People on Wheels

News

Hailing a cab still might be tough, but finding a wheelchair-friendly one will be a lot easier

NEW YORK – New York City has reached a milestone agreement to regulate yellow taxis such that at least half of those vehicles will be wheelchair-accessible within six years. According to a report by the New York Times, the new rules came about as the city settled a suit filed in 2011 that charged it was in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act because so few taxis were wheelchair-accessible. As of September, only 233 of New York City’s 13,000 taxis were able to pick up passengers in wheelchairs. Read More!

Vet who got scammed gets help from Idaho woman

IDAHO – On a cold, damp afternoon Marlene Hummel saw the lean stranger with white hair sitting in a wheelchair as she pulled into the parking lot of Albertson’s grocery store. Hummel didn’t know he was a Vietnam-era Army veteran, a former professional baseball player, and that he had no

Suspect arrested at paraplegic’s home in Reseda

CALIFORNIA - A suspect was arrested no suspicion of burglarizing a paraplegic man at his Reseda home Saturday, officials said Sunday. The paraplegic man, who was in his medical bed and without assistance, called 9-1-1 with his cellphone at about 2:45 p.m. to report that a man had entered his

Temple: Toddler, Mother Check Into Nursing Home; Carrier Denied Care

TEXAS – A mother and her 2-year-old daughter from Woodway recently made some big changes when they moved into a nursing home in an attempt to get health care denied by their current insurance company. Leeann and Faith Fortenberry moved into the Temple Living Center West Nursing Home almost a

Battling ALS, Maine artist learning to paint anew

MAINE— Jon Imber doesn’t have the strength to walk the 30 feet from the side door of his house to his little studio out back. His wife, Jill Hoy, and a studio assistant, Holley Mead, each take an arm and lift him out of his kitchen chair, help him out

A Drug Used For Hypertension Can Reduce Chronic Pain in Spinal Cord Injury Victims

INDIANA – After a nerve cell injury a certain toxin called acrolein is produced in the human body that aggravates the severity of the injury. In a new research, Riyi Shi a researcher from Purdue has found that a drug used in treating hypertension called hydralazine can lower the levels

Veterans helping Wounded Warriors hit Sierra slopes

CALIFORNIA – “We believe the freedom and exhilaration of outdoor challenges changes lives. No one should be left behind simply because of a disability.” – Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra The American Legion will be banding together with Carl’s Jr. to raise funds in support of Wounded Warrior Project athletes

9-Year-Old to Get New Wheelchair After Thief Strikes

OHIO –FOX 8 viewers are moved to action after learning about a nine-year-old boy whose wheelchair was stolen. Many people called and emailed the station offering to help. Tuesday, a local company agreed to donate a replacement. Without assistance, it’s tough for Stephen Gibson to get around Cleveland’s Sunbeam Elementary

Tongue piercing lets paralyzed control wheelchairs

NEW YORK — From fashion statement to … wheelchair controller? In an advance that promises to improve the lives of the more than 250,000 people in the United States who are paralyzed from the neck down, researchers announced on Wednesday that they have developed a wireless device that operates specially

Four year wait for wheelchair delivery

TEXAS – Countless students earn a college degree faster than its taking Vicki Jurney-Taylor to receive her special-ordered wheelchair. Jurney-Taylor is well known in San Antonio for her love of animals and speaking her mind, and she’s also known across the country for fighting a debilitating disease. At 55-years-old, she

Disabled veteran becomes Olympic hopeful

UTAH — Tyler Burdick remembers his first job out of high school. He was a snowboard instructor at Snowbird. A gruesome injury while serving in Afghanistan had him convinced he would never snowboard, or perhaps even walk, again. In 2010, Burdick was serving his third tour of duty for the

Complaint yields new program for students with disabilities

NORTH CAROLINA — Durham Public Schools soon will launch a new program to provide improved educational services for students with disabilities serving short-term suspensions. The program is a response to a complaint filed by Advocates for Children’s Services of Legal Aid of North Carolina on behalf of a middle school

Paraplegic activist loses wheelchair in bus accident

CALIFORNIA — Arthur Renowitzky is no stranger to the struggles of immobility. Paralyzed after he was shot in a botched 2007 robbery attempt, the aspiring rapper and activist has for six years relied on a custom-made wheelchair to move about the world, from everyday errands to frequent engagements speaking out

