<More archive news from 2005

More archive news from 2005-04>

First Lt. Jeffrey Adams, center, 25, from Baton Rouge, La., who lost his left leg in a blast in Iraq, skis at Snowmass Village, Colo. on Wednesday, April 6, 2005. Skiing with Lt. Adams are Vietnam veteran Toni Santilli, right, of Woburn, Mass. and Bryan Wood, operations supervisor of the National Sports Center for the disabled. More than 300 disabled veterans attended the Department of Veteran Affairs' 19th Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic this month. Theclinic includes rock climbing and other activities, including skiing on special equipment that can accommodate even those without both legs. (AP Photo/Peter M. Fredin)

Terri Schiavo circa 1992

End of Story:

Prosecutor: No criminality in Schiavo collapse. Bush ends inquiry Click here for article.

Attorney: Schiavo's Remains Buried in Fla. Click here for article.

Florida Governor Bush Initiates New Investigation Into Terri Schiavo's Collapse Click here for article.

Terri Schiavo Wouldn't Have Benefited From Therapy. Click here for article.

Schiavo Autopsy Leaves Most Important Questions Unanswered. Click here for article.

Nat Hentoff: Terri Schiavo Suffered From "Longest Public Execution in American History." Click here for article.

Rosie Kimball, 10, of Tampa, Fla., prays during a prayer service for Terri Schiavo, who passed away earlier in the day, Thursday, March 31, 2005,in Pinellas Park, Fla, in front of Woodisde Hospice where she was cared for. (AP PHoto/Kathy Willens)

It's Over:

Terri Schiavo Dies, Ending 7-Year U.S. Legal Fight. Schiavo, 41, died in her hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida. She had been in what her doctors said was a persistent vegetative state since a cardiac arrest in 1990. Click here for article.

Terri Schiavo dies but bitter divide remains. Click here for article.

Fla., US Courts Won't Hear Schiavo Case. Fla. Judge, Supreme Court Refuse to Intervene in Terri Schiavo Case; Jeb Bush Loses Custody Bid. Bob Schindler, right, looks on as his wife Mary Schindler, left, leaves after doing an interview about their.....Click here for article.

11th U.S. Circuit says 'No. 'Terri Schiavo's parents have filed an appeal with the full 11th U.S. Circuit Court in Atlanta, Georgia, after a three-judge panel of that court ruled 2-1 early Wednesday morning to deny Bob and Mary Schindler's emergency request to restore their coma-stricken daughter's feeding tube. Click here for article.

Disability Advocates Support and Thank Tom Harkin - Schiavo Case is About Disability Rights. Click here for article.

U.S. Senate Approves Federal Review of Schiavo Case. The U.S. Senate voted in a hastily convened Sunday session to allow the case of Terri Schiavo, a brain-damaged Florida woman, to be placed under federal review.Click here.

Feeding Tube Removed
Doctors removed Terri Schiavo's feeding tube Friday despite an extraordinary, last-minute push by Republicans on Capitol Hill to use the subpoena powers of Congress to save the severely brain-damaged woman.
Click here for article.

Electronic voting machines have bells and problems.

Electronic voting machines have bells and problems. While Ohio election officials insist touch screen electronic voting machines will be reliable and accurate, Fran Wilson, president of the Trumbull County League of Women Voters, has her doubts, and I share them. Click here for article.

ELECTRONIC VOTING. Click here for article.

USATODAY Op-Ed; Electronic voting is solution. Click here for more.

California approved the nation's first standards Tuesday for a paper record to be produced by electronic voting machines and verified by voters. Click here for article. More on News Page.

Keep on keeping on: Disability community winning victories by fighting the good fight

For more than two years, the disability community has been working toward the passage of "MiCASSA" - the Medicaid Community Attendant Services Act - which shifts Medicaid funding for nursing-home services to home-based community services. Click here for article.

A prototype of Subaru R1 concept car is shown in this handout photo released by Fuji Heavy Industries in Tokyo October 15, 2004. The front door passenger seat rotates, enabling seniors and people with disability to enter the car easily, the company said. The vehicle will be displayed along with other commercial and 'barrier-free' vehicles at the 38th Tokyo Motor Show running from November 3 to 7.

650 walk, roll and bike in city's first disability pride parade. Click here for article.

Toni Martin, of Emporia, Kan., waves a flag during a protest outside of the National Governors Association summer meeting Sunday, July 18, 2004, in Seattle. Members of ADAPT, a program that fights to keep people with disabilities out of nursing homes and other institutions, want the National Governors Association to vote on a resolution that would provide home and community services. (AP Photo/Tetona Dunlap) Click here for article.

Tennessee v Lane: Lane Wins!

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday in favor of a Tennessee man who crawled up the Polk County Courthouse steps because there was no elevator. Click here for article.

