Disability Resource Digest

Volume 9 Issue 4 April 2009

Accessibility

 

Accessibility - important, not important - please tell us – "Bloor is conducting a survey on attitudes and plans for accessibility. The results will be presented at e-Access '09. The results will enable organisations, vendors and Bloor Research to make more informed decisions about accessibility. Please take part in the survey whatever you current views. At Bloor Research we believe that accessibility that is ensuring that ICT is accessible to people with disabilities, should be important to enterprises because of the financial benefits, moral imperatives, and legal requirements."

http://www.it-director.com/business/compliance/content.php?cid=11175

 

Canadian Transportation Agency Releases Guide for Travellers with Disabilities – (Abilities.ca). "Today, the Canadian Transportation Agency released the new publication Take Charge of Your Travel at its Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting in Ottawa. This free guide provides information for persons with disabilities that will help plan their travel and make it easier to get from point A to point B. It describes accessible services and features for travellers with disabilities who use airplanes and trains, as well as passenger ferries and buses that cross a Canadian or provincial border."

http://www.abilities.ca/travel/2009/03/30/cantranagency_guide/

 

HiSoftware and American Foundation for the Blind Team Up to Make the Web More Accessible to People with Disabilities – (AFB). "HiSoftware, a leading provider of software, services and managed operation solutions that monitor and optimize Web content, quality and regulatory compliance, and the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), today at CSUN announced a strategic alliance on web accessibility. AFB Consulting, the professional consulting division of the American Foundation for the Blind, will now offer HiSoftware's automated monitoring solution, HiSoftware Compliance Sheriff™ for Accessibility, as part of AFB's Accessibility Assurance™ Program (AAP). HiSoftware will now include the AAP and AFB Consulting's expert consulting services as part of its services offering."

http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?DocumentID=4665

 

Hud Produces Video Messages For Deaf And Hard Of Hearing – "The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that it has produced videos for YouTube and Facebook designed to educate Deaf and hard-of-hearing consumers about their fair housing rights, housing counseling services, and loan programs offered by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). In one video, a HUD employee uses sign language to tell his story of refinancing his home through FHA, the largest government insurer on mortgages. In another video, he explains that it's illegal to discriminate in housing based on race, religion, sex, national origin, disability or family status. All videos encourage viewers to contact HUD by visiting its website, www.hud.gov for help or more information"

http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr09-011.cfm

 

Raising the Floor Initiative Featured in CSUN Presentation – (Trace). "Trace Center Director Gregg Vanderheiden described the Raising the Floor initiative in his presentation Friday, March 20, 2009, at the annual CSUN conference. Raising the Floor (RtF) is an international collaborative effort to build access features directly into the Internet. Vanderheiden provided details of the initiative, including information on benefits and how to participate. A key initiative of the Trace Center's Universal Interface & IT Access RERC and Benetech, Raising the Floor (RtF) is part of a broader effort to ensure that every person with a disability on the planet has access to the basic technologies and knowledge they need to fully participate in education, employment and social inclusion. RtF was mentioned last year at CSUN in Jim Fruchterman's keynote presentation and was also presented at the Assistive Technology Industry Association Annual Conference held Jan. 29, 2009 in Orlando, and at the European Ministerial e-Inclusion Conference held in Vienna, Dec. 1, 2008."

http://trace.wisc.edu/news/archives/000257.php

 

Sweet Briar Inventors at Work on Third Hand — or Next Best Thing – by Jennifer McManarnay (Sweet Briar College). "Mission one at Lynchburg Sheltered Industries is to help disabled or disadvantaged people in the community achieve greater independence and self — esteem through vocational training and jobs. That often means developing assistive technologies or modifying processes to make specific tasks accessible to as many employees as possible. 'We work around people's disabilities to make them as productive as they can be,' said LSI executive director Cecil Kendrick. 'That's the goal here'."

http://www.sbc.edu/news/items/7903

 

Vancouver sets new standard for disabled access – by Jeff Lee, Canwest News Service (Abilities.ca). "Three years ago, when spectators using wheelchairs tried to get to and from the cross-country venue at the Turin Winter Paralympics, they found themselves stranded by a gulf of mud. The lack of access irritated International Paralympic Committee president Sir Phil Craven, who was among the stranded. He ordered mats be put down over the mud and around Sestriere, the Italian mountain village that was playing host to some of the Paralympic events. The incident highlighted one of the failings that has often shadowed the Paralympics: a lack of progressive thought towards accommodating people with disabilities. Invariably, sporting venues at Paralympics are suitable. The washrooms and change rooms for players are adequate. The fields of play, the ski runs, the curling venues and the cross-country courses are modified and acceptable for competition. But the Paralympics, unlike the Olympics, are not just a grouping of sporting events where the best athletes come to compete. They also serve a parallel social agenda of raising awareness around the issues of accessibility, human rights and equal treatment for people with disabilities."

http://www.abilities.ca/accessibility/2009/03/12/accessibility_vancouver_paralympics/

 

Advocacy

 

Eye-opening survey finds Canadians lack critical knowledge about glaucoma – (CNIB). "On the eve of World Glaucoma Day, results from a recent CNIB survey suggest many Canadians lack critical knowledge about this serious eye condition and are not taking the necessary steps to detect it early. The survey found that Canadians over the age of 40 hold significant misconceptions about glaucoma, the second-leading cause of vision loss among seniors in Canada. Seventy per cent of respondents incorrectly believed that glaucoma has associated symptoms, with a third associating the disease with pain or a change in how their eyes feel. In fact, glaucoma – commonly known as the 'silent thief' – is usually painless and progresses

without noticeable symptoms. This progression can lead to serious vision loss and total blindness."

http://www.cnib.ca/en/news/archive/03112009-eyecareaboutyou.aspx

 

Interviews Cynthia Waddell, Executive Director of the ICDRI – (ehousestudio.com). "Cynthia Waddell, known globally for her tremendous achievements in the advancement of web accessibility, spoke with {e} this week. She reflects on her career path, her continuous efforts to bring civil rights to people with disabilities and clears up some common misconceptions about Section 508."

http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/2009/03/18/e-interviews-cynthia-waddell-executive-director-of-the-icdri/

 

The Jade road to equality – by Sunil Peck (DisabilityNow). "Rowen Jade is 'thrilled' with her new role as chair of Equality 2025. She wanted to join the network because she believed passionately that equality by the year 2025 was a realistic goal. Before joining the network, Jade campaigned for rights for young disabled people and also worked for several centres for independent living. A former member of the Direct Action Network, her first demo was at the ITV telethon. But she has opted to turn her attention away from direct action to exploit the opportunities that the government created by setting up Equality 2025."

http://www.disabilitynow.org.uk/latest-news2/news-focus/the-jade-road-to-equality

 

Landmark disability pact provides road map to improve lives of millions – UN official – "People with disabilities suffer some of the worst violations of their human rights, but a groundbreaking United Nations treaty that entered into force last year provides a road map to improve this situation, the world body's top rights official said today. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay stressed that universal ratification and effective implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will help achieve this goal, as she addressed the Human Rights Council's annual interactive debate on the issue."

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30111&Cr=disab&Cr1=

 

Special Olympics fights use of word 'retard' – "The Special Olympics launched a campaign Tuesday to banish the word 'retard,' a casual insult that derives from an out-of-favor medical term and has long been considered inappropriate. People signed pledges not to use the word and students gathered to denounce its use at rallies from Florida to Alaska. Over the long-term, organizers hope to change attitudes about people with mental disabilities, who number more than 190 million worldwide, according to the World Health Organization."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29981699/

 

Spread the Word to End the Word (r-word.org) – "When people see the seriousness and sense of purpose evident in each Special Olympics athletic event, a window of understanding opens. In hundreds of competitions a year around the world, people everywhere get the chance to have their eyes opened and their perspectives widened. While sports is the focus of the movement, other opportunities to change attitudes emerge along the way. On 31 March, it was 'Spread the Word to End the Word' day, the launch of a grass-roots effort driven by high school and college students in the United States to raise awareness of the impact of the thoughtless, hurtful use of the word 'retard'."

http://r-word.org/

 

World Autism Awareness Day – "World Autism Awareness Day shines a bright light on autism as a growing global health crisis. WAAD activities help to increase and develop world knowledge of the autism epidemic and impart information regarding the importance of early diagnosis and early intervention. Additionally, WAAD celebrates the unique talents and skills of persons with autism and is a day when individuals with autism are warmly welcomed and embraced in community events around the globe."

http://www.worldautismawarenessday.org/site/c.egLMI2ODKpF/b.3917065/k.BE58/Home.htm

 

Education

 