Four Heroes Empowering Disabled Children to Receive “Nobel Prize for Child Advocacy”

New York – World of Children Award (http://www.worldofchildren.org) will honor four individuals – C. Mead Welles, Susie Krabacher, Sarah Cronk and Michaela Mycroft – on November 7, 2013 for their work to transform the lives of children with disabilities. All four heroes work on the ground in countries around the

Disabled woman stuck in care home

CANADA – A disabled woman who wants to live independently in her own apartment says she’s being denied the chance for a normal life by an unfeeling health care bureaucracy. Richelle Bellis is 43 and has muscular dystrophy, which means she needs a ventilator and round-theclock assistance. But Bellis says

Paraplegic veteran gets wish granted at Bucs game

FLORIDA – At 6’4″ and nearly 300 pounds, Sergeant Austin Burchard is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to stature. The former high school football star from Kansas loved his time on the field as a center. But, he loved his time in the military even more.

Wounded Warriors play in volleyball tournament

VIRGINIA – Gung-ho spirits were the norm as wounded-warrior athletes from the four services, U.S. Special Operations Command and the Department of Veterans Affairs clashed at the 3rd Annual Joint Services Sitting Volleyball Tournament at the Pentagon Athletic Club… in recognition of Warrior Care Month. Hosted by the Office of Warrior Care Policy, the tourney showcases the services’ Warrior Transition Units. It also highlights the commitment of wounded, ill and injured servicemembers to their physical and mental well-being through the Military Adaptive Sports Program, begun in 2011. Before the two final games which pitted the Marine Corps against Air Force and Army against SOCOM, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Warrior Care Policy Donna Seymour spoke about the Department of Defense’s commitment to “building a ready and resilient force,” the theme for this year’s Warrior Care Month. “Military adaptive sports facilitate stress release and it provides reconditioning and camaraderie between our veterans and our

Olympic Oval hosting 2014 women’s nationals

CANADA – The 2014 Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League (CWBL) Women’s Championship will be returning to the Richmond Olympic Oval next April. The tournament will feature elite female players from across Canada, including past, present, and future members of Team Canada who will be competing for a remarkable seventh consecutive podium

Wheelchair lacrosse gains steam

VIRGINIA – For two hours each Tuesday afternoon, a small group of wounded troops meets in a gym at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, strapping on helmets, pads and gloves to get physical, battling one another to move a small orange ball down a court and hurl it into

Inclusion – a pathway to sport

NEW ZEALAND – My role as disability sport advisor for the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation is to assist physically-disabled people to participate in sport and recreation. We achieve this by working with schools, clubs and organisations to provide opportunities for disabled people to participate within their own communities. Much of

A league of their own: Special needs athletes compete at custom Scottsdale baseball stadium

ARIZONA — When 9-year-old Aiden Ringo settles into the batter’s box, he says he forgets about his weekly doctor’s appointments and therapy. The three surgeries he had on his feet in September never pop into his mind, he said. The fact he’s the only kid in his class that gets

An Unlikely Combination: Hanukkah and Rugby

This weekend, there are two totally unrelated things for me to write about. While they really don’t belong in the same blog, I only have one day to write about them, so here goes! Happy Hanukkah to all our friends who celebrate the holiday also known as the Festival of

Amazing extreme wheelchair freestyling

U.K. – Aaron ‘Wheelz’ Fotheringham is wheelchair bound, but that has not stopped him from performing some incredible stunts. Fotheringham proves that extreme freestyle sports are not only for the fully able-bodied as he flies through the air with a series of breathtaking moves. ‘Wheelz’ performs outrageous stunts, jumps and

Sledge hockey: impossible is possible

RUSSIA – Sledge hockey (known as sled hockey in the United States) is the Paralympic version of ice hockey. It is a new term for the majority of the Russian sports fans. Despite the fact that sledge hockey was included in the programme of the Paralympic Games in 1994, its

Jordanne Whiley beaten in Singles Masters semi-finals

CALIFORNIA – Jordanne Whiley has been beaten in the semi-finals of the end-of-season Singles Masters in California. The 21-year-old world number seven was defeated 6-2 6-0 by defending champion Jiske Griffioen in the last four. Whiley had become the first British female wheelchair tennis player to make the semi-finals of