Supreme Court rules for man with disabilities in major test of civil rights law. Click here for article.

A divided Court concluded states were not exempt from provisions of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), such as those requiring elevators or ramps in public facilities. Click here for article.

NPR:Analysis of Supreme Court Ruling on ADA Day to Day audio

WASHINGTON — Life for Andrea Cooper took a sudden and sour turn seven years ago when a stroke left her needing a wheelchair and dependent on her husband for help with personal care. Click here for article.

Watch Out For Aches In Joints. CBS) Arthritis is a musculoskeletal disease that causes painful inflammation in the joints. And it's the leading cause of disability in the United States, dramatically affecting people's lives and limiting their ability to work and care for themselves and their families. Click here for article.

Gustavo Carmona, 51, left; Jose Pineda, 51, center, and Roger Galo, 52, walk to a ceremony celebrating persons with disabilities in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Tuesday, June 8, 2004. According to INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadisticas) some 177,516 people are disabled in Honduras. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme). Click here for more.

Lane Wins

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday in favor of a Tennessee man who crawled up the Polk County Courthouse steps because there was no elevator. Click here for article.

National Council on Disability Statement on Tennessee vs. Lane: Access to Gov't Services for People with Disabilities at Stake. Click here for more.

George Lane is shown in Wartburg, Tenn., Thursday, Jan. 8, 2004, at Brushy Mountain Correctional Complex, where he is serving time for slamming a fellow prisoner in the head with a crutch at a county jail. After an auto wreck left him unable to walk, Lane crawled up two flights of stairs at the Polk County Courthouse to face reckless driving charges. He says he will never forget the humiliation of having to drag his body up the tile steps. That incident has put Lane at the center of a test case of the Americans With Disabilities Act. (AP Photo/Jason R. Davis)

"CRAWL FOR JUSTICE" January 13, 2004 at 9:00 AM. See event for the month for details.

Tennessee v Lane Heats Up. Click here for message.

ADAPT Lie-in, Click here for more.

Washington, D.C.---Braving six hours of unseasonable freezing temperatures in the nation's capitol, 500 members of ADAPT staged a "lie-in" around the Health and Human Services (HHS) Building Monday, demanding that HHS leaders restart the process to reverse the institutional bias in the Medicaid long term care program. Click here for more.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - An infant girl born with a second head bled to death Saturday after complex surgery to remove her partially formed twin, her parents and doctors said. Click here for article.

'My disability made me a target'.. Click here for article.

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

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

From: Journalstandard.com/

At Social Security we expect the number of disability applications to increase in the next few years, so we are making every effort to let workers of all ages know how the disability program works and what they can do to speed the disability application process. Click here for article.

From: Columbus Business First

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

"White House Medicaid Demonstration Proposal" Click here for article.

Rising Costs Prompt States to Reduce Medicaid Further. Click here for article.

Terri's Supporters Outside Governors Office

Set back on Terri Schindler Schiavo case appeal to federal judge.

Disable Advocates Win Fight: Now Prayers Begin:

Brain-Damaged Fla. Woman Recieving Fluids. Click here for article.

Terri Schiavo's Case: Jeb Bush Files Brief in Case of Woman on Life Support:

The judge has refused to grant Schiavo's parents a temporary restraining order. Bob and Mary Schindler wanted the court to prevent doctors from removing the feeding tube that is keeping their daughter . Click here for article.

Next week a Pinellas-Pasco County Circuit Court Judge George Greer is expected to set a date to stop Terri Schiavo’s artificial feedings. On Tuesday a federal court judge ruled against an emergency motion filed by the 39-year-old Bay area woman’s parents, Bob and Mary Schindler. They were hoping U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara would give them access to Terri’s medical records. Click here for article.

Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - After years of criticism for not taking a public stand in the matter, the bishops of the Florida Catholic Conference issued a statement late Wednesday regarding the euthanasia controversy involving Terri Schindler Schiavo. Click here for article.

Here's the timeline in the case of Terri Schiavo, who is caught between a battle between her husband and parents over whether to remove her feeding tube.
Click here for article.

IRIN Interview With World Bank's Disability Adviser, Judith Heumann

Ethiopia must put the needs of the disabled at the heart of its development strategies, says Judith Heumann, the World Bank's disability adviser, who is herself disabled by polio. During a five-day visit to the country, she told IRIN in an interview that its organisations for the disabled needed to start lobbying government more aggressively. Click here for article.

From: AP

Pill May Reduce Hearing Loss From Noise. Click here for article.

From: NHOYO Listmaster

HHS LAUNCHES DEMONSTRATIONS TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN PERSONAL ASSISTANCE WORKERS TO HELP PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

From: NIDRR

The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research Seeks Input on Future Directions. Click here for more.

