News

Boston, Salem residents become semifinalists in national contest for wheelchair accessible van

MASSACHUSETTS – Two disabled Massachusetts residents are one step closer to obtaining a wheelchair accessible van that would ease obstacles in transportation for them and their caretakers.  Chrissy Correia of Boston and Dominick Pacheco of Salem became semi-finalists this week in a National Mobility Awareness Month competition that will award a customized wheelchair accessible van to at least three winners.  Entrants, called “Local Heroes,” were directed to either submit a story and picture or a video that describes the disabled person’s need for such a van. Voters were invited to vote once a day for who they felt was most deserving of the prize. Correia and Pacheco garnered enough votes to place in the top 5 percent of the competition that had around 1,300 entrants from across the United States. Read More!

Jonesville honors Miss Wheelchair North Carolina

NORTH CAROLINA – Jonesville honored one of its own Monday night as Miss Wheelchair North Carolina 2013 visited the town council meeting. Ashley Macemore of Jonesville spoke to the council about the struggles facing individuals in wheelchairs in and around town. Macemore was diagnosed with Friedreich ataxia (FA), a progressive,

Wheelchair Dance Troupe Helps Accident Survivors

CALIFORNIA – These girls don’t need legs to dance. “You can continue living your life after something horrible happens,” said 20-year-old Maria Gast. For Gast, something horrible happened Feb. 13, 2012 on J Street in Sacramento. She got in the car with a driver who had been drinking. “We hit

Confronting the Taboos of disabled sex

U.K. – The sexual needs of disabled people are thrust into the spotlight at the 2013 Erotic Awards.  For the past 25 years, pioneering sex campaigner Tuppy Owens has been the force behind the annual Erotic Awards and post-ceremony kink party Night Of The Senses, which raises funds for Outsiders,

Orland Park Woman and Service Dog Don Matching Cap and Gown

CHICAGO – An Orland Park native and University of Illinois graduate says she owes it all to her dog—her Hero. Bridget Evans, who is in a wheelchair due to disabilities related to spina bifida, received her Master’s degree from the College of Applied Health Sciences last weekend, and Hero never

Champ serves up volley of wisdom

AUSTALIA – DAVID Hall should be a household name but it isn’t. Certainly no one would deny his place in the Australian Hall of Fame. Hall is a sporting freak, the winner of nine Australian Opens, seven British Opens, eight US Opens and eight Japanese Opens, he has won six

Wheelchair travel forms bond between native and visitor

Kansas – When Ryan Chalmers, 24, arrived in Newton on Saturday, it marked the 35th day of his 71-day journey across America in his racing wheelchair. Although Chalmers planned to continue through Marion County on Saturday, Torey Hett of Marion asked if he might consider staying until Sunday morning and

Trip Advisor: Be considerate of those in wheelchairs

PENSSYLVANIA – Q: I recently completed a trip from Pittsburgh to Honolulu with my 13-year-old daughter. She uses a wheelchair but does not have any learning disabilities. We travel often, and while most of our trip was, like others, uneventful, I could not get over how rude fellow travelers could

UVA Students Design Solar-Powered Wheelchair

VIRGINIA – What started as a class project turned into an award-winning invention for a group of University of Virginia students. The engineering students created a solar-powered wheelchair. The group of students spent many grueling nights working on the invention all in hopes to finish it in 90 days. After

Brave cerebral palsy youngster takes steps around Nonsuch Park

U.K. – A young girl with cerebral palsy, who is trying to save up for an electric wheelchair, led a fun walk at the weekend. Six-year-old Gracie Coton was joined by more than 100 others on Sunday, May 5, around Nonsuch Park to help raise money for her cause. The

Rich Manhattan moms hire handicapped tour guides so kids can cut lines at Disney World

NEW YORK – Some wealthy Manhattan moms have figured out a way to cut the long lines at Disney World — by hiring disabled people to pose as family members so they and their kids can jump to the front, The Post has learned. The “black-market Disney guides” run $130

Win for Disabled Students

CALIFORNIA College students with disabilities across the United States are likely to benefit from a settlement signed this week by the University of California at Berkeley. The university will do more to make homework and research material accessible to students with visual and learning disabilities, an effort that may provide

Ms. Wheelchair Michigan float wins Text-to-Vote competition

MICHIGAN – The MS Wheelchair Michigan float in Wednesday’s Volksparade in downtown Holland received the highest number of text votes. Each entry had a sign with a unique code. Parade watchers texted the code of their favorite bands and floats. The competition also will take place during Saturday’s Muziekparade parade.