CSUN Center on Disabilities breaking stereotypes and advocating for educational equality – by Jacky Guerrero (DailySundial). "A multiple-choice exam begins and students hurry to take out their pencils and scantrons. They all have fifty minutes to complete the exam. Fifty minutes spent in a lecture room with 100 students tapping their pencils, anxiously scribbling, flipping pages, and teachers making last minute announcements, while students concentrate on successfully finishing their test. Among those hundred students, Jora Amirkhanian sits patiently, trying to concentrate and ignore the movement around him, and the anxiety that he feels inside. He is also simultaneously trying to read what the test question is asking. Five minutes have passed and he has successfully been able to understand the question, now he must read and choose correctly between A, B, C, or D. Due to the time it takes Jora to read and understand a question, the highest Jora can hope to achieve is fifty percent on his exam despite having a Performance IQ (PIQ) in the 95 percentile. After six years at Santa Monica Community College (SMCC), Jora was a B average student, but after transferring to UCLA to complete a bachelor's degree in Biology, Jora dropped from average to failing."

http://sundial.csun.edu/csun-center-on-disabilities-breaking-stereotypes-and-advocating-for-educational-equality-1.1622141

 

Disability Scholarships – (Disaboom). "A great number of scholarships exist for people with disabilities, ranging from financial aid for students with learning disabilities to scholarships for disabled veterans to grants for students with vision loss, hearing loss, and mobility impairments, among others. Start your search here!"

http://www.disaboom.com/Resources/DisabilityScholarships/Default.aspx

 

Neumann Foundation Neu-to-U Program – by Catherine Marsden (The Windy Citizen). "A resume with the right key words, an outgoing personality, a positive attitude, a strong social network, and of course an outstanding skill set arer table stakes in today's in any job search. For persons with a disability, finding a job is more than just a challenge, it can be a dream out of reach. As I was doing research for TechWorks an internship program of Chicago's students with disabilities interested in technology, I learned how unlikely it is that a person with a disability will find a job independently. In 2007, Cornell University reported that only 37.7% of people with disabilities are employed."

http://rightsofpassage.windycitizen.com/2009/03/03/neumann-foundation-neu-to-u-program

 

New live-action ASL dictionary – (Abilities.ca). "marblemedia and The Canadian Cultural Society of the Deaf (CCSD) have teamed up again to create the first children's animated American Sign Language (ASL) dictionary. The dictionary will finally allow Deaf children to look up vocabulary according to their own, primary language - ASL along with the English vocabulary counterpart - without having to rely on adults for definitions. The interactive site aims to be a shared learning environment for Deaf and hearing children, 5 to 7 years of age, along with the adults in their lives. Another key feature of the site is its ability to simultaneously enable hearing children to learn ASL by finding words according to the English alphabet in a creative way with full live-action ASL in motion rather than through photographs."

http://www.abilities.ca/learning/2009/03/05/ccsd_marblemedia_asldictionary/

 

The ThinkCollege.net website – "Youth with intellectual disabilities have not had many chances to go to college. This is changing as individuals across the country begin to create opportunities for these youth to reap the benefits of postsecondary education. This website will provide information and links to anyone interested in finding out more about the possibilities."

http://www.thinkcollege.net/

 

Employment

 

Advocates for disabled raise concern on stimulus projects – by Stephanie Ebbert (The Boston Globe). "The governor's task forces on federal stimulus funding - which last month helped identify billions of dollars in 'shovel-ready projects' in Massachusetts - have angered advocates for the disabled by suggesting that the state forgo reviews for handicapped accessibility to prevent construction delays. Activists are threatening legal action and planning to protest a Monday meeting of the state Architectural Access Board. They fear that if the state overlooks accessibility in its rush to put federal stimulus funds to use, it will never find the money to make the buildings accessible."

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/03/advocates_for_d.html

 

Can Hiring One Employee with a Disability Make a Difference? – "When President Barack Obama mentioned the Special Olympics while describing his lack of skill at bowling during the March 19, 2009, episode of The Tonight Show, he immediately realized his gaffe and apologized. But his apology resulted in a challenge from Special Olympics: to consider hiring an athlete to work in the White House."

http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/Diversity/Articles/Pages/CanHiringOneEmployee.aspx

 

Ceremony marks Afghanistan's recognition of physically disabled – (Abilities.ca). "The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) in Afghanistan welcomed a shipment of 520 new wheelchairs, valued at $312,000. This donation from Wheelchair Foundation Canada (WFC) and Cetena Group was recognized yesterday in a ceremony held by the Minister of Public Health, Dr. SM Amin Fatimie, in Kabul, Afghanistan. The acceptance of this donation marks the MoPH's recognition that once barriers to mobility have been removed, citizens with disabilities can indeed contribute to Afghanistan's social, political and economic sectors."

http://www.abilities.ca/human_rights/2009/03/31/wfc_afganistan/

 

Disabilities and delusions – by Garrison Keillor (ChicagoTribune). "In hard times a man must consider new options, and right now I'm thinking about going on disability. I read in The Washington Post about the wonderful deals that police in Montgomery County, Md., negotiated for themselves way back when, whereby after a few years on the force, if you twist your back reaching for a jelly doughnut and are no longer able to dash down dark alleys and leap picket fences while firing your revolver with deadly accuracy, you apply for disability and a committee of gentlemen who report to nobody whomsoever and whose deliberations are highly confidential award you $50,000 per year tax-free."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0311keillormar11,0,7499032.column

 

National Council on Disability Makes Recommendations to Create More Federal Job Opportunities for People with Disabilities – (NCD). "The National Council on Disability (NCD) today concluded that current efforts to employ people with disabilities in the Federal Government have not worked well, but makes recommendations for reversing this trend. The paper, Federal Employment of People with Disabilities http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2009/pdf/Federal_Employment_of_People_with_Disabilities.pdf), examines the status of employment of people with disabilities in the Federal Government and makes recommendations for improving federal hiring and advancement of employees with disabilities. The paper summarizes the legal authorities and policy guidance, the responsibilities of various federal agencies charged with ensuring equal opportunity in federal employment, barriers to hiring and advancement, provisions for reasonable accommodations, and agency initiatives."

http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/news/2009/r09-582.htm

 

Recession Leaves Disabled Job Seekers Behind – (CNN). "'My name is Samuel L. Welsh I am a 29 year old who has spina bifida. I am in the job market now looking for work but in the meantime I am conducting my own cake business.' Welsh's chances of landing a job before this economic downturn were already slim. Now, as a disabled worker, he is competing with thousands of nondisabled job seekers going for jobs once allocated for the disabled population. Sam, as he prefers to be called, was laid off from his job as an executive assistant in 2006."

http://www.cbs19.tv/Global/story.asp?S=10013858

 

Storm brews over Tory immigration cap – (DisabilityNow). "The conservatives will create job opportunities for disabled people by placing limits on economic migrants entering the UK, according to the shadow minister for disabled people. In a blog on the Conservative Party website, Mark Harper accused Labour of coming to power in 1997 with little consideration of how to convert its rhetoric into 'solid policies' to benefit disabled people. Setting out his own policy for supporting more disabled people into work, Mr Harper said: 'We will unlock many more opportunities for disabled people to move into work by placing caps on the numbers of economic migrants moving into the UK, and incentivise and encourage businesses to take on disabled people.' Mr Harper's blog post also said that he wanted the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to become an 'exemplar employer of disabled people' for the rest of government and the wider business world. But Mr Harper's comments linking immigration with restrictions to job opportunities for disabled people have been condemned by disabled people."

http://www.disabilitynow.org.uk/latest-news2/news-focus/storm-brews-over-tory-immigration-cap

 

General Interest

 

Identity and Integration – by Tim Gilmer (NewMobility). "Let's be honest. As much as we make of 'accepting' our disabilities, don't we relish those moments when our disabilities momentarily 'disappear'? And isn't that why we make such a fuss about being integrated into the mainstream instead of segregated as a 'special' group? We want to blend seamlessly into society. If we stand out, we want to stand out because of a skill, an achievement, or some unique quality, not because we are disabled. We are not alone. Every minority group is faced with the same dilemma: We want equality and freedom from stereotypical limitations imposed by the mainstream, yet the more we insist on our rights, the more attention we focus on our being a minority. The more we demand, the more we self-segregate ourselves."

http://www.newmobility.com/articleView.cfm?id=11363

 

Still Shining – The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation – (AbilityMagazine). "Though Christopher and Dana Reeve have both passed on their vision for better outcomes and a better quality of life for people with spinal cord injuries are very much alive. Here Bob Yant, a leader within that organization, and the editors of ABILITY Magazine talk about how the foundation has grown in recent years, and how the field of spinal cord injury continues to expand and show promise."

http://www.abilitymagazine.com/Reeve_foundation.html

 

Iron Message: Falcons cornerback talks about overcoming learning disability – "Atlanta Falcons cornerback David Irons Jr., who professed to be 18 several times although he actually is 26, easily mingled with the high school students at Student Transition Day on Wednesday at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville. Dressed in blue jeans and a baseball cap, he did seem young, but he is a real NFL football player who has been through some tough stuff to get to where he is. Irons was part of a Disabilities Awareness Program. He is a national spokesman for the Learning Disabilities Association of America and has a company, Iron 2 Impact Inc., along with his father, who obviously was and is a big influence in his life. "

http://www.bnd.com/yourlife/story/705916.html

 