United States beats Canadian rivals to claim wheelchair rugby championship

ALABAMA -The United States wheelchair rugby team got revenge on its northern rival Saturday. The United States defeated Canada 60-43 to claim the 2013 International Wheelchair Rugby Federation Americas Championship at the Lakeshore Foundation. A spirited rivalry has formed since Canada beat the United States 50-49 knocking them out of

Gateway To Gold Launches In Houston

HOUSTON – Zach Ruhl has fallen in love with wheelchair sports in the past year. And he’s already looking to take it to the next level. The 24-year-old got a chance to test his skills at the Gateway for Gold event Sunday in downtown Houston. Ruhl was one of about

Family sets sights on accessible baseball diamond

CANADA – A group has launched a fundraiser in a bid to build accessible baseball diamond and playground in east Ottawa for children with disabilities. The project, called Miracle League of Ottawa, is the brainchild of Bryce Desrochers and his parents. They officially began a fundraising campaign Saturday morning at

Heighington father and son found wheelchair football team

U.K. – A FATHER-AND-SON duo are looking to set up a powered wheelchair football team for disabled youngsters across the North-East. James Radcliffe, 17 from Heighington, suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare muscle-wasting disease which leaves him dependant on his powered wheelchair. He and dad George are now looking

It’s a wheel fun dance for Leighton

U.K. – A boom in wheelchair dance classes is expected to hit Beds after an instructors’ class this week. The week-long intensive course at Cedars School in Leighton Buzzard was run by Wheelchair Dance Association and aimed to make the art form accessible to everyone. Classic dance forms such as

Against the odds: Texarkana man paralyzed, fights for quality of life

TEXAS – When faced with new challenges, they can either break you or make you stronger. For 39-year-old Chad McCrary out of Texarkana, Texas, he chose to take his negative life altering-situation and turn it into a positive one. McCrary was a former firefighter and paramedic in Texarkana. In 2000,

Paralympic gold medallist honors veterans at national Remembrance Day Ceremony

CANADA – Paralympic gold medallist and local Sochi hopeful Marc Dorion (Bourget, Ont.) laid a wreath to honor Canada’s war veterans on behalf of Canadian Paralympic athletes at the national Remembrance Day ceremony this morning in Ottawa. “As a Paralympian training for the 2014 Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia, it

Cleveland’s Dancing Wheels one of six recipients of 2014 Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio

OHIO – Cleveland-based dance troupe Dancing Wheels has been selected as one of six recipients of the 2014 Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio. Dancing Wheels, the first fully-integrated dance troupe in the country featuring professional dancers with and without disabilities, will receive the award for Arts Education. “I was thrilled and honored,” says founder and artistic director, Mary Verdi-Fletcher, the first professional wheelchair dancer in the United States. “The basis of our organization is going into the community and educating through the arts. To be the recipient of such an award is gratifying, and also a way for use to be able to see we’re doing a good job at the work we set out to do.” Verdi-Fletcher created Dancing Wheels in 1980 and opened the school to the public in 1990. They are in their 33rd season. Dancing Wheels was nominated for the Governor’s Award by Jane D’Angelo, executive director of Ohio

On death and dying

ILLINOIS – On November 23rd, Scott Adams, the creator of “Dilbert” unleashed an explosive rant and rage on his blog. Titled, “I Hope My Father Dies Soon”. Adams vehemently criticized those who are against doctor assisted suicide, especially politicians who vote against it. He also raged against so-called activists who

Angry note left on wheelchair accessible van attracting attention

CANADA – It’s a story that began with mean notes left on the windshield of a wheelchair lift van, but now, one woman’s story is prompting people in Saskatoon to take a second look at accessibility issues. CTV News was with Desirée Parisien as she shared some of the notes.

Paraplegic veteran gets wish granted at Bucs game

Sport Clips Hairdresser Triumphs Over Tragedy to Inspire Others

MICHIGAN – Hairdresser Megan Reynolds was paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident in 2010 while on the way to a University of Michigan football game. Today, she is the local marketing manager for a Sport Clips Haircuts in Granville, Michigan. Her story is one of triumph over

Dogs ease veterans’ trauma at VA center

CALIFORNIA — The black Labrador retriever knew something was wrong. He refused to leave the side of Sandro Navarro, repeatedly nuzzling the troubled man, trying to comfort him. It was the anniversary of that terrible 2003 day in Iraq when Navarro was the first to arrive at a blast scene

N.J. company’s folding wheelchair wheel named Best of What’s New by Popular Science