May Employment Data Continue to Show Positive Trend for People With Disabilities

NEW JERSEY — For the second month in a row, the latest statistics indicate a positive employment picture for people with disabilities, according to today’s Trends in Disability Employment – National Update (TIDE Update). This release is the third monthly analysis issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New

New York Mobility Club Presents “Home Modifications for Wheelchair Users”

NEW YORK  – The New York Mobility Club is holding a FREE event for people with disabilities. Guest speakers from ADA Lifestyles of New York and SureHands will talk about “Home Modifications for Wheelchair Users.” The event is sponsored by Bussani Mobility Team (the leading provider of automotive mobility solutions

Wheelchair Accessibility in Santa Barbara

CALIFORNIA – With the significant boom in cruising holidays, Santa Barbara is attracting an increasing amount of tourists who are only in the town for one day and need to know the best things to see and do locally. It is obvious this town is a beautiful tourist destination, and

Sports

Wheelchair Athletes Compete In Softball Tournament

MISSOURI – Robert Baker has loved the game of softball since he was young. “I love the game. It’s a lot of fun,” says Baker. But nearly 40 years ago, everything changed when he became paralyzed from the waist down and learned he must live the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Baker rolled along with other wheelchair athletes to compete in the Kansas Accessible Sports Wheelchair Softball Tournament at Gage Park in Topeka. Half of each team are wheelchair ball players and the other half are able bodied athletes playing in wheelchairs. So, the only differences are their skill levels. “It’s just a good time to get out and get some exercise and just have some fun with some old friends,” says wheelchair athlete, Josh Bailey. “We all have a good time and we play in tournaments. We play to win,” says Baker. Not only do they play to win, they play to

Wheelchair racer rolls through KC on cross-country journey

MISSOURI – It’s the equivalent of two to three marathons in 71 days. Ryan Chalmers is pushing his racing wheelchair from Los Angeles to New York City and after staring in April, Chalmers has reached halfway in Kansas City. Chalmers is using the more than 3,000 mile ride to motivate

More than 100 children from across the region take part in the North East Junior Regional Disability Championships.

U.K. – Part of the North East England Legacy Games, the athletes aged 11-20 took part in various track and field events at Monkton Stadium in Jarrow.As part of a two-day event, any children who managed to achieve the national standard in their event would have the chance to represent

A soldier’s traumatic injury in Iraq to recovery and participation in Warrior Games

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – From the moment a new recruit first puts on the uniform or she takes it off for the last time, he or she is taught to leave behind the possibility of failure and the temptation of quitting.  That crucial lesson sticks with most veterans long after

Paralympic silver medallist cyclist Rik Waddon to inspire Morecambe High School pupils

U.K. – Pupils from Morecambe High School are to spend a day with Paralympic silver medallist cyclist Rik Waddon on Friday. The visit is part of the school’s Sky Sports Living for Sport project, a secondary schools initiative delivered in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, which uses sport stars

Schools building box blinds for disabled

IOWA – Coleman Patterson has hunted deer since he was a young man, but hip surgery and arthritis now make it impossible for the 74-year-old to hike into the woods and enjoy his hobby. “I’m not in a wheelchair, yet, knock on wood, but I’m about two steps to it,”

‘Warrior’ Prince Harry rocks the Warrior Games in Colo.

COLORADO – Prince Harry attends the Warrior Games in Colorado to cheer wounded warrior athletes in general and the British team in particular. And they were off! Prince Harry started the hand cycling race today at the Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, during the fourth day of his U.S. visit.

Paraplegics can also skydive … straight from the wheelchair into the plane…

FLORIDA – Check out the pics of my friend Tete who is paraplegic and skydived last week in Seville. Tete has very little movement in his lower extremities and still had the guts to jump from a a plane at 15,000 ft and go into a one minute freefall. He

Paraplegic mountaineer an inspiration to all

INDIANA – The first paraplegic to ascend to the top of El Capitan and the Half Dome in Yosemite National Park shared his story to a room full of occupational and physical therapists at Memorial Hospital Thursday.”Well I don’t really like the word accept, but at some point you have

Bridges part of Canada’s return to glory

CANADA – Canada is atop the sledge hockey mountain again after winning the gold medal at the recent world championship in Korea and Summerside native Billy Bridges is savouring the view. But it wasn’t easy winning its first world crown since 2008. Canada’s national team gutted out a 1-0 win