16 Broadway Theaters to Comply With ADA. Click here for article.

James Comey, left, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York speaks to the media in Shubert Alley on Broadway Thursday, Sept. 25, 2003. He announced the Shubert Organization, headed by Gerald Schoenfeld, right, and other owners and operators of 16 landmarked Broadway theaters, will make their buildings accessible to people with disabilities. (AP Photo/Ed Bailey) . Click here for full picture.

More pictures, click here.

From: Justice for All

[No] Choice and Access of Durable Equipment in Medicare

These decisions will be driven by what's best for the bottom line - NOT what's best for patients. Click here for message.

“The door needs to be open so that people will have choices,” said Senator Tom Harkin, an original co-sponsor of MiCASSA. “It is long past time that people could be in their own homes, not somebody else’s nursing home.” Click here for more.

“You are the loudest voices of empowerment, the revolutionaries of the Twenty-First Century, you are America the Beautiful,” said Yoshiko Dart. “We will continue to march and fight to the end of time to Free Our People.”

"John Kerry on ADAPT March" Click here for message.

"DNC Message for ADAPT March" Click here for message.

Going the Distance for the Disabled 144-Mile March Urges Right to Live Free of Institutions.

They had endured rain-soaked pillows and sunburned forearms and cars whizzing by way too close for comfort. And every night for almost two weeks, these 250 advocates for the disabled had wheeled into their campsites, plugged their chairs into chargers and spent the next 10 hours on their cots, sacrificing mobility for the chance to make a statement. Click here for article.

Statement by the National Council on Disability on MiCASSA. Click here for newswire.

From Sept 4 to Sept 17, 2003: The ADAPT March.

"Free Our People Rally" Ten Things You Can Do and March schedule. Click here for information.

ADAPT's 20th Anniversary. Click here for more.

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.

.....government considers allowing sales of wheelchair that can climb stairs. Click here for article.

Inventor Designs Sign Language Glove.
WASHINGTON - An electronic glove that can turn American Sign Language gestures into spoken words or text, designed to help the deaf communicate more easily with the hearing world, is under development. 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: The Orange County Register

She's also fiercely independent. So she takes care of herself -- and her husband, Gilbert Davis, 80, who is bedridden after several strokes, a broken hip, vertigo and heart surgery. 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.

Murry Jackson

Homelessness, disability tough combination. Click here for article.

From, NY Times:Suit Says State Is Segregating Mentally Ill

Suit Says State Is Segregating Mentally Ill

Lawyers for thousands of mentally ill residents of New York adult homes, many of which have long served as little more than psychiatric flophouses, plan to file a federal lawsuit today to force the state to make the kind of wide-ranging improvements in care that were won for the mentally retarded through the courts a generation ago. Click here for article. (NY Times)

From: The Times Union, Albany, N.Y.

Discrimination suit against Hoyts reinstated Guilderland-- Claim states theater chain's stadium seating is not equipped for wheelchairs. Click here for article*.

Medicaid plan for disabled approved Albany-- Program allows people to keep Medicaid coverage while working a full-time job. Click here for article.*

From; The BBC

Thumbs up for sign-language cafe. Click here for article.

From: The New Yorker magazine

WHAT HELEN KELLER SAW. CLICK HERE FOR STORY.

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

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION'S HOTLINE FOR AIR TRAVELERS WITH DISABILITIES:Obtain Assistance in resolving "real time" issues involving service animals, seating accommodations, enplaning, deplaning and connecting assistance, the stowage of personal equipment and other accommodations. Click here for more.

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.

Companies Win Ruling on Disability Case

WASHINGTON - A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that employer-sponsored compensation plans for disabled workers do not have to defer to the opinion of a worker's doctor when deciding whether the worker is eligible for benefits. Click here for article.

From: COPLEY NEWS SERVICE

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

From: The New York Times

Two-Inch Latino Role Models, for Good or Ill . Click here for article.

From: The Salt Lake Tribune.

The last group of people the American public would have expected to bear the cost of President Bush's war are the soldiers he sent to fight it. But as soon as the war began, the House Budget Committee unveiled a budget proposal that would have cut $25 billion over the next decade in spending on disability benefits and health care for veterans. Joseph L. Fox Sr., president of Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), said, "It is a dark day when Congress takes the budget knife to the hard-earned benefits and health-care services earned by the veterans of this nation to support an ill-conceived tax cut." Click here for article.

From: SunSpot.Net

For disabled, a long wait for homes. Click here for article.

From:Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON - California persuaded the Supreme Court Monday to throw out a case that had put in doubt disabled Americans' rights to sue states over accommodations under a landmark disability law. Click here for article.

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

From: NCD and Yahoo

National Council on Disability Opposes Americans with Disabilities Act Notification Act.Click here for press release.

National Council on Disability Addresses Mitigating Measures Aspects of ADA Decisions by Supreme Court. Click here for more.