'Inspirational' disability activist Matt Laffan dies – "Matt Laffan was given less than a week to live when he was born, but the Sydney lawyer and disability activist survived a rare genetic condition for 38 years. . . . He was born with diastrophic dysplasia, which twisted his spine and caused his very short stature. He used a wheelchair from the age of 10, after an operation made him paraplegic. The 38-year-old appeared in court for the New South Wales Director of Public Prosecutions, was a board member of the Disability Council of NSW and a member of the state's rugby Disciplinary Tribunal."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/02/2504627.htm

 

National Federation of the Blind Celebrates Release of the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar – (NFB).  "The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the nation's oldest and largest organization of blind people and the leading advocate for Braille literacy, today celebrates the release of the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar. This historic commemorative coin, the first-ever U.S. coin to contain tactile, readable Braille, will be launched at a special ceremony at the headquarters of the National Federation of the Blind in Baltimore beginning at 10:00 a.m. on March 26, 2009. The NFB Jernigan Institute, the research and training arm of the National Federation of the Blind, will also release a report to the nation on the literacy crisis facing the blind in America. 'The Braille Literacy Crisis in America: Facing the Truth, Reversing the Trend, Empowering the Blind' describes the factors that have contributed to the shocking illiteracy rate of 90 percent among blind children and outlines steps to reverse this trend."

http://www.nfb.org/nfb/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=427

 

 

Government

 

Canada

 

The Government of Canada Enabling Accessibility for all Canadians – (Abilities.ca). "'The Government of Canada is committed to supporting people with disabilities and their families,' said Minister Finley.' Through the Enabling Accessibility Fund, our government is helping people with disabilities by improving access to facilities, activities and services that many people take for granted.' The EAF is part of a $45 million, three-year commitment to expand opportunities for people with disabilities and improve accessibility across Canada. The goal of the EAF is to promote vibrant communities that benefit from the participation of people with varying abilities in everyday life activities. Organizations can receive a grant of up to $50,000 for projects to renovate buildings within Canada; to enhance existing transportation through the modification of an existing vehicle; and/or to modify or enhance media and/or hardware in order to increase accessibility to information and communication. All projects must be accessible to the public."

http://www.abilities.ca/social_policy/2009/03/24/hrsdc_funding/

 

Ontario Ends The Era of Institutionalization – (Abilities.ca). "NEWS Ontario's last three institutions for people with a developmental disability are closing their doors today. by closing Huronia Regional Centre in Orillia (http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/mcss/english/mediaroom/video/0903311a), Rideau Regional Centre in Smiths Falls (http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/mcss/english/mediaroom/video/0903312a) and Southwestern Regional Centre in Chatham-Kent (http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/mcss/english/mediaroom/video/0903313a), the government has fulfilled its commitment to end the era of institutional living for people with a developmental disability. Since 2004, nearly 1,000 people with a developmental disability have moved from these last three institutions into Ontario communities."

http://www.abilities.ca/independent_living/2009/03/31/ds_closureofinstitutions/

 

Ontario parents still asked to give up kids... – (Abilities.ca). "Ontario's ombudsman says parents of special-needs children are still being asked to give up custody to get their kids the treatment they need, but the provincial government insists it's keeping a promise to stop the practice. Ombudsman Andre Marin issued a special report in 2005 criticizing the government for forcing parents to relinquish custody of severely disabled kids to the Children's Aid Society so they could be put into residential care. The province eventually restored custody to parents of 63 of the 100 children covered in the 2005 report, but Marin said he's received complaints that it's happening again, to at least another 19 Ontario families."

http://www.abilities.ca/human_rights/2009/03/18/ontario_ombudsman/

 

Pressure Mounting for Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) – (DPI). "Today marks the second anniversary of Canada's participation in the signing ceremony for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which took place at the United Nations. by signing, the Federal government signalled its intent to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by following typical Canadian procedures, with an emphasis on Federal, Provincial, Territorial discussions that take place behind closed doors. However today, two years after the fact, with 50 other countries having ratified the CRPD, Canada is beginning to feel pressure to fast-track ratification. With so many countries having stepped forward to ratify the CRPD, Canada needs to evaluate the pace at which things are proceeding."

http://v1.dpi.org/lang-en/resources/details.php?page=965

 

U.S.

 

Americans With Disabilities Act Of 1990, As Amended – "Following is the current text of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 [ADA], including changes made by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-325), which became effective on January 1, 2009. The ADA was originally enacted in public law format and later rearranged and published in the United States Code. The United States Code is divided into titles and chapters that classify laws according to their subject matter. Titles I, II, III, and V of the original law are codified in Title 42, chapter 126, of the United States Code beginning at section 12101. Title IV of the original law is codified in Title 47, chapter 5, of the United States Code. Since this codification resulted in changes in the numbering system, the Table of Contents provides the section numbers of the ADA as originally enacted in brackets after the codified section numbers and headings."

http://www.ada.gov/pubs/ada.htm

 

Idaho woman would pay debt with federal stimulus – by John Miller (Associated Press). "Sitting in her electric scooter in her three-bedroom, one-bath 1915 home in southcentral Idaho, Melody Russell admits she's not a bank. She's not a carmaker, or an insurance firm, or a wind turbine either. Even so, the 48-year-old mother of five with multiple sclerosis and a husband with a transplanted liver and no colon would like a share of the $787 billion federal stimulus. After watching fat cats on Wall Street reap federal largesse in recent months of economic turmoil, Russell said she got to thinking: Why not regular folks like her? So when Idaho Gov. C.L.'Butch' Otter last month announced he was taking ideas from all-comers on how to divvy up the state's chunk of the stimulus, estimated to be as much as $1 billion, she was ready. In a Feb. 18 letter, she asked Otter for help to pay off $34,000 in debt on two credit cards. She said the debt is due mostly to her family's medical bills "

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=AP&date=20090306&id=9674345

 

Obama's Disability Agenda (Podcast Interview) – (WNYC). "The Obama administration has an ambitious agenda for disability issues, but where will it fit in to his other legislative priorities? Day Al-Mohamed is Senior Legislative and Federal Affairs Officer with the American Psychological Association and serves on the board of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities - she also produces the Disability Policy Podcast."

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/episodes/2009/03/10/segments/125864

 

Obama's stimulus package aids people with disabilities – by Mike Ervin (The Progressive). "For the first time in many years, the White House is taking the side of people with disabilities. In his economic stimulus package that became law, President Obama included several provisions that will have a positive effect for this community. The first is a one-time additional payment of $250 to people who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and other selected Social Security benefits. Many SSI recipients live on less than $10,000 a year, and so this additional income will make a significant difference. Second, the stimulus package also allocates $500 million to help the Social Security Administration reduce the processing time for claims and appeals decisions."

http://www.progressive.org/mag/mpervin030509.html

 

Obama Town Hall: People with disabilities and mixed-race individuals – (LATimes). "It was a moment that brought to mind Joe Biden's gaffe during the campaign, when he asked a man confined to a wheelchair to stand up. President Obama had asked questioners to stand, but the man who asked the second question could not. 'I am unable to stand up, I believe I am entitled to that exception under the ADA,' he said with a smile. The young woman who had handed him the microphone apologized. The man's question was about how to encourage the 'emerging population of people with disabilities' to work, and how to appreciate the value of those who, while disabled, are eager to work. He called this 'your disability agenda'."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/03/obama-town-h-11.html

 

President Obama Overturns Bush Stem Cell Restrictions – (Spinalcord.org). "President Obama signed an executive order today repealing a Bush-era policy that limited federal tax dollars for embryonic stem cell research. 'Today, with the Executive Order I am about to sign, we will bring the change that so many scientists and researchers; doctors and innovators; patients and loved ones have hoped for, and fought for, these past eight years,' said Obama."

http://www.spinalcord.org/news.php?dep=1&page=0&list=2206

 

President signs Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act into law – (Spinalcord.org). "President Barack Obama signed the Omnibus Public Lands Bill, which contains the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act. The bill was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on March 25 and the U.S. Senate on January 15. National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA) was a staunch supporter of this landmark legislation, independently and through the Spinal Cord Leaders Council. NSCIA's hope is that the act will promote collaborative research, rehabilitation and quality of life initiatives for millions of Americans living with paralysis and spinal cord injuries and disease. Video of the signing is available at C-Span."

http://www.spinalcord.org/news.php?dep=1&page=0&list=2237

 

Top White House Aide Talks Disability Policy – by Michelle Diament (Spinalcord.org). "In February Vice President Joe Biden announced the selection of Kareem Dale as the first ever special assistant to the president for disability policy. Now, in an exclusive interview with Disability Scoop, Dale defends the president following his misstep on The Tonight Show last week and talks about what's next in the administration's plans for people with disabilities."

http://www.spinalcord.org/news.php?dep=1&page=0&list=2231

 

 

Health/Wellness

 

Community-based long-term care critical for people with disabilities - by Melvyn R. Tanzman (LOHUD). "The March 17 article by Jay Gallagher of the Albany Bureau, 'Upstate lawmakers outraged by cost of NYC home care,' is a reminder that difficult fiscal choices can either divide or unify the people of New York. Unfortunately, Assemblyman Joseph Errigo and Sen. Joseph Robach have chosen to play the upstate versus downstate card based on misleading and incomplete information provided by a health-care industry group comprising more than 50 upstate hospitals. It is unfortunate that these hospitals seem to be committing their considerable lobbying resources toward preserving the status quo of bloated executive compensation and institutional priorities rather than promoting a long-term care system that would allow their patients with disabilities and seniors to remain in the most integrated community setting."

http://lohud.com/article/20090325/OPINION/903250304/1076/OPINION01

 

Legal

 

Calif. court denies extra MCAT time for students with learning disabilities – by Amy Lynn Sorrel (AMNews). "In California, aspiring medical school students with learning disabilities lost their bid to get extra time or other accommodations when taking the Medical College Admission Test. The state Supreme Court in February declined to review the case. The decision leaves intact an appeals court ruling that California's disability and antidiscrimination laws do not require the Assn. of American Medical Colleges to grant special treatment to candidates diagnosed with dyslexia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or other learning disabilities."