Phoenix FC teams up with ASU Power Soccer

ARIZONA – If you are unfamiliar with the Phoenix FC Wolves, know they are the Valley’s new United Soccer League team. Their season is currently in progress, and they are 2-3-2 on the year. But they scored a big victory over the weekend that will not show up in the

Hundreds of students compete in wheelchair basketball tournament

INDIANA – A resident’s hall at Notre Dame hosted its second annual Wheelchair Basketball Tournament Sunday. Fifty-four student teams competed in this year’s tournament, that’s up from just 18 the previous year. The organizer of the event, Notre Dame Sophomore, Emily Voorde says, “We’ve had a lot of support campus-wide.

Sled Hockey Tournament Kicks Off in Westfield

MASSACHUSETTS — Friday morning, the 15th annual New England Sled Hockey Invitational kicked off in Westfield. A gathering of athletes with physical challenges taking to the ice for fast paced hockey action. Make no mistake about it. There is nothing disabled about these athletes on the ice in Westfield. They

GLASA championships push athletes beyond disabilities

ILLINOIS – Bob Swanson’s return to the world of competitive sports began at a grocery store.While shopping in his wheelchair, a man from Lake Forest’s Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association approached him and asked if he played golf. Swanson, paralyzed from the chest down, didn’t know he could. Read More!

Western Alamance football team faces different type of challenge

NORTH CAROLINA – More than five months after its season ended, the Western Alamance football team might be facing its toughest opponent. The Warriors will play host to the Carolina Fury, an electric wheelchair hockey team, in an exhibition powerhockey game at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Western Alamance gym.

Disabled sports open participants’ eyes

NEW ZEALAND – A number of disabled sports were on offer at the ASB Arena for Have A Go Day on Saturday. Members of the public, both able bodied and disabled, were invited to take part in the different sports on offer, which included para triathlon, blokarting, boccia, wheelchair basketball,

Columns

CORK’S JEAN HOPES TO BE FIRST WHEELCHAIR USER AT ROSE FESTIVAL

IRELAND – A Cork Woman is hoping to become the first wheelchair user to take part in the Rose of Tralee contest.Jean Daly from Carrigaline has been selected as the Antrim Rose and goes forward to the regional finals for selection for the Tralee stage of the competition in Portlaoise next month.The 26-year-old researcher has been wheelchair bound since she was paralysed in a fall from a horse nine years ago. She works with the Cedar Foundation in Belfast, which works with children and adults with disabilities throughout Northern Ireland. Jean has been living in Antrim for the past four years and is looking forward to representing the county in the regional finals for Tralee. She said: “I am still in shock after being selected as the Antrim Rose. It was a very intense moment and everyone was cheering. I have always been a fan of the Rose of Tralee — my mother is from

Senate Bill Introduced To Create Separate Benefit Category for Complex Rehab Technology

  COLORADO – May 15, 2013‐ The Separate Benefit Category (SBC) Steering Committee is pleased to announce the introduction of Senate legislation to create a separate benefit category for Complex Rehab Technology within the Medicare program.  Senior Senators Chuck Schumer (D‐NY) and Thad Cochran (R‐MS) have joined in a bipartisan

A Stop at Old Town in Sacramento, CA

CALIFORNIA – In many cities the “Old Town” section isn’t very wheelchair friendly. The old buildings and sidewalks make navigation frustrating however Sacrament has recently  installed all new ramps from the wooden boardwalks to the crosswalks at every intersection – wonderful access!. The sidewalks and boardwalks are in very good

“I think the most sex averse audience is American”

Film director Ben Lewin recounts the struggles he faced to secure finance for the movie The Sessions with Helen Hunt, William H Macy and John Hawkes. Convincing studio bosses to finance a film about sex and disability is not easy, throw in a Catholic priest and the challenge becomes near

Sex workers learn to help disabled clients

GERMANY – A centre in Nuremberg is offering a course to sex industry professionals on how to cater to the sexual needs of disabled clients. Those who complete training successfully attain a certificate in “sexual accompaniment and assistance.” Bärbel Ahlborn, who heads the “Kassandra” advice centre for prostitutes in Nuremberg