National Council on Disability Calls for Improved Outcomes for Families with Disabilities on TANF. Click here for article.

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: NY Times, Business:

When It Comes to Taxes, There Is a Second Chance

Survivors of the Sept. 11 attacks may exclude from income qualified disaster relief payments, disability payments, death benefits and what is deemed to be income after a debt is canceled. Click here for article.

Doctors have implanted electrodes in Christopher Reeve's diaphragm in an experiment designed to enable the paralyzed actor to
breathe on his own...Click here for article.

Life with disability is hard enough: What happens in event of disaster? Click here for article.

Easter Seals Offers Evacuation Planning Guide for People with Disabilities. Click here for press release.

From: YahooNews

Poverty Tied to Disability Among Black Children. Click here for article.

Disabling chronic health conditions are more prevalent and have risen at a faster rate in black children than in whites nationwide, a disparity largely explained by poverty, a study suggests. Click here for article.

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Television public service announcements were released today warning that the independence and quality of life of disabled Americans is being threatened by a work shortage of private direct support professionals. Click here for article.

From: TheGazetteNews.com

The Senior Wheels USA Program makes available Power (Electric) Wheelchairs to Senior Citizens (65 yrs. old & up) and the Permanently Disabled at no cost to the recipient, if they qualify. 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.

A High-Tech Helping Hand: Prototype Glove Translates Sign Langauge Into Speech. Click here for article.

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

From: Yahoo.com, NCD

National Council on Disability Analyzes Problematic Aspects of Americans with Disabilities Act Decisions by Supreme Court. Click here for article.

The American Association of People with Disabilities and Microsoft Collaborate On New Federal Internship Program. 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.

Fresno city leaders, in closed session, have endorsed Sacramento's effort to overturn a court decision that requires cities to retrofit their sidewalks to make them more accessible to wheelchair users and the visually impaired. 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.

Official says Dupree requires care beyond nursing homes. 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 Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Send us home, disabled demand. Nursing facilities' isolation violates law, suit. Click here for article.

TEXT - Bush's State of the Union Speech. Click here for article.

As Americans look towards 2003, they see the imminent prospect of war, the threat of another, unknowable terrorist catastrophe, the cold comfort of a jobless recovery, the worry of spiralling healthcare costs and the fear of cash-strapped states unable to care for the needy. And yet anxiety has barely dented the restlessness, ambition and optimism that has made America strong. Click here for article.

President Will Propose $1.75 Billion Program To Help Transition Americans With Disabilities From Institutions To Community Living. Click here for article.

Prescription drugmakers on Wednesday went before the US Supreme Court asking it to permanently bar a Maine plan that would force them to discount their products for all residents in the state or face restrictions on sales to its Medicaid program. Click here for article.

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: WABC TV, NYC

Former Blockbuster Employees Say They Were Fired Because Of Their Disabilities. Click here for more.

Judicial Nominees: Strong opposition from many corners

Democrats hang on to gavels

The Democratic maneuver underlines the fact that judicial nominations promise to be one of the most contentious issues of the 108th Congress. Click here for article.

From: INTERNET WIRE,I -wire

U.S. Social Security Administration Begins First Public Testing of Voice Biometrics With Web Application Developed by Authentify. Click here for article.

Pendergrass doesn't allow disability to derail his career

"I am the kind of person that doesn't' like to lose at anything," Teddy Pendergrass says. "For many years I felt as though I was robbed." Click here for article.

Yahoo News

UCP Central PA to Unveil Next Accessible Computer for Persons With Disabilities in Shippensburg. Click here for press release.

From: Atlanta Journal Constitution

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

From the European Space Agency

Space technology to help the blind. Click here for article.

Yahoo! News

While others unwrap presents this holiday season, three developmentally challenged women will move into a three-bedroom house in Lakeland's historic district. Click here for article.

From: Yahoo Financial News

Austin's AIR Interactive Program Connects Artists and People With Disabilities to the Internet. Click here for article.

From: Cantonrep.Com

Disability is no barrier for KSU freshman. Click here for article.

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: Yahoo News

Learning Disability Precludes Citizenship

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, as long as they don't have a learning disability. Click here for article.

Mass. Company wins disability award

HOPEDALE - The Insurance Selection Agency (ISA) of Hopedale was one of 16 selected Massachusetts employers recently honored at the State House by acting Gov. Jane Swift. The Exemplary Employer Award, an annual event sponsored by the Governor's Commission on Employment of People with Disabilities, recognizes and honors outstanding employers across the Commonwealth. 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.

10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL / ROAST! Click here for message.

Black Caucus; Invacare Recall, 9/11 Heroes. Click here for message.

Various Sources

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

Policyholder complaints plague giant disability insurer. Click here for article.