NEW JERSEY – Kathleen Hanek and her team at Maddak, a Wayne-based manufacturer of products for seniors and people with disabilities, spent six years on a project most people consider the pinacle of futile tasks. They reinvented the wheel. Or, more specifically, they adapted the design of a folding bicycle

New College Program for Disability Studies

CALIFORNIA – If not for happening upon a scholarly journal in 1989, Dr. Jim Ferris today likely wouldn’t be heading the disability studies department at the University of Toledo. In a telephone interview, Ferris said, “I was looking for another journal when I found the Journal of Social Issues, which

German wheelchairs can be steered by ears

GERMANY – The technology involves fitting patients with a small chip which monitors muscular movement in the ear and converts it into a signal which then gets passed onto a computer in the wheelchair. Researchers from Göttingen, Heidelberg and Karlsruhe collaborated to create the software. Study head David Liebetanz believes

Breaking down wheelchair barriers

NEW ZEALAND – A new Nelson charity aims to break down barriers for people who use wheelchairs permanently. Let’s Wheel The Wheels is holding its first event on November 29 from 9:30am to 11am at Tahunanui Sportsfield. Anyone who uses a wheelchair is invited and new Nelson city councillor Tim

‘Evil’ triplet pushes her sister out of window leaving her paralysed for life

U.K. – Chris Defreitas will never forget the night police knocked on his door to tell him that one of his triplet daughters had been critically injured in an accident. He rushed to hospital, arriving just as she was being wheeled into the operating theatre. Medics told him her chances

Minnesota launches plan to improve treatment for disabled, mentally ill

MINNESOTA – Theresa Dolata had her first suicidal thought at age 5, was hospitalized for mental illness at age 14, and tried to decapitate herself with a sword — “as a sacrifice to God,” she says — at age 31. Yet Dolata, now 39, considers herself fortunate. In 2005, she

Disability doesn’t stop man from sharing love of dance

FLORIDA – Dwayne Scheuneman knew it was over before he was pulled out of the pool. His hobby was riding mountain bikes. It was a passion, and it all came crashing down when he dove into a pool and hit the bottom head first. Before he was pulled from the

Nation’s next wage fight is on Seatac ballot

WASHINGTON — For two decades, Chris Smith worked his way up from ferrying passengers in wheelchairs at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to fueling airplanes. But after years of breathing fuel fumes, going without sick days and making just over Washington’s minimum wage of$9.19, Smith could no longer make it work. At

Interview with Jewel Kats, Children’s Book Author and Disability Advocate

WASHINGTON – I don’t usually write about children’s book authors or graphic children’s books. however, Jewel Kats is an incredible individual with an intriguing back story. I stumbled upon her work, an irony, because I never would have imagined I’d go back to reading fairy tales. I was glad I

Disability groups rally for 5 percent funding increase in 2014

MINNESOTA – Several hundred advocates for disability services packed into the state Capitol rotunda on Tuesday to call on Minnesota legislators to increase their funding by 5 percent next session. The so-called “5 Percent Campaign” is seeking the increase after the DFL-controlled Legislature passed a 5 percent increase for nursing

Prosthetic bladder ‘could benefit those with spinal cord damage’

U.K. – British scientists have developed a new device, which may be able to restore bladder control to those who have suffered from severe nerve damage, according to a recent health study. Specifically targeting spinal injuries, the researchers used a rat subject to test their device. The new type of bladder treatment used functioning nerves around the area to interpret the needs of the organ. By stimulating the nerves using electrodes, the full bladder could alert a patient as to when it would need emptying. If this technology were to be adapted to humans, a small hand-held device may enable them to empty the organ at their will. “This device is not the ultimate goal, the ultimate aim is to regenerate the spinal cord. What we’re doing is restoring some function, not curing spinal cord injury,” Dr Daniel Chew told the BBC, regarding the target of his team’s work. Read More!

7 Myths About Multiple Sclerosis

MS Myth or Fact? Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common neurological disease leading to disability in young adults. Chances are, you’ve at least heard of MS, and perhaps you’re even living with the disease yourself. Yet, despite its familiarity, MS is widely misunderstood. Have you fallen for any of

Does Spine Surgery Timing After Traumatic Injury Impact Outcomes?