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/03/02/prsb0302.htm

 

The Price of Disability Law – by Stephen J. Dubner (NY Times).  "We wrote a column a while back about a variety of powerful unintended consequences. One example was the Americans With Disabilities Act, and we told the story of a Los Angeles orthopedic surgeon named Andrew Brooks. When a deaf patient came to him for a consultation, he realized that the A.D.A. required him to hire a sign-language interpreter for each visit if that's what the patient wanted. . . . Brooks saw the patient and paid for the interpreter out of his pocket; fortunately, she didn't need surgery. But the incident made him conclude that if doctors have such a strong financial disincentive in such a case, 'this kind of patient will end up getting passed on and passed on, getting the runaround, not understanding why she's not getting good care'. "

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/the-price-of-disability-law/

 

Tarpley settles lawsuit with NBA, Mavericks – (BusinessWeek). "Former NBA player Roy Tarpley settled a federal lawsuit against the NBA and the Dallas Mavericks in which he claimed the league and the team violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing to reinstate him after a ban for drug use. Tarpley, now 44, filed the lawsuit in September 2007, arguing that the league and team discriminated against him on the basis of his disability as a recovering drug and alcohol abuser. Tarpley said in his lawsuit that he had successfully completed the one year of drug and alcohol testing requested by the league."

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D96VAS800.htm

 

Top Court tosses paralyzed MP's suit – "A paralyzed Tory MP has lost a bid to have the Supreme Court of Canada hear his case against Manitoba's public insurer. The court refused Thursday to hear Steven Fletcher's appeal against a decision by the Manitoba Public Insurance Corp., which denied him more money for full-time care. As usual, the court gave no reasons for its decision. Fletcher, a Manitoba MP and junior cabinet minister, was paralyzed from the neck down in a 1996 accident in which his car hit a moose. He requires round-the-clock attendant care, which his lawyer said costs more than $100,000 a year. The public insurer provides only $3,000 a month in such cases. Lawyer Sidney Green said bureaucrats were punishing Fletcher because of his Conservative politics. He sued for more compensation, but was denied. The Manitoba courts refused to hear his appeal. Thursday's Supreme Court ruling effectively ends the case."

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2009/03/26/8893066-cp.html

 

Media

 

Accelerate: A National Juried Exhibition for Emerging Artist with Disabilities – "Open to artists ages 16-25 living in the United States who have a physical, cognitive, mental or sensory disability. Deadline for entries: June 19, 2009. . . VSA arts is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith. For 35 years, we have been creating a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA arts provides educators, parents, and artists with resources and the tools to support arts programming in schools and communities. VSA arts showcases the accomplishments of artists with disabilities and promotes increased access to the arts for people with disabilities. Each year millions of people participate in VSA arts programs through a nationwide network of affiliates and in 55 countries around the world. VSA arts is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts."

http://www.vsarts.org/PreBuilt/showcase/gallery/exhibits/vw/current/

 

American Airlines And American Association Of People With Disabilities Team Up To Honor Best Tv Commercial – (AAPD). "American Airlines is partnering with the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) to create an award honoring the best U.S television commercials featuring positive portrayals of people with disabilities. Together, the two organizations will support and recognize the efforts put forth by companies that feature disabled people in their television advertising in creative and compelling ways."

http://www.aapd.com/Communications/2009AmericanAirlines.html

 

American Idol: Blind Guy Scott MacIntyre Can Take a Joke – by Sharyn Jackson (The Village Voice). "For the record, Scott MacIntyre, whom I've lovingly referred to as 'Blind Guy,' does indeed have a sense of humor about his disability. From a transcript of an interview Scott did on a phone conference yesterday, here he is talking about the high-five with Ryan that he repeated on the show the other night."

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2009/03/american_idol_p_1.php

 

bAd Makes Good of Dyslexia – by Matt Kettmann (Independent.com). "'I was falling behind, I had no confidence, and I hated going to school. Growing up was always a struggle, and I was getting swept under the rug.' These are the words of film director Vincenzo Giammanco, but they could be said by just about anyone who had to wade through grade school with dyslexia, a learning disability that blocks otherwise smart students from being able to process written language. Affecting as many as one in seven people, dyslexia can ruin lives if left untreated, stopping both mental and social development of children and leaving kids with no other option than to skip school, become bullies, or otherwise drop out of scholastic society."

http://www.independent.com/news/2009/mar/24/embadem-makes-good-dyslexia/

 

Disability: A Queer Issue – by Yasmin Nair (WindyCity). "A new support group for LGBTQ people living with disabilities has recently begun meeting at Access Living, and its founders are eager to spread the word about it in the community. Access Living is a non-residential center for independent living, aimed at providing resources for people with disabilities. In March 2007, it moved into a brand-new building at 115 W. Chicago, a project that has earned praise for being green and for providing universal access. The organization is not queer-defined, but, as Susan Nussbaum put it, 'Its main mission has always been the rights of people with disabilities. A part of that includes peer interaction and support and strength in identity through meeting, working and socializing with people with like oppression'."

http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=20690

 

Disability pride and performance – by Faiza Zia Khan (Ubyssey). "The Making of a Perfect Storm from The Unruly Salon series pre­miered on March 3, 2009 at the Royal Bank Cinema in the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. The Making of a Perfect Storm, a short film, documents the per­formances of over a dozen gifted disabled artists in a provocative and funny way. The afternoon was composed of a reception where guests were entertained by Glenys Snow Dy­mond and Joseph Lehman on hammered dulcimer and guitar. They have been creating music since 1981. 'A lot of the music Joseph com­poses reflects the environment in which we live. I am mobility impaired, post-polio so for myself, personally, it is a visualization of a dance,' Dymond said. In his opening comments, UBC president Stephen Toope said, 'this is a quest to open up all pos­sibilities for all members of our community….I want to applaud Dr Leslie Roman, creator of the Un­ruly Salon series, it's her commit­ment, her passion that has made this happen.' This series is the brainchild of Roman, associate professor of Educational Studies at UBC."

http://www.ubyssey.ca/?p=7682

 

Marketers Lend Voices to Show Support for the Disabled – by Stuart Elliott (NYTimes). "Efforts in advertising to pay attention to the disabled are accelerating even as the business of many marketers is slowing. The seeming contradiction is not surprising because in harder times many consumers begin thinking about weightier matters than the size of their homes or the features on their phones. For instance, in a survey released last week by Hill & Knowlton, part of WPP, 75 percent of respondents said that companies 'need to be even more charitable and responsible to their communities' during the economic downturn."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/31/business/media/31adco.html?_r=1

 

Pianist not hindered by disability – by Shoshana Akins (Suffolk Journal). "Born weighing one pound five ounces with lungs about to collapse, lost sight at the age of three months old, diagnosed with autism at age five, and is called one of the best savant pianists of her time. This is the story of Brittany Maier. On March 3, Maier and her mother, Tammy Maier, came to Suffolk University to perform a concert as part of Unity Week. The concert mainly consisted of Maier presenting her amazing talents, which is that she can play any song on the piano from pop to classical by just hearing it once."

http://media.www.suffolkjournal.net/media/storage/paper632/news/2009/03/05/Arts/Pianist.Not.Hindered.By.Disability-3662435.shtml

 

Springtime Shenanigans It ain't funny, Magee! – by jo holzer (Windy Citizen). "Comedians in New York are nastily targeting Governor Paterson's blindness (Happily, his racial status has not been similarly commented upon.). In the New York Times on Friday, February 6, Clyde Haberman in his NYC column ('Equal Opportunity to be the Target of Low Blows and Tasteless Jokes') took exception to the 'comedy writers with frat-boy sensibilities,' saying 'the level of humor might fairly be described as sophomoric were that not an insult to sophomores.'  The writer also quoted Marcie Roth, executive director of the National Coalition for Disability Rights, as saying skits on Saturday Night Live reflected a 'ridiculous, ongoing, permissible bigotry'."

http://rightsofpassage.windycitizen.com/2009/03/01/springtime-shenanigans-it-ain%E2%80%99t-funny-magee

 

Medical

 