Bourhis & Wolfson Win Huge Victory for All Insureds as Judge Orders Company to 'Obey the Law' and Issues an Injunction Enjoining It From Future
Bad Faith Violations. Click here for article.

The suit, filed Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, alleges UnumProvident Corp. "has illegally victimized, and continues to victimize, many thousands of disabled Americans." Click here for article.

All may not be over. A Democratic dream scenario is actually possible, and it goes like this: Click here for article.

The New Republican Congress: Starts on January 2003. What will happen to the Disability Agenda?

The New York Times

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

Summit Gathers Employers Dedicated to Hiring People with Disabilities. Click here for more.

From: Iran

Iran Has Newspaper for the Blind. Click here for article.

ACTION ALERT!! Important Medicaid Provisions Under Consideration. Click here for message.

The following New York Times article reviews the likely direction of congressional Republicans with regard to education policy. Click here for article.

For the 2004 Presidential Campaign go to News Too Page.

May the elections results be a reflection of our collective wisdom, rather than our incalculable stupidity. Anonymous.

TOLL-FREE # FOR VOTERS WITH DISABILITIES WHO HAVE PROBLEMS AT POLLS ON ELECTIONS DAY. CLICK HERE.

From:Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund

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

From: NCD

National Council on Disability Releases Brief on Americans with Disabilities Act and the Supreme Court Policy Paper. Click here for details.

National Organization on Disability Commends Congress and President Bush on Vote Reform Bill. Click here for article.

Health - HealthScoutNews

Combo Drug Therapy Helps Rheumatoid Arthritis Sufferers. Click here for article.

CNET News.com

From: Law.com

Suit Over Airlines' Web Sites Tests Bounds of ADA

update: A federal judge ruled Friday that Southwest Airlines does not have to revamp its Web site to make it more accessible to the blind. Click here for article.

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.

From: Social Security

Social Security Announces New Initiatives to Promote Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities. Click here for more.

From: Yahoo Finance

Communicating can be a challenge for people with disabilities of all kinds. Serving the needs of those customers is the mission of Verizon's Center for Customers with Disabilities, a pioneering facility, now a decade old, which has become a model for facilities of its type. Click here for article.

ADAPT OUR HOMES NOT NURSING HOMES TEN WORST STATES SURVEY 2002/2003. Click for the list.

From: NASA

Proposal: Space Station Ideal for Spinal Cord Injury Research. Click here for article.

The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Mobile Wireless Technologies for Persons with Disabilities

Invitation to Participate in a Survey on Telecommunication Technologies. Click here for details.

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: Yahoo News-

Builder to spend $1 million to settle U.S. disability suit. Click here for article.

From: Yahoo-AP

Heather Whitestone McCallum, deaf since childhood, could deal with not hearing her name announced as the next Miss America in 1995. Click here for article.

CONTACTING FORMER MISS AMERICA HEATHER WHITESTONE McCALLUM. Click here.

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.

National Council on Disability Feature: People with Disabilities Need Affordable Housing. Click here for article.

National Council on Disability Feature: Eliminate Employment Barriers for People with Disabilities. Click here for article.

National Council on Disability Feature: Youth with Disabilities Have Special Concerns. Click here for article.

National Council on Disability Creates New Listserv for Disability-Related Information. Click here for article.

National Council on Disability Releases Recommendations on Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Reauthorization. Click here for article.

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 Boston Globe

Town criticized for neglecting disabled. Click here for article.

Ten Young Artists With Disabilities 'Expressing Freedom' at The Smithsonian Volkswagen of America, Inc. and VSA Arts Will Present $25,000 in Cash Awards. Click here for press release.

'Talking' Tax Forms For Blind Developed

PDF-Reading Software Boosts Independence

A significant advance in the independence and privacy of blind people has come from what many might think an unlikely source -- the Internal Revenue Service.

From: The BBC News

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

Health - Reuters

Exercise Cuts Depression Risk for Older People. Click here for article.

The Thought Counts -- but Does It Fit?

There is a common refrain from people with physical disabilities that goes something like this: Stop focusing on our disabilities, because you lose the focus on our abilities. Click here for article.

Hands-Free Writing Software May Aid Disabled Users

Two British computer programmers have developed a freely available software program that allows disabled computer users to "type" using only the gaze of their eyes, according to a report published in the journal Nature. Click here for article.

As the Population Ages and Disability in the Workforce Grows, LifeCare(R), Inc. Thinks Ahead

With one in five Americans -- 53 million people -- having some kind of disability and the aging baby boomers pushing up this ratio, LifeCare®, Inc., a leading provider of comprehensive work and life services, is ahead of the times in providing easy-access to information for employees with disabilities. Click here for press release.