VIRGINIA – There is no strong evidence to support spine surgery soon after a traumatic injury to prevent some of the secondary damage, mainly because the available study data cannot be easily compared, according to a study published in the Journal of Neurotrauma. The researchers performed a systematic review of

New technologies promise advancements in treatment for spinal-cord injuries

COLORADO – Rapid advances in technology are hastening the spread of new, motion-based treatments for people paralyzed by spinal-cord injuries, raising their hopes of moving in ways they never dreamed would be possible again. Locomotor patient Kyle Pearson, who broke his back and 10 ribs at Breckenridge on a ski

A Paralyzed Man’s Impossible Dream

ILLINOIS – In 2007, Mark Stephan was a successful businessman, an avid marathoner, and a two-time Iron Man triathlete when a bicycle accident left him a quadriplegic, unable to use his arms and legs. Doctors told him he would never walk or bike again. Stephan, however, had other ideas.

Therapy for spinal-cord injuries helping Coloradans regain mobility

COLORADO – It is Day 1,097 since James Nall’s right leg stopped listening to him. Nall sits on a couch just 10 feet from the stairway where he fell and broke his neck. Moving on from a devastating spinal-cord injury is even harder when, a dozen times a day, you

Toxin-Emitting Bacteria Being Evaluated as a Potential Multiple Sclerosis Trigger

NEW YORK — A research team from Weill Cornell Medical College and The Rockefeller University has identified a bacterium it believes may trigger multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic, debilitating disorder that damages myelin forming cells in the brain and spinal cord. Their study, published in PLoS ONE, is the first

Flu Shots and Multiple Sclerosis: Should You Vaccinate or Not?

D.C. – The influenza vaccine is recommended for MS patients, but only if they receive it in shot form and are not taking steroids. Flu season is upon us, and people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are once again debating whether or not to get vaccinated. According to the National Multiple

Local Washington State Resident Defies the Odds After a Spinal Cord Injury

CALIFORNIA – Joe Preti has dealt with many dangerous circumstances due to his tendency to sleep walk. Nearly three years ago Joe was sleepwalking through his Washington home when he took one fateful step that would change his life forever. This step resulted in a tumbled down a flight of

Use of Sugar Molecules Open Up New Avenues for Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis

JAPAN – disabling condition that is caused by degradation of myelin tissue that works as insulation for nerves helping them in generating impulses, multiple sclerosis is still poorly understood. Recent research by scientists has made an invention that could change the face of medical science in treating the dreaded disease.

Health Briefs: Technologies brighten prospects for wheelchair users

PENNSYLVANIA – New technologies offer the promise of empowerment for people with spinal cord injuries, but in a recent editorial in the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, University of Pittsburgh professor Rory Cooper says their effectiveness is diluted by insufficient training in their use, and by “misguided changes” in medical

In One Man’s Hands: California Governor May Decide Paralysis Research

CALIFORNIA – On Sept. 9, the California state Senate voted a unanimous YES to restore one million dollars in funding to the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act. The bill was AB 714 (Wieckowski, D-Fremont), and the Senate voted 39-0 in favor. In the Assembly, the numbers were 68-3.

Boyd “Rainmaker” Melson, Professional Athlete and Advocate for Spinal Cord Injury Treatment, Signs on as Advisory Board Member of Store-A-Tooth™ Dental Stem Cell Banking

MASSACHUSETTS – Melson is a gifted professional boxer who donates all of the money that he earns in the ring to spinal cord injury research. His advocacy efforts have been profiled on Emmy Award winning HBO series Real Sports, ESPN.com, Sports Illustrated and Yahoo. He is a founder of the

Ironman-like Exoskeleton could give Astronauts, Paraplegics Improved Mobility and Strength

FLORIDA – Marvel Comic’s fictional superhero, Ironman, uses a powered armor suit that allows him superhuman strength. While NASA’s X1 robotic exoskeleton can’t do what you see in the movies, the latest robotic, space technology, spinoff derived from NASA’s Robonaut 2 project may someday help astronauts stay healthier in space

New Early Diagnostic Test for MS Developed

NEVADA – Early indications that a person might have multiple sclerosis (MS), according to recent research, might be found through testing a person’s spinal fluid. This new early diagnostic test, and the increasing evidence that MS affects both the white and grey matter of the brain, might lead to new

Spinal cord injuries

FLORIDA – September is National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month, and there are 1.25 million Americans living with spinal cord injuries — including me. Due to an unfortunate, sports-related injury at the age of 19, I have been confined to an electric wheelchair ever since. My spinal cord injury changed