Debate Over Drugs For ADHD Reignites – by Shankar Vedantam (WashingtonPost). "New data from a large federal study have reignited a debate over the effectiveness of long-term drug treatment of children with hyperactivity or attention-deficit disorder, and have drawn accusations that some members of the research team have sought to play down evidence that medications do little good beyond 24 months. The study also indicated that long-term use of the drugs can stunt children's growth. The latest data paint a very different picture than the study's positive initial results, reported in 1999."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/26/AR2009032604018.html?hpid=topnews

 

Innovative Brain Therapies Offer Hope to Injured Troops – by Gerry J. Gilmore (American Forces Press Service). "Innovative therapies that have assisted previously comatose patients regain consciousness may be incorporated on a greater scale to treat troops diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries, a brain injury expert said Mar. 23. Dr. Philip A. DeFina, chief executive and scientific officer at the not-for-profit International Brain Research Foundation Inc., in Edison, N.J., said that, over the past four years, electronic brain stimulation, oxygen-induction, drugs and other therapies were used to bring 43 people, including five injured soldiers, out of minimally-conscious or vegetative states."

http://www.health.mil/Press/Release.aspx?ID=604

 

Pentagon Plan to Regrow Limbs: Phase One, Complete – by Noah Shachtman (Wired). "The first phase of the Pentagon's plan to regrow soldiers' limbs is complete; scientists managed to turn human skin into the equivalent of a blastema — a mass of undifferentiated cells that can develop into new body parts. Now, researchers are on to phase two: turning that cellular glop into a square inch of honest-to-goodness muscle tissue. Cellthera Inc. and the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) just got a one-year, $570,000 grant from Darpa, the Pentagon's blue-sky research arm, to grow the new tissues. 'The goal is to genuinely replace a muscle that's lost,' biotechnology professor Raymond Page tells Danger Room. 'I appreciate that's a very aggressive goal.' And it's only one part in a larger, even more ambitious Darpa program, Restorative Injury Repair, that aims to 'fully restore the function of complex tissue (muscle, nerves, skin, etc.) after traumatic injury on the battlefield'."

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2009/03/darpa-muscle-re.html

 

Scientists Report Important Step in Biomarker Testing for Alzheimer's Disease – "Scientists have made a significant step forward in developing a test to help diagnose the early stages of Alzheimer's disease sooner and more accurately by measuring two biomarkers—tau and beta-amyloid proteins—in cerebrospinal fluid. In a new report, researchers from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) not only confirmed that certain changes in biomarker levels in cerebrospinal fluid may signal the onset of mild Alzheimer's, but also established a method and standard of testing for these biomarkers. ADNI is a research partnership supported primarily by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, with private sector support through the Foundation for NIH, seeking to find neuroimaging and biomarker tests that can detect Alzheimer's disease progression and measure the effectiveness of potential therapies."

http://www.nia.nih.gov/NewsAndEvents/PressReleases/PR20090317biomarker.htm

 

Spina Bifida Association Holds Groundbreaking First World Congress – (SBA). "The Spina Bifida Association (SBA) recently concluded the First World Congress on Spina Bifida Research and Care in Orlando, Florida. This international event brought together over 350 clinicians, medical professionals, and researchers in the area of Spina Bifida to discuss the future of care for this challenging and complex birth defect. Anchored by keynote sessions delivered in each of the eight major disciplines involved in Spina Bifida, the Congress was highlighted by breakout sessions in which the work of over 150 scientists was presented."

http://www.spinabifidaassociation.org/site/c.liKWL7PLLrF/b.5069833/k.9507/March_31_2009__SBA_Holds_Groundbreaking_First_World_Congress_On_Spina_Bifida_Research_and_Care.htm

 

Untethering the Invisible Knot – by Richard Holicky (NewMobility). "It came on very slowly, first the stiffness, along with more spasticity, making different movements more difficult. I'm a 'fake quad,' an incomplete C5-6 with enough muscle sparing and leg strength to stand and do some crutch walking, but the spasticity made both much more challenging. While in my wheelchair, my legs would shoot straight out of the footrest straps and trigger spasms in my trunk strong enough to straighten my entire body, occasionally sliding me out of my chair. Transferring to my handcycle became all but impossible — I found myself on the floor or ground all too often. Getting up to sitting in bed was harder, and often the spasms were strong enough to lay me back down. Then my posture began to deteriorate and the hours of computer work grew more exhausting. Transfers, ramps and wheeling in general all got harder. Pain and fatigue came on more quickly, and I just couldn't do all that I used to do."

http://www.newmobility.com/articleView.cfm?id=11376

 

Policy/Research

 

Caring for families caring for a person with a disability – by Dr Ben Edwards (AIFS). "In Australia, it is estimated that there were 474,600 primary carers for people because of disability or age in 2003 (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2003). The issue is of particular importance given the growing number of Australians who have caring responsibilities because of the ageing of the population. The number of people receiving government payments that support carers is substantial. In June 2007, there were 116,614 people receiving Carer Payment and 393,263 receiving Carer Allowance,1 representing a 145% and 102% increase (respectively) since June 2000 (Department of Family and Community Services [FaCS], 2000; Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs [FaCSIA], 2007)."

http://www.aifs.gov.au/afrc/pubs/newsletter/newsletter11.html#caring

 

Disability companion card launched today – "The New South Wales Government says its new companion card will make life easier for people with disabilities. The card, to be launched today, will provide free access to public transport, government services and businesses for carers of people with severe disabilities. Around 240 businesses have signed up to the program and the Government estimates about 25,000 people will be eligible for the card. The card will be managed by National Disability Services, the peak body for people with disabilities."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/28/2528777.htm

 

The ICDR Seeks Your Recommendations on Emerging Disability Research Topics – (ICDRI). "This year for the first time, the federally mandated Interagency Committee on Disability Research (ICDR) is utilizing an innovative Web-based approach to collect online disability research comments to assist in developing a federal disability and rehabilitation 2010 research agenda. This technology-driven approach gives the public a three-week time frame from March 27th through April 17th to submit their recommendations. Additionally, registered participants will be invited to review all comments submitted and vote on their top ten concerns in each topic area during the one-week period from April 22nd through April 29th. Public comments from stakeholders are the focal point of the disability research recommendations in the ICDR Annual Report to the President and Congress."

http://www.icdr.us/stakeholders/index.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fstakeholders%2fSignedIn.aspx

 

National Council on Disability Calls for New Federal Approach to Disability Policy – (NCD). "The National Council on Disability (NCD) today released its annual report to the President and Congress calling for a new integrated approach to disability policy within the Federal Government. According to NCD Chairperson John R. Vaughn, 'The report focuses on the current quality of life of people with disabilities in America and the emerging trends that should be factored into both the design and evaluation of the Federal Government's disability policies and programs in the coming years. Strides have been made in access to transportation, education, communications, technology, and employment. Other factors important to quality of life, however, impede progress toward full citizenship, such as lack of affordable, accessible housing, difficulty breaking into the job market, poor access to health care, the institutional bias in Medicaid, access barriers to technology, and negative public attitudes about people with disabilities'."

http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/news/2009/r09-581.htm

 

Social Security Programs Throughout the World: Asia and the Pacific, 2008 – "This second issue in the current four-volume series of Social Security Programs throughout the World reports on the countries of Asia and the Pacific. The combined findings of this series, which also includes volumes on Europe, Africa, and the Americas, are published at 6-month intervals over a 2-year period. Each volume highlights features of social security programs in the particular region. The information contained in these volumes is crucial to our efforts, and those of researchers in other countries, to review different ways of approaching social security challenges that will enable us to adapt our social security systems to the evolving needs of individuals, households, and families. These efforts are particularly important as each nation faces major demographic changes, especially the increasing number of aged persons, as well as economic and fiscal issues."

http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/progdesc/ssptw/2008-2009/asia/index.html

 

Rehabilitation

 

Study Tests Durability and Life Expectancy of Titanium Wheelchairs – "A titanium wheelchair can be less than one-half the weight of an aluminum or steel wheelchair, reportedly while maintaining the same strength. To determine whether titanium wheelchairs really do have equal strength and durability, researchers at the Department of Veterans Affairs Human Engineering Research Laboratories recently tested 12 ultralight titanium rigid-frame wheelchairs against the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) testing standards."

http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/550106/

 

Sports Concussions: Common and Preventable – (RehabPub). "Sports and recreation-related concussions impact an estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million people nationwide annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by a blow or jolt to the head and can range from mild to severe, and it is important to note that even if you do not lose consciousness after a fall, it is possible to have a concussion. Symptoms of concussion can include headache, nausea, dizziness, and visual changes, but it is important to note they are different for every individual and are not always immediately evident. It can take days or weeks before symptoms are present, so it is important to seek medical attention immediately following any type of blow to the head."

http://www.rehabpub.com/news/2009-03-19_01.asp

 

Treating SCI pain: What the research says – by Jeanne Hoffman, PhD, UW rehabilitation psychologist. "Treatment for spinal cord injury (SCI) pain continues to be a focus of research. Studies over the last two years have examined the effectiveness of medications, brain stimulation, exercise, acupuncture and psychological approaches such as hypnosis and biofeedback. Most research has focused on neuropathic pain."

