Our Most Notable and Favorite Disability Articles for the Week Ending July 15, 2016

At Advancing Opportunities, we excel in providing residential and respite services to people of with all disabilities, along with advocacy and education services for parents and guardians and assistive technology support.  As a leader in the field, we are pleased to share our experience, knowledge, and expertise with the disability community through our social media outlets: Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.  In our Disability and Ability Highlights of the Week column, we will select the best of what we found and shared and present them.  Please click on the titles with embedded links to find the full article.

Even with the brooding skies, a one-horse open sleigh may look out of place in the summer. Then, again, maybe not. This team was spotted just outside Reading, PA. Photo: Daniel L. Berek, 2016

 

 

Disability in the news (mostly in New Jersey, the population we serve):

The Boggs Center receives $2.2 million for student training in autism and related disabilities.

More than half the US states need assistance with requirements to meet the needs of students with needs and special education requirementsassistance with requirements to meet the needs of students with needs and special education requirements.

Should voucher programs be subject to the same non-discrimination rules as public schools? 

The U.S. Senate approved a bill to fund tracking devices to help prevent children with autism from running away.

 

 

For parents of a child with a disability (parenting, special needs):

People & Families – Magazine for parents of children with developmental disabilities in New Jersey

 

 

“I used to think my daughter with dyslexia just needed to try harder.”

Sports can be a highly productive outlet for children with ADHD for many reasons.

 

 

Special education (including college for students with disability):

We have always believed that many students on the autism spectrum, along with those with other disabilities, could – and should – attend college.  So does ASAN, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, which has just announced its 2017 college scholarship for students with autism.

“The Social Construction of a Reading (Dis)Ability”

 

 

Inspirational and Informative (or Both!):

July 19: UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon pays tribute to Nelson Mandela. Thank you, Mr. Secretary, and thank you, Madiba! Heroes both.

A little girl with severe autism nevertheless connected with another girl.  Seventeen years later, the two young women are still together.

After a long battle with Crohn’s disease, Olympic swimmer Kathleen Baker makes it to Rio.

 

 

Advocacy and self-advocacy:

Revisiting Steve Silberman’s ground-breaking talk at the United Nations on autism acceptance, self-acceptance, and self-determination, in a world that embraces neurodiversity.

 

 

Assistive technology:

Here’s a fine TED talk on how new technology helps blind people explore the world.

 

 

Disability awareness and appreciation:

Sculpture of President Franklin D. Roosevelt greeting a young girl who is also disabled, will be the first memorial dedicated to FDR and his disability.

 

 

Medical news – research:

New neurons reveal clues about an individual’s autism.

A new study reports that variations in a genome associated with risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have distinct effects on cognition. The findings highlight the diversity of people with ASD.

Scientists call for use of ecstasy in autism research; the drug, more commonly known as ecstasy, promotes strong feelings of empathy in users and is classified as a Schedule 1 drug – a category reserved for compounds with no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

 

 

People with disabilities in the arts:

A Canadian artist is inspired, not defined by his autism in creating his own gallery space.

 

 

Employment for people with disabilities:

Ruderman Family Foundation White Paper: Nearly all TV roles of people with a disability are played by able-bodied actors.