Wheelchair athlete injured by fishing-line-across-path trap

U.K. – A DISABLED man was knocked from his wheelchair twice in a week by a deadly fishing-line trap set across the seafront promenade. The length of wire was strung up across the promenade, not far from Frinton Golf Club. It was tied between street furniture on either side of the seafront footpath, creating an almost invisible and dangerous hazard about three-and-a-half feet off the ground. Police believe it was set up deliberately in an attempt to knock cyclists off their bikes. It was reported to officers by a wheelchair-bound man who fell victim to the vicious trip wire. The man is in training for a wheelchair triathlon and builds up high speeds along the seafront. He was caught across the chest by the wire and knocked out of his wheelchair twice in one week, at two different spots along the promenade. The victim managed to escape major injury, but police say the fishing line

AbleRoad app allows those with disabilities to rate travel businesses

INDIANA – Flying across the country is challenging for most anyone these days with paying extra for baggage, sitting in seats airlines admittedly have made smaller and dealing with delays that cause travelers to race through the terminal to catch a connecting flight. When Kevin Hughes flies, he has those

Harrison County Girl to Compete in Ms. Wheelchair USA

WEST VIRGINIA – Jordan Lowe, 20, is an Enterprise resident who lives with her grandparents and sister. In 2011 Lowe’s life was changed completely. “In April 2011, my boyfriend and I were coming back from dirt track racing, and it was about 1:30 a.m. and he fell asleep and then

Disabled People Strip Down to Combat Stereotypes About Sexuality

U.K. Can disability be sexy? Photographer Holly Norris and model jes sachse challenged common assumptions about disability and sexuality with their American Able project, and now, Enhance the UK is doing the same with Undressing Disability. Disabled models with a variety of impairments including cerebral palsy, rheumatoid arthritis and blindness

Freed wheelchair lawyer plans to sue

CHINA – A disabled rights lawyer whose imprisonment stirred international concern says she has been released after serving her 2- year sentence and pledges to sue the police as well as pursue redress. Ni Yulan, who is renowned for defending people evicted from their homes, was sentenced to two years

Disabled females twice as likely to experience violence, abuse

AUSTRALIA – SCOTT BEVAN: Women and girls with disabilities are twice as likely as those without disability to experience violence and abuse in their lives. And research shows that they will experience abuse for longer and that it will result in more severe injuries. Well, these alarming statistics are the

Social Security Overpayments Mean Trouble for Recipients

NEW YORK — The Social Security Administration is overpaying big sums of money to disability beneficiaries — and lawyers, consumer advocates and watchdogs say the agency’s own missteps are to blame.Long after notifying Social Security that they have either started working again or earn too much income to qualify for

Undressing Disability Calendar 2014: Celebrating Those ‘Ignored & Desexualised By Society’

U.K. – A calendar celebrating disabled bodies is available now. Undressing Disability aims to promote the bodies of people often ignored and desexualised by society. The campaign by Enhance the UK also focuses on raising standards in sexual health and sexual awareness for disabled people. It features a range of

London gay bar denies entry to man with MS because of his wheelchair

U.K. – A man with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) was denied entry into one of London’s gay bars because he is in a wheelchair last night. PinkNews reader Christopher Stapleton said he approached Compton’s bar on Old Compton Street in London’s Soho, on 25 September, and was unable to enter because

Wheelchair Accessible Taxi Service Launches In Huntsville

ALABAMA — Prior to this month there were no taxi services available for people in wheelchairs after 4:30 p.m., or on the weekends, but now there is help. Phoenix, A Plus Cab, the City of Huntsville and the Madison County Transportation Coalition launched the first accessible taxi operating in Huntsville/Madison

Coalition sues to free RTD wheelchair seating from strollers, carts

COLORADO – A disability-rights group is suing the Regional Transportation District in U.S. District Court, claiming the agency consistently fails to make sure people using wheelchairs have a place to ride on its buses. The suit, filed by the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, says that wheelchair passengers are often denied use

Legalize Suicide?