‘Bodies of Work’ is all about art and ability

ILLINOIS – Lyrical dance pieces incorporating performers in wheelchairs, a one-man show promising “funny stories about cancer” and the Lookingglass Theatre’s world premiere adaptation of “Still Alice,” a New York Times best-selling novel about a college professor diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, are included in the rich pool of offerings in

At your service: One smart, sturdy, black dog

COLORADO – Noah Hotchkiss drops a pencil from his wheelchair onto the hard floor and tells Brighton to “take it.” The stocky black Labrador retriever mix heads directly to the pencil and takes it in his mouth. “Give,” Noah says, and without hesitation Brighton brings it within easy reach.“The only

Handicapped Travel Club rallies in Surprise

IOWA – Members of the Handicapped Travel Club, thanks to improved accessibility around the nation, can visit and enjoy more places these days. But the destination is not the highlight for most members. Wherever this family-like club can enjoy each other’s company is their vacation hot spot. This year, the

Kinect sensor modified for wheelchair gaming

CALIFORNIA – By modifying a Microsoft Kinect sensor, a research project at the Computer Human Interaction (CHI) conference demonstrated how gamers in a wheelchair could interact with motion games. To see the prototype in use, watch a video on YouTube. “If we were using the Kinect SDK in the traditional

If You Were Paralyzed: Two Champions You’d Want on Your Side

CALIFORNIA – Imagine being paralyzed: whatever position you are in right now, you must stay there– until someone comes to move you. As an American, the chances of you becoming paralyzed are roughly one in fifty. With a U.S. population of 315 million, an estimated 5.6 million children and adults

Kill the Pain, Not the Patient

VERMONT – Some Vermont state lawmakers are pushing to pass S.77, a bill that legalizes “physician-assisted suicide” under the familiar guise of “choice.” Their bill is an attack on human life generally, and especially on elder adults and disabled individuals. This measure would allow a person “suffering from [a condition

Calvert graduate earns Ms. Wheelchair Ohio title

OHIO  – Jessica Kelbley of Fostoria was crowned the 2013 Ms. Wheelchair Ohio earlier this month during a ceremony at Roberts Centre in Wilmington. Kelbley, who was born with spinal muscular atrophy, is a graduate of Calvert High School and is studying at Wright State University. More than 100 family,

Ms. Wheelchair Nevada Ashley Varndell on Disability and Acceptance

NEVADA – Don’t tell Ashley Varndell she can’t do something. Ms. Wheelchair Nevada 2013 will likely ignore you and do it anyway, whether it’s joining a basketball team or refinishing her hardwood floors. But one thing the 32-year-old Las Vegan wouldn’t do for a long time was sit down. Your

Kitchen remodeling for wheelchairs

GEORGIA – In her essay about designing a wheelchair accessible kitchen, Rosemarie Rossetti, who uses a wheelchair because of a spinal cord injury, calls the kitchen “the most important room of the house.” Can you imagine not being able to use your own kitchen? Fortunately, some great remodeling contractors, architects

Parkinson’s disease ‘cure’ is shot up the nose

U.K. – A possible cure to Parkinson’s disease has been developed to be taken through sufferers’ noses. The devastating disorder is caused by the death of dopamine neurons in a key area of the brain. But a gene that restores and protects dopamine can halt Parkinson’s if administered direct to

College & The Nurturing of New Mentors

OHIO – College can be a scary place for someone with a disability, and having a guide can be the key to success. Several universities nationwide have major programs that help students with physical disabilities gain independence in their lives, covering everything from health quality to personal attendant management. While

Research

If You Were Paralyzed: Two Champions You’d Want on Your Side

CALIFORNIA – Imagine being paralyzed: whatever position you are in right now, you must stay there– until someone comes to move you. As an American, the chances of you becoming paralyzed are roughly one in fifty. With a U.S. population of 315 million, an estimated 5.6 million children and adults suffer paralysis. That’s 1.7 percent of America’s population, members of your family and mine. One is my cousin, R–, who recently incurred a nerve condition called Guillain-Barré syndrome . He was paralyzed in hands and legs, but fortunately had the good sense to get to a physician immediately. GB can be fatal, if the chest cannot rise so the lungs inhale; the paralysis it brings can also be permanent, but generally it is not. GB affects the outer nervous system (peripheral) not the brain and spine. My cousin, if all goes well, should recover fully in one to six months. My son Roman Reed became