http://sci.washington.edu/info/newsletters/articles/09_spr_pain_research.asp

 

Self-Help

 

LDAC launches www.youth2youth.ca – (Abilities.ca). "Today, the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada launches www.youth2youth.ca, a new website for students with learning disabilities. www.youth2youth.ca is accessible and offers support such as BrowseAloud, an invaluable reading software. 'youth2youth.ca provides students who have LDs with the tools they need to succeed,' said Judy Kerr, Executive Director."

http://www.abilities.ca/learning/2009/03/24/ldac_website/

 

Sports/Recreation

 

Unique Program Develops Paralympic-Level Winter Athletes – (RehabPub). "A few weeks after their Wildcat teammates ski in the NCAA Championships at Sunday River in Maine, University of New Hampshire skiers Jon Parker and Ted Broderick will head to Winter Park, Colo, for the US Alpine Nationals. And as the Hockey East quarterfinals come to a close in Durham, skaters Taylor Chace and Josh Moran will defend the home ice of the Whittemore Center against the Connecticut Wolfpack (March 15). But these athletes are Wildcats with a twist: Parker and Broderick are missing a leg and a forearm, respectively. And Chace and Moran will sit, not stand, to play sled hockey. The four students are among seven elite student-athletes with disabilities who train alongside UNH NCAA winter-sport athletes in a program that is unique to UNH. The athlete development program of Northeast Passage, a UNH program that delivers recreation opportunities for people with disabilities, is the only collegiate program in the nation that recruits and develops winter-sports student athletes with disabilities, according to the university."

http://www.rehabpub.com/news/2009-03-11_01.asp

 

Technology

 

Augmentative Alternative Communication For TTY and Speech-To-Speech Users –  "Introducing a new and better way for TTY and speech-to-speech users to communicate over the phone. This augmentative alternative communication (aac) device gives persons with speech-impairments the ability to 'talk' directly on landline telephones (cordless), VOIP and cell phones."

http://www.the-speech-assistant.com/

 

Noted Disability Columnist Suzanne Robitaille Launches Abledbody.com – "Former BusinessWeek.com assistive technology columnist Suzanne Robitaille today launched abledbody.com, a news platform for the 54 million Americans and 20 million families touched by disability. Abledbody.com is the first consumer website to focus on the technology and innovations that help enable people with disabilities in their workplace and lifespace. With its mix of original and sourced news, personal commentary and contributors' expert opinions, abledbody.com provides a central source for disability consumer news that is largely absent from mainstream media. The tagline "where 'can-do' is done different " guides the site's mission to showcase the ability in every body, regardless of a physical, mental or intellectual disability."

http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/48521/

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10205613-1.html

 

A voice of direction in the darkness – by Ilana Teitelbaum (Isreal 21c). "Imagine if you were standing in the hallway of an office building and couldn't see where the elevator to the next floor is. Now imagine that at the touch of a button, a prerecorded voice tells you exactly where to find the elevator. Another touch of the button, and the voice tells you which floor you need for your destination. Now this kind of aid for the visually impaired has become a reality, in the form of a new device created by Israeli company Step-Hear."

http://www.israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enDispWho=Articles%5el2499&enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=object&enVersion=0&enZone=Health

 

Five Questions With Dennis Lembrée: Creator of Accessible Twitter – "Twitter has changed from being a tool most people thought is simply yet another way for people on the Internet to waste time to a platform for social change, social networking and dare I say it even business. One of the aspects that Twitter has been lacking is an accessible interface to the service. Thankfully Dennis Lembrée is changing all this. Schalk Neethling sat down with Dennis to learn more about Accessible Twitter, the problems he faces in creating it and what the future will hold."

http://www.oneweb-tv.com/2009/02/five-questions-with-dennis-lembree-creator-of-accessibile-twitter/

http://accessibletwitter.com/ (Accessible Twitter)

 

Forget the mobile web: One site should work for all – by Bruce Lawson (ZedNet.uk). "Access to the web is a human right, says Bruce Lawson. It should not matter if you browse using a mobile phone, or with an assistive technology because of a disability. You should still have access to the same website a desktop user enjoys. Usability guru Jakob Nielsen wrote on his useit.com site recently: 'Mobile-phone users struggle mightily to use websites, even on high-end devices. To solve the problems, websites should provide special mobile versions'."

http://resources.zdnet.co.uk/articles/comment/0,1000002985,39621546,00.htm

 

HumanWare and ReadHowYouWant Join Forces to Bring Books to Visually Impaired Readers – (ATechnews). "HumanWare, the leader in assistive technologies for people with print disability, and digital publishing innovator ReadHowYouWant are partnering to help visually impaired readers discover the book reading device, and the format that's right for their reading needs. ReadHowYouWant offers thousands of books in accessible formats, including 24 pt. large print, braille, and DAISY files at www.readhowyouwant.com. HumanWare provides playback devices for readers who are blind or have low vision to use with braille and DAISY files at www.humanware.com."

http://www.atechnews.com/home.html

 

Music at the blink of an eye – by Siobhán Long (Irish Times). "'Life Is A Paradox – the opposites between life and death, ability and disability, and technology and solitude.' James Brosnan, journalist, activist and music fanatic muses about the pros and cons of finding himself immersed in technology. Having cerebral palsy, being a wheelchair user and being unable to speak have done little to halt his gallop through the world of assistive technology: everything from communication devices to countless computers and the odd power wheelchair."

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2009/0325/1224243363668.html

 

New survey reveals seniors avoiding assistive devices even when at risk for serious injury – "A recent IPSOS-Reid survey commissioned by the BC Institute of Technology's Living Laboratory, found that seven-in-ten Canadian seniors report having a mobility or health issue that reduces their quality of life due to a physical limitation and that in many cases increases their risk of falling. However, 46 per cent of them do not use an assistive device (cane, walker, scooter, etc). Most notably, while 96 per cent of all seniors surveyed felt that assistive devices (ADs) are a good way to prevent falls, the majority (63%) of those who reported having a fall in the past year (20%) do not use an AD."

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2235010/

 

Disability groups demand full return of Kindle's text-to-speech – by Eric Engleman (TechFlash). "Amazon.com's new electronic book reader, Kindle 2, encountered early criticism from the Authors Guild over its text-to-speech feature, which reads e-books aloud -- prompting a partial backdown by Amazon. Now a collection of disability groups is demanding that Amazon fully restore Kindle 2's text-to-speech feature, calling it a 'momentous' development for the blind and others."

http://www.techflash.com/Disability_groups_demand_full_return_of_Kindles_text-to-speech_41583262.html

 

Nine disability organizations speak out about Kindle 2 text to speech – by Paul Biba. "On 16 March 2009, a letter went out from disability organizations to six major publishers that sell Kindle ebooks: Random House, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, Penguin and Hachette. These letters insist that Text to Speech be turned back on. At this time, Random House has disabled text to speech on all of its ebooks. Letters were a collaborative effort written on behalf of nine disability organizations: The National Federation of the Blind, the DAISY Consortium, the American Foundation for the Blind, the American Council of the Blind, the International Dyslexia Association, the American Association of People with Disabilities, the National Center for Learning Disabilities and the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law."

http://www.teleread.org/2009/03/19/nine-disability-organizations-speak-out-about-kindle-2-text-to-speech/

 

NSCIA Joins Reading Rights Coalition in Urging Authors to Allow Everyone Access to E-books – (SpinalCord.org). "The Reading Rights Coalition, which represents people who cannot read print, will protest the threatened removal of the text-to-speech function from e-books for the Amazon Kindle 2 outside the Authors Guild headquarters in New York City at 31 East 32nd Street on April 7, 2009, from noon to 2:00 p.m. The coalition includes the blind, people with dyslexia, people with learning or processing issues, seniors losing vision, people with spinal cord injuries and disease, people recovering from strokes, and many others for whom the addition of text-to-speech on the Kindle 2 promised for the first time easy, mainstream access to over 255,000 books."

http://www.spinalcord.org/news.php?dep=1&page=0&list=2238

 

knfb Reading Technology, Inc Announces the kReader PC Innovative Software Solution for Struggling Readers – (Businesswire). "knfb Reading Technology, Inc. announces the premiere of the kReader PC, a break-through in assisted reading and study skills software for students, including struggling readers—at the California State University Northridge Annual Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference 2009. Developed under the direction of Assistive Technology pioneer Ray Kurzweil the kReader PC makes reading fun for students with its engaging and easy to use interface. The kReader PC interface utilizes state-of-the-art video gaming technology to create 3D book viewing, multimedia annotations, voice painting and many other features to make reading and creation of reports fun and engaging for students. . . .Student created multi-media content provides an interactive way for students of all levels to create and display their own content, including creation of virtual book covers and use of a 3D virtual bookshelf."

