book About growing up with a sibbling with a disability. Which one is the "Normal One?"

A Book Review: 'The Normal One': The Siblings of 'Damaged' Children. Click here for article.

From: The BBC News

Experimental spine surgery has enabled a paraplegic woman to walk again, a doctor has claimed. Click here for article.

The Disabled, After 9/11

While it is gratifying to see planning under way to improve high-rise emergency and evacuation procedures, people with disabilities are too frequently overlooked in this process. Click here for article.

Yes, It's 'Accessible.' You Just Can't Get There.

When people speak of having a bad subway day, it is generally understood that the day in question took place in the subway. Click here for article.

From: The BBC: Gene found for mental retardation

Scientists say they may have found a specific gene responsible for developmental problems in children. Click here for article.

From: The BBC

BBC Story: Mother's campaign for disabled children

Revolutionizing a device that transmits in Braille

As each letter was transmitted by FM radio signal to the black box, six buttons on the top of the box moved up and down, spelling out her message for Stoffel to feel in the Braille alphabet. Click here for article.

Disability Group Sues Airport

Groups representing disabled passengers are suing San Francisco International Airport, accusing it of failing to provide adequate access to deaf and hard-of-hearing travelers. Click here for article.

Disabled in Fairfax Given Priority for Accessible Housing. Click here for article.

The college un-experience

Deaf at NU are frustrated with policy on interpreters. Click here for article.

Optobionics Inc., one of three U.S.-based developers of retinal replacement technology, appears to be gaining ground in the race to produce the first microscopic system to help the blind see. Click here for article.

Housing bias continues nationwide

Researchers have identified structural differences in the brain of people with autism that may explain why they have problems communicating and socialising. Click here for article.

Commentary by Ed Heaton:

THE CRIP ELITE. CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE.

State's broader disability law likely to offset federal ruling . Click here for more.

From St. Louis:

This week Max Starkloff steps down, Bob Funk takes over as chief executive and executive director of Paraquad. Click here for article.

Technology developed in space is being used to create implants which might one day be able to restore some sight to some blind patients. Click here for article.

From France without Love.

French lawmakers adopted a bill today that would effectively strike down a court ruling that ordered financial compensation for a severely disabled boy because medical errors had allowed him to be born. Click here for more.

The Court and the ADA.

The Americans With Disabilities Act defines disability as an impairment that "substantially limits" someone from engaging in one or more "major life activities," phrases that the courts have struggled to understand and apply since the law took effect 11 years ago.Click here for the article.

Post Garrett Case

A District Court upholds Title II damages in a post-Garrett Decision. The case is MICHAEL BOWERS, ...Click here for message.

Accessible Web Sites Still Three To Six Times More Difficult

EVEN "ACCESSIBLE" WEBSITES REMAIN DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, SAYS STUDY. CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE.

From: The National Center on Emergency Planning for People with Disabilities

The National Center on Emergency Planning for People with Disabilities provides resources to assist local emergency planning organizations in the planning for individuals who need specialized communications, transportation, and medical supports. Click here for full text.

Housing: Low and Very Low Income Rental Properties

"These rental properties MUST comply with the Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act which requires a minimum of 5% of the units be fully accessible." Click here for more.

XX
Go to J F A

ADA WATCH.org, an Internet destination to respond to threats to the civil rights of people with disabilities, is being launched by disability rights advocates. Click here for press release.

"New Freedoms, Old Barriers, and New Threats" By Andrew J. Imparato. Click here for more.

Court on Pulling the Plug.

On Robert Wendland, Court :A family can't let an incapacitated but conscious person die without clear and convincing evidence that's what he or she wants and needs, the California Supreme Court ruled 6-0 Thursday. Click here for article.

NYS Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver'sGrants Action NewsFunding Opportunities for all not-for-profits.is now online. It contains monthly notices of funding availability both on the state (NYS) and federal level. Now with an archive feature.To see Month's issue click here.

From: U.S.D.O.T.

"Transportation Department's Inspector General Seeks Public Comments On Quality of Airline Accommodations for Disabled and Special Need Passengers.." For more on USDOT click here.

AbleNews;

Available Now. Subscribe online click here.

For News on Disability Around the world .

For the latest news around the world, archives of recent news, and more news go to Ability Info, a disability news international ticker. Click here for Ability Info