Oklahoma Legislator Joins Sprint Campaign for People with Disabilities

Today's rapidly changing wireless marketplace has left millions of used phones sitting idle in drawers or boxes in homes or in offices - or worse, polluting landfills. This week Oklahoma State Representative Richard C. Phillips (R-Warr Acres) and Sprint (NYSE: FON - News, PCS - News) will join to put those phones to work on behalf of the 54 million Americans with disabilities - with Sprint Project Connect. Click here for article.

From: Pioneer Press

Disabled in workplace worry about future of Disabilities Act. Click here for article.

From: The Courts

Court Rejects Norwegian Cruise Line's Attempt to Evade Americans with Disabilities Act. Click here for article.

Mercy Killings?

In the Case of the Mercy Killings: Disabled People and Allies to Gather in Griffin Re the Carr Murder Case On Monday August 12 (Press Conference at 11:30 a.m.). Click here for more.

A woman shot her two disabled sons at a rehabilitation center where they had been living, then waited in the lobby for police to arrive, authorities said. Both men died early Sunday.Click here for article.

"She took things into her own hands," Lewis Whittington of Philadelphia explained in his op-ed piece, "because she undoubtedly saw that there was essentially no medical or legal rescue in place for her sons. They are just expected to exist in a hellish circumstance, and those who love them are expected to watch it." Click here for article.

A woman shot her two disabled sons at a rehabilitation center where they had been living, then waited in the lobby for police to arrive, authorities said. Both men died early Sunday.Click here for article.

Carol, who had a low-level phone company job, devoted most of her adult life to caring for Hoyt, a factory worker, as over the course of more than two decades the disease left him unable to move, swallow, talk or think. Click here for article.

From: HHS

"Coverage expansions for working disabled people not only help individuals directly, but we all benefit when people are allowed to make a valuable contribution to society using their talents and skills in the workforce," Secretary Thompson said. "For many people with disabilities keeping their Medicaid coverage is, in fact, their 'ticket to work.'" 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.

Program to Benefit People With Disabilities and Local Non-Profits

Austin's Fifth Annual Accessibility Rally to Help People with Disabilities Get Online and Bridge Digital Divide. Click here for article.

Building a World Fit for People - Designers with Disabilities at Work

-- Building a World Fit for People, written by Elaine Ostroff, Mark Limont and Daniel Hunter, features the career development of twenty-one designers with disabilities, from all over the world. Click here for more.

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.

Top Stories - USA TODAY

The Corporate Greed Scandal:

Remember Social Securitry Private Investment Funds:The party unveiled a Web site on corporate accountability, and Wolfson is advising Democratic candidates on how they can link the issue to everything from Social Security to prescription-drug coverage...Click here for article.

Better Disability Insurance

While many employers provide disability insurance to individuals that are injured on the job, Heritage Protector and Heritage Protector Plus allows policy holders to maintain an income while disabled, regardless of whether the disability is work related or due to sickness or injury. Click here for article.

HealthScoutNews

-- The thought of a tax audit is enough to make anyone's palms sweat, but those of us whose anxiety runs even stronger may have our parents to blame. Click here for article.

The David Jayne Amendment

The Senate's Medicare reform bill is progressing. Senator Daschle gave Senator Baucus, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, a next week deadline to get agreement on the Medicare bill (prescription drugs and provider/consumer issues). Click here for message.

Breaking the rules so as to fix themDavid Jayne jokes that he's trying to change federal regulations on homebound health care without lifting a finger. Click here for article.

Imprisoned by Medicare by Bob Dole. Click here for article.

From: NOD

The National Organization on Disability (N.O.D.) has named Elizabeth A. Davis Director of its Emergency Preparedness Initiative. Davis brings extensive experience in both disability policy and emergency management work. Click here for article.

From: Contra Costa Times

Disability no match for scholar. 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.

While many employers provide disability insurance to individuals that are injured on the job, Heritage Protector and Heritage Protector Plus allows policy holders to maintain an income while disabled, regardless of whether the disability is work related or due to sickness or injury. Click here for article.

U.S. Supreme Court

A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that punitive damages may not be awarded in disability discrimination lawsuits by private individuals against municipal governments. Click here for article.

The Supreme Court delivered a blow Monday to disabled Americans who want cash awards from cities and states for failing to build wheelchair ramps and make other accommodations. It was the court's fourth setback for the disabled this year. Click here for article.

A divided Supreme Court ruled Monday that an employer in most cases does not have to override its seniority system to accommodate the needs of a disabled employee. Click here for article.

The Supreme Court ruled today that pharmacies that alter medications to suit patients' special needs have the right to promote such services without government approval, striking down an advertising law that required such approval, reports the Associated Press. Click here for article.

From: The BBC

BBC Story: Mother's campaign for disabled children

NCD on UN

National Council on Disability Supports United Nations Convention on Human Rights of People with Disabilities. Click here for article.