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090318005422&newsLang=en

 

Optelec Offers New Solutions for the Visually Impaired and Low Vision User – (Marketwire). "Optelec US Inc., a world leader in innovative and life-changing assistive technologies for the visually impaired and blind, is revealing the FarView, ClearView+ G2 and ClearNote Portable, which are three revolutionary electronic solutions that bring life back into focus for those living with low vision. The Optelec low vision solutions continue to improve the quality of life for every user, from the student unable to see the whiteboard to the business executive who struggles to view the color contrast on an important document."

http://ca.sys-con.com/node/882664

 

TALKS for Verizon Wireless Enhancing Mobile Accessibility to Blind and Visually Impaired Customers - by Tim Gray (TMCnet). "Verizon Wireless is helping blind and visually impaired customers navigate their mobile phone services by providing audio feedback for messaging, dialing and other tasks. . . . The service offers voice-to-text translation with a new assistive technology that converts displayed text into "highly intelligible " speech. The technology, created by Dragon NaturallySpeaking, a company owned by Nuance, aids users with a myriad of functions including: caller ID, dialing contacts, adding and editing contact entries, writing documents in the mobile versions of Word and Excel, composing multimedia (MMS) messages and browsing the Internet with Internet Explorer Mobile."

http://internetcommunications.tmcnet.com/topics/broadband-mobile/articles/52201-talks-verizon-wireless-enhancing-mobile-accessibility-blind-visually.htm

 

Web-Based Help On The Way For MS Sufferers – by Vickie Beck (Tribune). "Clearly, the personal computer and the Internet have changed the way we communicate and search for information. Having the Web at your fingertips is like having a giant resource library as close as the living room. Using a typical computer setup may be difficult for some people with multiple sclerosis, however, causing them to miss out on the many benefits of this personal technology that has become so much a part of typical American life. That's why the MS Technology Collaborative is encouraging those with MS to become part of Snapshot, a Web-based technology assistance program available at www.mymsmyway.com/snapshot/ index.html."

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/mar/19/191813/4u-web-based-help-on-the-way-for-ms-sufferers/

 

Conferences

(New Conferences)

 

Canadian

 

Health & Safety Canada 2009 - April 20 - 22, 2009 | Toronto, Ontario. "Three dimensions that will drive health and safety in the future. Don't miss out on three days of unparalleled learning and the year's best opportunity to network with more than 6,000 health and safety professionals."

http://www.iapa.ca/Main/Micro/conference_2009/index.asp

 

Louis Braille: From Literacy to Liberty 2009 Canadian Federation Of The Blind Convention Louis Braille Birthday Bash – May 1-3, 2009 | Victoria, British Columbia. "Celebrate the 200th birthday of Louis Braille at the fourth annual Canadian Federation of the Blind Convention."

http://www.cfb.ca/

 

Fifth Annual Health Care Provider Conference – May 8, 2009 | Burnaby, British Columbia. "Join us in Burnaby on May 8 for the Fifth Annual Health Care Provider Conference. The goal of the conference is to provide continuing education opportunities to rehabilitation providers. Author and inspirational speaker Warren Macdonald will talk about finding opportunity in change. Other conference topics include: the health care provider's role in preventing the spread of communicable diseases, motivational interviewing techniques, caring for injured spinal cord patients, cognitive behaviour therapy, assessment, treatment, and predictablity of low back, pelvic, and hip injuries."

http://www.healthcareproviderconference.com/

 

Critical Disability Studies Conference – May 8-9, 2009 | Toronto, Ontario. "York University's Critical Disability Studies Student Association will be holding its 5th annual graduate student conference May 8-9 2009. The conference is meant to showcase graduate students across Canada and their work relating to themes and issues within the scope of Critical Disability Studies."

https://pi.library.yorku.ca/ocs/index.php/cdsc/

 

International Conference on the Use of the Internet in Mental Health – May 14-16, 2009 | Montreal, Quebec. "The Internet has become a must-use tool for everyone, including those working in mental health. People with mental illnesses, and their loved ones, now look to the Internet to find information on their disorders, to share their emotions on Facebook discussion groups, or to simply express themselves through personal blogs. Mental health professionals are also taking ownership of this new tool to improve their practice. Various initiatives in this field have already been developed, such as information dissemination, on-line diagnoses, post-immediate care after a mass casualty event, e-psychotherapy, and Internet-based research and academic training."

http://www.douglas.qc.ca/internet-mental-health/

 

             Canadian Social Forum – May 19-22, 2009 | Calgary, Alberta. "We're bringing together community leaders from social development, public health, environment, community safety and recreation. The Forum targets poverty – both urban and rural. Workshops by aboriginal presenters doing innovative work across the country will play a critical role."

http://www.ccsd.ca/csf/2009/index.htm

 

2009 CHHA Conference & AGM - "Technology: The Gateway to Hearing Life" – May 21-24, 2009 | St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. "The theme for the 2009 Conference is 'Technology: The Gateway to Hearing Life' and reflects the impact technology has on persons with hearing loss and their families. A full line-up of educational workshops has been scheduled for May 22 and May 23, 2009. Some of the topics to be discussed could include cochlear implants, tinnitus, captioning issues & accessibility, hearing aids, speech recognition software, etc. Young adult sessions are also included."

http://chha.ca/index2.php?content=information

 

2009 CDSA-ACEI Conference – May 25-26, 2009 | Ottawa, Ontario. "The 2009 CDSA-ACEI Conference, held in conjunction with the Congress of the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, will be at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday May 25 and Tuesday May 26, 2009. The theme of Congress 2009 is 'Capital Connections: nation, terroir, territoire.' This theme invites an exploration of identity as physical space; the space of a people, a nation, and their historic 'terroir.' It asks the question: Has globalization produced a sea-change in our understanding of the relationship between place and who we are? Our conference will accordingly reflect that theme with regards to disability studies."

http://www.cdsa-acei.ca/conference.html

 

U.S.

 

Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium – April 17, 2009 | Baltimore, Maryland. "Jacobus tenBroek founded the National Federation of the Blind in 1940 and served as its president until his death in 1968. He was a constitutional law scholar, a blind professor at Berkeley, and an author of treatises on the Fourteenth Amendment and social welfare. Dr. tenBroek created the concept that civil rights should apply to disabled Americans, and he published extensively regarding the variables involved in the application of the law to those with disabilities. That blind and other disabled people have been able to gain a substantial measure of participation in American life is largely due to Dr. tenBroek's thought and energy. To carry forward the work of Dr. tenBroek in assuring that all citizens may have the opportunity for full participation in the society in which we live, the National Federation of the Blind is hosting the Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium. The 2009 symposium, 'New Perspectives on Disability Law: Advancing the Right to Live in the World,' will examine the new perspectives on disability law both in the United States, brought about by the election of a new administration and the

signing of the ADA Amendments Act, and internationally, as a result of the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities."

http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Law_Symposium.asp

 

Multiple Perspectives on Access, Inclusion, and Disability Annual Conference – April 28-29, 2009 | Ohio State University Columbus Campus. "The Ninth Annual Multiple Perspectives conference continues the university's efforts to bring together a diverse audience to explore disability as both an individual experience and social reality that cuts across typical divisions of education & employment; scholarship & service; business & government; race, gender & ethnicity. This year's theme 'Change, Challenge & Collaboration' reflects the critical place in history we occupy. Between last conference and this call for papers the United Nations has adopted the Convention on Disability, Congress passed a new GI bill and the Higher Education Opportunity Act which include a significant focus on disability; the Access Board is proposing changes in Section 508, the Department of Justice is in the final stages of a comprehensive review and update of the regulations for the ADA's Titles II and III; and the ADA Amendments of 2008 are working their way through Congress. The theme and the quotes below are offered as a guide to framing your proposals and considering your topics from a fresh perspective."

http://ada.osu.edu/conferences/2009Conf/callforpapers09.html

 

Pacific Rim International Forum – May 2-3, 2009, | Honolulu, Hawaii. "With its beginnings dating back to 1985, the Pacific Rim International Conference on Disabilities has evolved into one of the top rated international educational offerings for and from persons with disabilities, family members, researchers, service providers, policymakers, community leaders, advocates, and nationally recognized professionals in the various disciplines in the diverse field of disabilities."

http://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu/

 

21st Annual Postsecondary Disability Training Institute (PTI) – June 2 -6, 2009 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "Come learn skills you'll use every day! The objective of this Training Institute is to assist concerned professionals to meet the unique needs of college students with disabilities. Participants can select from a variety of Strands and Single Sessions taught by experts in the field that provide participants with in-depth information and adequate time for questions and follow-up activities. Participants also have opportunities to share information and network with each other at various activities throughout the week."

http://www.cped.uconn.edu/09pti.html

 

The Second National Conference on the Employment of Lawyers with Disabilities – June 15-16, 2009 | Washington D.C. "The Conference will be hosted by the ABA Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law and 2008-2009 ABA President H. Thomas Wells Jr. It is co-sponsored by the Association of Corporate Counsel and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. This groundbreaking program aims to: encourage large legal employers, particularly corporations and law firms, to sign pledges to promote diversity and inclusion within the workplace with an emphasis on hiring and retaining lawyers with disabilities; develop best practices for promoting disability diversity and inclusion; and identify legal

employers and work settings that are models for the legal profession. The Conference is part of the ABA's commitment to open the legal profession to lawyers with disabilities."

http://www.abanet.org/disability/conferences/09conference.shtml

 