MICHIGAN – There are a few places in the world where doctors can not only help patients live a better life, but can also help them end it. Euthanasia, or physician assisted suicide, has been legal in Belgium and the Netherlands for ten years, and has also been legalized in

Impostor service animals posing growing problem

CALIFORNIA — It’s an easy law to break, and dog cheats do. By strapping a vest or backpack that says “service animal” to their pet, anyone can go in stores and restaurants where other dogs are banned, creating growing problems for the disabled community and business owners and leading to

Health reform measures pushing Conn. to innovate

CONNECTICUT – WALLINGFORD, Conn. (AP) — While Connecticut embraced setting up a health insurance exchange and expanding Medicaid eligibility faster than many other places, the state has lagged behind when it comes to modernizing how health care is delivered to patients. But with the new health care overhaul law and

New Report reveals extent of discrimination faced by people with disabilities and older people

U.N. – Research published today by HelpAge, ADD International and Sightsavers, in partnership with the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) reveals how discrimination, social exclusion, bullying and violence are everyday experiences for many marginalised people. Family members can be the perpetrators of abuse and when crimes are reported, justice is

Disability Advocates Return Home From DC

A group of disability rights activists did not let the threat of arrest or the government shutdown prevent them from making their presence known in Washington this week. All told, 37 people from Rochester joined forces with other members of A.D.A.P.T. in D.C. They were in the nation’s capitol since

The cancer patient cured by a broken radiotherapy machine and the paralysed man who walked again after visiting Lourdes: New book shows incredible influence of the mind over the body

U.K. – It is often said that the mind has a huge amount of power over the body and a new book has set out to prove just how powerful it can be. In Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself, Dr Lissa Rankin lays out many remarkable examples of how the mind can affect the body. For example, she cites one study in which a group of patients were given a saline solution which they were told could be chemotherapy. Despite the fact it was only salt water, 30 per cent of the patients lost their hair. She also mentions the case of a psychiatric patient with a split personality who is diabetic when she is in one personality and not when she is in the other to the point where her blood sugar readings change dramatically. Dr Rankin, a Western-trained physician and obstetrics and gynaecology doctor from California, pored over

Don Schoendorfer, founder of Free Wheelchair Mission

The sight of a crippled Moroccan woman crawling across a dirt road planted a seed that germinated in 1999 when Don Schoendorfer, founder of Free Wheelchair Mission, invested his education and professional expertise as a PhD Mechanical Engineer to create a simple, rugged, and inexpensive wheelchair that could be donated to the thousands of those in need. There are over 100,000,000 disabled adults and children for whom the dream of a wheelchair is worlds beyond their expectations. They live without this basic form of mobility by crawling through life or waiting for a loved one to carry them. Schoendorger’s goal is to donate 20 million chairs by 2010. He is well on his way. The chairs cost about $44. Donations needed!

Randy Snow: Paralympic Champion, Businessman, Author

At the peak of a blossoming tennis career while just a junior in high school, Randy Snow was injured in a farming accident, which left him without the use of his legs. Since then he has become a business owner and nationally recognized sales associate, a Fortune 500 speaker and

John Belluso, award winning playwright

John Belluso was born in Warwick, RI and died at the age of 36 in 2006 in Los Angeles. A wheelchair-user since the age of 13, Belluso’s work as a playwright focused on the experience of disability. He sought to understand this experience through humor and by placing disability within

Sam Schmidt, Race Car Driver, Foundation Head, Race Team Owner

Sam Schmidt is a former Indy Racing League driver and now owner of Sam Schmidt Motorsports. Born August 15, 1964 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Sam’s father was a drag racing competitor and the family spent much of their free time working on racecars and attending events. Sam quickly caught the bug

Stephen Hawking, “Most Brilliant Physicists Since Einstein”

Once asked how he felt about being labeled the world’s smartest person, he responded: “It is very embarrassing. It is rubbish, just media hype. They just want a hero, and I fill the role model of a disabled genius. At least I am disabled, but I am no genius.” Hawking

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Four Term President of the United States

Assuming the Presidency at the depth of the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt helped the American people regain faith in themselves. He brought hope as he promised prompt, vigorous action, and asserted in his Inaugural Address, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

John Hockenberry: Three-time Peabody Award winner, four-time Emmy award winner and Dateline NBC correspondent

Three-time Peabody Award winner, four-time Emmy award winner and Dateline NBC correspondent, John Hockenberry’s weekly public radio commentaries have been heard on The Infinite Mind since its first broadcast in March 1998. John, whose spinal cord was injured in a car accident when he was 19 paralyzing him from the