Surviving a Life-Threatening Accident, Entrepreneur Invigorates Home Fitness Exercise Bicycle Company by Catering to Disability Market. Click here for press release

High Court: Executing Mentally Retarded Unconstitutional. Click here for article.

A closely divided Supreme Court on Thursday upheld state laws that help patients fight their HMOs...Click here for article.

The Supreme Court delivered a blow Monday to disabled Americans who want cash awards from cities and states for failing to build wheelchair ramps and make other accommodations. It was the court's fourth setback for the disabled this year. Click here for article.

Mario Echazabal gestures while meeting reporters outside the Supreme Court in Washington Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2002 in this file photo. The court, in the 9-0 ruling, again limited the 1990 ADA and said Echazabal could not win back his job at a Chevron plant in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Roggenbrodt)

Supreme Court Rules Disabled Workers Can be Kept From Dangerous Jobs. Click here for article.

The Law Is Clear: Assistance Animals Are Exempt From Pet Bans. Click here for article.

High-Tech Help for Disabled Children Wearable Computers Draw Schools' Interest . Click here for article.

HUD SPENDS HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS TO BALE OUT NURSING HOME INDUSTRY INSTEAD OF SUPPORTING INDEPENDENT LIVING. CLICK HERE FOR MESSAGE.

ASK PRESIDENT BUSH TO KEEP HIS NEW FREEDOM PLEDGE, AND SUPPORT REAL ELECTION REFORM WITH TOTALLY ACCESSIBLE VOTING. CLICK HERE FOR MESSAGE.

From: The Times Union (Albany, NY) by Mike Volkman

Bill would give disabled more choices. Click here for article.

From: Planet Out

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to review the case of an Atlanta dental hygienist who was demoted to a low-paying administrative position when his employer discovered he was HIV-positive. Click here for article.

From: NYC Daily News

In NYC: Push Is on for Wheelchair-Accessible Taxis. Click here for article.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Grads with disabilities anticipate the future. Click here for article.

Disability Rights Activists Shut Down Union Buildings

This morning, the national disability rights group ADAPT blocked all entrances of the buildings that serve as the headquarters for three of the country's largest unions, AFL-CIO, AFSCME, and SEIU. Click here for article.

From TheBoston Globe

Lack of Brailled textbooks leaves blind students in bind. Click here for article.

From:USA TODAY

With bionic eye, subjects see light for first time in years. Click here for article.

American Council of the Blind seeks changes in U.S. currency

The American Council of the Blind sued the federal government Friday seeking changes in the design of the U.S. paper currency. Click here for article

Health - Reuters

Adults who are obese are more likely to become disabled later in life--even if they ultimately manage to take off the weight, researchers report. Click here for article.

Top Stories - AP U.S.

A national advocacy group for people with mental and developmental disabilities has dropped "mental retardation" from its mission statement, saying the term now has negative connotations. Click here for article

From: The New York Times

States Worry About Bush Welfare Rules. Click here for artcle.

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.

From, By PAUL KRUGMAN The New York Times

"Wealth Versus Health" Click here for editorial.

From: Ohio.Com

At 20, barely out of the starting gate of life, Tim Hershberger lost the use of his legs. But instead of hiding in the safe cocoon of his home, he was determined not to let his disability silence his dreams. Two decades later, he is spreading his wings and taking flight -- literally. Click here for article.

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

ASSISTED SUICIDE: A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the U.S. Justice Department lacks the authority to overturn a voter-approved Oregon law allowing physician-assisted suicides. 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.

From: The Los Angeles Times

Giving Disabled a Voice. Physicist Stephen Hawking owes his voice to Words-Plus, a Lancaster company that makes communication devices for the disabled. Click here for article.

Blind Audience Is Aided by Audio Technology

The Federal Communications Commission approved rules for such video description in 2000 as part of a broad plan to make telecommunications and technology like wireless phones more accessible to people with disabilities. Click here for article.

Housing bias continues nationwide

COMPANY SEES MEMS AS SOLUTION FOR AFFORDABLE BRAILLE DISPLAYS

– Development of a MEMS-based Braille display system may prove to be a miracle worker for the thousands of blind people unable to access information via computer. Click here for article.

SOCIAL INSECURITY

Man's fight for disability pay leaves him nearly homeless. Click here for article.

Court Considers Premature Baby Case

She is also at the center of a legal dispute that will be argued before the Texas Supreme Court on Wednesday: Should her parents have been granted their wish to withhold treatment from the baby? Or was the hospital obligated to do what it could to keep her alive? Click here for article.

New Health Record Rules May Limit Right to Privacy

Doctors, health insurers and other groups won't need your expressed written permission before sharing your private medical information under new rules proposed yesterday by the Bush Administration. Click here for article.

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.

SUPREME COURT CASE PROVIDES CLEAR EXAMPLE OF WHY CONGRESS MUST ENACT A PATIENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS. CLICK HERE FOR MESSAGE.