Spinal injury cures: balancing hope and expectation

U.K. – A recent breakthrough in regenerative medicine saw paraplegic dogs regaining some function in their back legs: inevitably, the headlines talked of hope for human patients with spinal cord injury. But the head of clinical psychology at the National Spinal Injuries Centre, Professor Paul Kennedy, argues that this kind

Rewiring a Damaged Spinal Cord

KENTUCKY – When Christopher Reeve became quadriplegic, there was little hope for patients with spinal cord injury. Now researchers are combining what they know about the central nervous system’s ability to rewire and regrow with a new understanding of the hidden smarts of the spinal cord to dramatically improve treatments.Even

Opportunities and Challenges in the Development of Stem-Cell Therapies

CALIFORNIA – Stem cells are being developed to treat a diverse set of conditions, including spinal cord injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, macular degeneration, Parkinsons disease, and Type I diabetes. But the challenges in moving from the laboratory to the clinic are formidable.  The California-based biotech company, Geron, pioneered clinical trials

Multiple Sclerosis (MS): Risk rates for women increase

ILLINOIS  – Prior to WWII, the number of men and women with multiple sclerosis (MS) was approximately equal. That is no longer the case. According to the Mayo Clinic, women are at twice the risk for MS than men. Other organizations such as the Multiple Sclerosis Association suggest the risk

New Hope for Reversing the Effects of Spinal Cord Injury

NEW JERSEY — Walking is the obvious goal for individuals who have a chronic spinal cord injury, but it is not the only one. Regaining sensation and continence control also are important goals that can positively impact an individual’s quality of life. New hope for reversing the effects of spinal

Device Helps Paraplegic Man Walk Again

TEXAS – Life changed for Michael Gore 11 years ago – when he fell off a 12 foot high catwalk and shattered his spine. “I tried to move my legs and I couldn’t move them.  And I reached down there and tried to hit them, and didn’t feel anything,” says

Brain May Treat Wheelchair as Part of the Body

NEW YORK   — The brains of disabled people adjust to a wheelchair and treat it as an extension of their body, essentially replacing limbs that don’t function properly anymore, new research suggests. The findings provide more insight into how the brain compensates when it uses tools like a wheelchair,

Spinal Cord Injury Pain Study

MASSACHUSETS – The BWH Translational Pain Research Group is seeking volunteers for a spinal cord injury pain study. In order to participate, volunteers must be at least 18 years of age, have had pain for at least 3 months, and be able to make 4 overnight visits to the hospital.

Professor gets $90K for spinal injury research

WISCONSIN – Murray Blackmore, an assistant professor in the College of Health Sciences, received a $90,000 grant to continue research on therapeutic genes that he hopes will aid spinal cord regeneration. Unite 2 Fight Paralysis, an organization run by and for people with spinal cord injuries and their families, presented Blackmore with

New therapy helps paralyzed rats learn to walk again

Washington – Rats with severe spinal cord injury are learning to walk and run again after a couple of weeks of neurorehabilitation with a combination of a robotic harness and electricalchemical stimulation. Last June in the journal Science, Gregoire Courtine, of the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), reported that

Maintaining Intimacy With Multiple Sclerosis

It is not surprising that many people with multiple sclerosis report a decline in sexual desire. What with the fatigue, muscle spasms, and bladder control problems, who would want to think about sex? But, there are steps that can be taken to improve sexual function and intimacy, despite MS. How

Take Part in New Voluntary Research Study for Relapsing Remitting MS

It is called the MS-US09 study. It is for those with multiple sclerosis,  or MS, is a disease that affects the central nervous system, the brain, and the spinal cord. It can cause problems with muscle control and strength, vision, balance, feeling, and thinking. Some of the most common complaints from

NIH launches collaborative effort to find biomarkers for Parkinson’s

New online resource will support data sharing A new initiative aims to accelerate the search for biomarkers – changes in the body that can be used to predict, diagnose or monitor a disease – in Parkinson’s disease, in part by improving collaboration among researchers and helping patients get involved in

‘Cure’ For Multiple Sclerosis? Trials Are Encouraging

Italian Dr. Zamoni’s theory is that blockages in the veins leading from the head may cause iron deposits to develop in the brain that may cause Multiple Sclerosis, has been the stuff of rampant speculation inside and outside the medical community. Now, at least some of that speculation can be put

Medical First! New Hope For The Paralyzed

FLORIDA — BACKGROUND:  Damage to any part of the spinal cord or nerves surrounding the spinal canal usually causes permanent changes in body functions below the site of injury.  A traumatic spinal cord injury can come from traumatic blows to the spine that can dislocate, fracture, compress, or crush the