2009 Amputee Coalition of America Annual Conference – June 18-21, 2009 | Atlanta, Georgia. "The Amputee Coalition will bring together people with limb loss/limb difference, their families and healthcare professionals for 4 days of education, support and networking. We hope to see over 900 attendees in 2009! Don't miss this opportunity to join hundreds of people who share life experiences and learn from each other."

http://www.amputee-coalition.org/conference/

 

2009 Resna Conference – June 23-27, 2009 | New Orleans, Louisana. "Join us in New Orleans on June 23-27, 2009 for the Annual RESNA Conference at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel. For information about the hotel, click here http://www.sheratonneworleans.com/. For information about New Orleans, check out http://www.neworleansonline.com/ "

http://www.resna.org/conference/index.php

 

2009 National Disability Sports Conference – September 10-12 | Kennesaw, Georgia. "The 2009 National Disability Sports Conference will be held September 10-12 on the campus of Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia. Next year's Conference is expected to be the best ever, with more than 30 interactive sessions on topics ranging from coaching to recruitment and program development. These sessions will be lead by the nation's top sports professionals; elite coaches and Paralympic athletes will share their cutting edge training techniques with attendees. Wheelchairs and other sporting equipment will be on hand to ensure a hands-on learning experience. Additionally, Conference attendees will have access to one-on-one consulting on fundraising, risk management, public relations, grant writing, and more. Continuing education credits are available. This is an excellent chance to meet the best minds in disability sport from across the country!"

http://www.blazesports.org/

 

The Second IASTED International Conference on Telehealth and Assistive Technology: TAT 2009 - November 4–6, 2009 | Cambridge, Massachusetts. "The healthcare industry is constantly changing to incorporate new advances in science and to address new needs within society. Recent developments in communication technology have greatly facilitated the exchange of information and expertise. Telehealth is an emerging field in which health services are transmitted over a long distance using technologies such as videoconferencing, the Internet, store-and-forward imaging, streaming media, satellites, and wireless communications. Telehealth promises to impact the ways that clinical healthcare, health-related education, public health, and health administration are approached."

http://www.iasted.org/conferences/cfp-663.html

 

60th Annual IDA Conference - November 11-14, 2009 | Orlando, Florida. "The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) is a scientific and educational nonprofit organization concerned with dyslexia and related language and learning difficulties. The IDA Annual Conference focuses on the latest advances in these and related fields. IDA is interested in a broad spectrum of research and practical presentations along these lines. The objective of the conference is to bring up to date information to a diverse audience that includes educators, researchers, physicians, psychologists, social workers, speech language pathologists, administrators, parents, persons with dyslexia, and others."

http://www.interdys.org/CallForPapersOrlandoTest1.htm

 

WFN XVIII World Congress on Parkinson's Disease and Related Disorders – December 13-16, 2009 | Miami Beach, Florida. "Celebrate 50 Years of Scientific Advancement in Parkinson's Disease. In 2009 the WFN XVIII World Congress on Parkinson's Disease and Related Disorders celebrates half a century as a leading international summit for clinicians, researchers, and allied healthcare professionals worldwide seeking real solutions to improve the long-term outcomes for Parkinson's patients. Over 3,000 participants are expected to attend this biennial Parkinson's Disease congress – the eighteenth organized by the World Federation of Neurology (WFN) 'Research Group on Parkinsonism and Related Disorders'."

http://www2.kenes.com/parkinson/Pages/Home.aspx

 

Overseas

 

International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility 2009 – April 20-21, 2009 | Madrid, Spain. "Population demographics indicate that our populations are ageing across the board. As the population ages the financial requirement to work longer is increased, but the ability to work longer is reduced because disability becomes a bar to employment. With the growth of the knowledge economy, and a move from manual work to more thought and communication based activities, there is the very real possibility of older Web users being able to finding productive, fulfilling, and social empowering employment; if only technology, and specifically the Web, where available to them. An ageing but Web literate population indicates a large market for online shopping and services especially when mobility is a problem for the shopper. In this case we wonder how this new population we interact with Web based resources, and what new problems in accessibility will there be to overcome?"

http://www.w4a.info/

 

Eighteenth International World Wide Web Conference – April 20-24, 2009 | Madrid, Spain. "The International World Wide Web Conferences Steering Committee (IW3C2), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and Madrid municipality cordially invite you to participate in the 18th International World Wide Web Conference (WWW2009) to be held in Madrid, the charming and cosmopolitan Spain´s capital. The World Wide Web Conference is the global event that brings together key researchers, innovators, decision-makers, technologists, businesses, and standards bodies working to shape the Web. Organized by IW3C2 since 1994, the WWW conference is the annual opportunity for the International community to discuss and debate the evolution of the Web. The conference will feature a range of presentations on world-class research, as well as stimulating talks, workshops, tutorials, panels, and late-breaking posters."

http://www.www2009.org/

 

The Second International Conference on Information and Communication Technology & Accessibility – May 7-9, 2009 | Hammamet, Tunisia. "After the success of ICTA 07, with more than 300 attendees from about 30 countries, the Second International Conference on ICT and Accessibility will take place in the beautiful town of Hammamet from 07 to 09 May 2009. ICTA 09 will provide a unique forum for all research related to ICT and e-accessibility. This conference addresses new trends and challenges, emerging technologies and progress in standards relevant to today's fast moving areas of Information and Communication Technologies. It will also discuss how e-accessibility can be supported and improved."

http://www.icta.rnu.tn/

 

DSAI 2009 Software Development for Enhancing Accessibility and Fighting Info-exclusion – June 3-5, 2009 | Lisboa, Portugal. "Welcome to DSAI 2009. After a successful start with DSAI 2006 and 2007 editions, the International Conference on Software Development for Enhancing Accessibility and Fighting Info-exclusion (DSAI 2009) will take place in June 2009, at the MSFT - Software para Microcomputadores, Lda. - TAGUSPARK - Lisboa - PORTUGAL. Nowadays, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) play a major role in our lives. However, ICT development which is indifferent to the concerns of social inclusion may raise barriers and increase the gap between the average user and those with special needs, instead of contributing to eliminating this gap and promoting equal rights and opportunities for all. Senior citizens and others with special needs are often faced with multiple minor disabilities that prevent them from enjoying the benefits of technology and higher quality of life standards. According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, technology design should take into account accessibility and usability features for the protection and promotion of the human rights of persons with disabilities, in all policies and programmes."

http://dsai2009.utad.pt/

 

2009 IEEE 11th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics - "Reaching Users & the Community" – June 23-26, 2009 | Kyoto, Japan. "ICORR2009 will take place at the Kyoto International Conference Center, Japan. Kyoto is the historical home to many of Japan's traditional cultures and it is impossible to know the real Japan without knowing Kyoto. ICORR will highlight the most recent advances in rehabilitation robotics and their relevance to end users."

http://www.icorr2009.org/

 

IASSID 2nd Asia Pacific Regional Congress - Creating Possibilities for an Inclusive Society – June 24-27, 2009 | Singapore. "All abstracts are now being reviewed by the Scientific Programme Committee. Authors will be notified of the outcome to the review process within the next few weeks."

http://www.iassid.org/iassid/index.php

 

19th IAGG World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics – July 5-9, 2009 | Paris, France. "Every four years, the World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics represents a unique and irreplaceable event attended by experts from around the world to discuss the latest findings in the field of ageing. The 19th congress, which is taking place in Paris in 2009, is particularly important, as it coincides with an ideological u-turn. Lifespan extension and the

growing number of elderly people, once considered as catastrophic, are now viewed as an indisputable progress."

http://www.gerontologyparis2009.com/site/view8.php

 

AAATE 2009 Conference - Inclusion between past and future – August 3-September 2, 2009 | Florence, Italy. "As technology develops rapidly and an Information Society is approaching, the concept of Assistive Technology seems to be moving away from adopting the most appropriate device/s for each user in order to overcome the limitations to her/his activity to the design and set up of the total environment in which people live, supported by suitable functionalities (services) and, when necessary, by additional support devices integrated within the environment. At present, these two perspectives are deeply intertwined, from both a technological and a social point of view. The relationship, coexistence and transition between them currently represent the first challenges for the world of Assistive Technology. This is coherent with the WHO-ICF model, which describes disability as resulting not only from a person's intrinsic attributes but also from the context. Therefore, according to the emerging technological perspectives, inclusion of all citizens can be pursued by the creation of inclusive living environments in which the abilities to carry out necessary tasks are redefined, particularly with reference to the accessing of information, interpersonal communications, and environmental control. From this perspective, this approach is also coherent with the definition of eInclusion, as approved in the 2006 Riga Ministerial Declaration: 'e-Inclusion means both inclusive ICT and the use of ICT to achieve wider inclusion objectives'."

http://www.aaate2009.eu/

 

Techshare 2009 – September 16-18, 2009 | London England. "Techshare is a series of international events which highlight the importance of digital technology in the lives of people with disabilities. Join us in exploring how new innovations in assistive technology can enhance education, work, and play."

http://www.rnib.org.uk/xpedio/groups/public/documents/code/public_rnib004057.hcsp