Today, at Discover Bank in New Castle, DE, SSA Commissioner Jo Anne Barnhart delivered the first tickets in the nation as part of Social Security's new Ticket to Work Program. Click here for message.

Enable America!: Employment through Political Action. Click here for message.

Poll: Disabled Don't Use Internet

Technology is typically a blessing for the disabled, but new devices that make it even easier to use computers haven't yet convinced more disabled people to try the Internet. Click here for article.

Commentary by Ed Heaton:

THE CRIP ELITE. CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE.

Medicaid Buy-ins Threatened: New Federal Medicaid Rules Threaten State Health Coverage For Low-Income And Disabled Children

N.A.C.H.: New Federal Medicaid Rules Threaten State Health Coverage For Low-Income And Disabled Children . Click here for article.

Yahoo! News

Research by leading scholars released by The Civil Rights Project at Harvard indicates that blacks are nearly three times more likely than whites to be labeled mentally retarded and substantially over-identified as emotionally disturbed. Click here for article.

The Disability Rights Clinic at DePaul University is training young lawyers by taking on business in clear violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, writes W. CAROL CLEIGH. And they're winning their cases..Click here for article.

From WireNews:

Instant messaging has improved communications for the deaf so significantly it's been called a "godsend" by one. Now, a glove that can translate American Sign Language into text may improve communications even further. Click here for article.

Christy's story: A dark journey into hope

The voices are friendlier now. They echo through Christy Parson's mind, bearing the words of a favorite therapist, a medications nurse, her sister. Gone are the strident hallucinations — the ones that taunted her, told her she was stupid, drove her to despair. Click here for article.

In a setback for employers, the high court held that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission may sue on behalf of a short-order cook fired after he had a seizure at a Waffle House restaurant. Click here for article. For text of decision click here.

Accommodate ADA and get on with business . Click here for editorial.

The Supreme Court will consider this spring if cities should be shielded from some lawsuits by the disabled, another case that could narrow a federal disability law. Click here for article.

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

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

BusinessWeek Online:

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY -- A Victory in Disguise for the Disabled . Click here for article.

Supreme Court Narrows Reach of Disability Law. Click here for artricle.

TOYOTA MOTOR MANUFACTURING, KENTUCKY, INC. v. WILLIAMS .CLICK HERE.

For the first time, the D.C. Housing Authority will be forced to make 510 public housing apartments accessible to people with disabilities, under an agreement announced by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel R. Martinez. Click here for article.

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.

From: Technology - CNET

The World Wide Web Consortium ( W3C) closed the calendar year with what it called a record number of drafts and a recommendation targeting technologies from interactive TV to Web authoring tools. 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.

From England:

BRITAIN’S best-known cosmologist, Stephen Hawking, today celebrates a birthday medical experts never expected him to see. Scientists from around the world are gathering in Cambridge to celebrate his 60th birthday. Click here for article.

Message from Marcie Roth, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy

The FY02 appropriation for CILs is $62.5M, up from $58M in FY 01. Click here for more.

Surgeon General David Satcher

Surgeon General David Satcher holds up his report on America's obesity epidemic at a news conference held at the Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2001 in Washington. Satcher warned that 300,000 people a year die from illnesses directly caused or worsened by being overweight and that obesity may soon kill more Americans than cigarettes. Click here for article.

American Kids Are Getting Fatter

American children are getting fatter at an alarming rate, with the percentage of significantly overweight black and Hispanic youngsters more than doubling over 12 years and climbing 50 percent among whites, a study shows. Click here for article.

From Canada:

Obese Canadians cannot claim to be disabled because of their weight alone but airlines should consider offering extra seats to the obese, the Canadian Transportation Agency has ruled. Click here for article.

Health - Reuters: Treatment of the Mentally Ill

The Russian Ministry of Health decided Tuesday to adopt a new programme for 2003-2008 to improve the treatment of mentally ill patients. Click here for article.

- Many US baby boomers entering their golden years have a false sense of security about their ability to pay for long-term care such as nursing homes or assisted living facilities, results of an AARP survey reveal. Click here for article.

The very laws written to protect the privacy of people with mental retardation keep the public --- including families --- from knowing how they died. Click here for article.

Georgia broke its promise of good home for beloved son. Click here for article.

From: Reuters:

French Medics Protest Compensation for Disabled

French prenatal medics on Tuesday pledged to strike over a court ruling allowing compensation for disabled children whose mothers were not told of their disabilities during pregnancy, removing the option of abortion. Click here for more.

Washington Post Editorial Calls for Improved Voters Rights for Persons With Disabilities. Click here for article.

Budget Chief Predicts Deficits For the Rest of Bush's Term. Click here for article.

How Disabled Is Disabled? High Court Ponders Worker's Repetitive-Stress Injury. Click here