Issues

The sex workers giving disabled people a chance to live out their dreams

U.K. – A forthcoming Channel 4 documentary, Can Have Sex Will Have Sex, features the sex lives of four disabled people, one of whom loses his virginity to an escort who has been hired by his mother.The programme has been labelled “controversial”, but many mothers call the sex and disability helpline, which I run, worried that their disabled son is physically unable to masturbate and desperately needs an outlet. Hiring a sex worker is one option.They can find responsible sex workers on the TLC-Trust website which was created in 2000 by myself and a disabled man, James Palmer, who was sad about being a virgin in his mid 40s. The hundred or so sex workers who have profiles on the site say they each see about eight disabled clients a month. One told me she recently saw a 38-year-old whose father had called after both parents had sought her out. It was their son’s birthday

Wheelchairs on the School Bus: Analyzing Liability Issues

There is a common problem which is becoming prevalent. Afraid of potential liability, school districts are increasingly refusing to transport children with disabilities whose wheelchairs have defective parts, such as broken wheel locks and broken head rests. This article will discuss federal requirements imposed on school districts and proactive steps

The Real Brain Drain: Unmet Neuro Therapies

By Martin E. Schwab and Anita D. Buchli – Spinal cord injuries affect hundreds of thousands of people in Europe and the United States, and around the world. Traumatic brain injuries are about ten times more common. Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and ALS add to the great social and economic burden

The Coldest Stone: Armstrong Banned From Wheelchair Curling For Doping – A Controversy

Armstrong strong-armed the rules to get his strong arms. Nothing is sacred. Burn it all down. Melt the ice. Put the brooms in the closest. Kiss the stones. And hug your wife. Those are the first seven lines of a column written by some old sportswriter at some old newspaper

Bullying and the Disabled Teen

NEW YORK – Bullying and cyber bullying have begun receiving national attention, due in part to many of the incidents being caught on tape and broadcast on YouTube. Legislation has been passed in several states in an effort to curb bullying, however eliminating the behavior completely seems to be an

Updates on Medicaid Cuts Legislation

Today’s news brings two articles on key challenges to state Medicaid cuts. One is from the New York Times, reporting on a preliminary injunction issued to block certain cuts to Medicaid personal care services in New York City and state. The article begins: Charles Strouchler, a former publicity agent for

Mobility Benefit Threatened by Medicare Policies, Says American Association for Homecare

CALIFORNIA – Karen Miner, an advocate for people living with disabilities, is concerned that many Medicare beneficiaries in California may lose access to power mobility devices that allow them to remain independent in their homes rather than confined to nursing homes and care facilities. Across the country in Pittsburgh, PA,

A Legal Win for Stem Cell Research, but Case May Not Be Over by Jocelyn Kaise

Washington D. C. – A U.S. appeals court today upheld the legality of federally funded research on human embryonic stem cells (hESCs)—the latest in a string of wins for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in a 3-year legal battle with groups that for moral reasons want to block the

Add Your Voice to the Growing Outcry Against Competitive Bidding

U.S. – “Built to fail … defies all economic sense … arbitrary below-cost price controls” – Wall Street Journal editorial, Feb. 8, 2012 Add your voice to the growing chorus of opponents to the badly-flawed competitive bidding program cooked up by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and show

How to Cover Pre-existing Conditions By James C. Capretta and Tom Miller

U.S. – The health-care legislation enacted this spring followed more than a year of heated, rancorous debate. But rather than subdue the public’s passions, the bill’s passage has only stoked them. Opposition to the new law remains very high, and Republicans have made clear their intention to push for its

Books

Former Reporter With Lou Gehrig’s Disease Hopes Her Book Will Inspire

FLORIDA -Booksellers around the world are make room for a book that tells the story of a Florida woman battling Lou Gehrig’s disease. The book, “Until I Say Goodbye,” by former Palm Beach Post reporter Susan Spencer-Wendel, 46, hits bookshelves Tuesday. The book is an account of her diagnosis and the year that followed, in which she took trips she long had hoped to take and prepared to say goodbye to her loved ones. Harper Collins inked a $2.3 million deal for the book, and Universal Pictures followed with a seven-figure deal of its own for the film rights. Spencer-Wendel says she hopes her book will inspire readers to make a conscious effort to live joyously. Read More!

VIPs

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