Disability News
Internal Metronome: Brain Implant Reveals Neural Patterns of Attention (Click to Read)
FRIDAY, February 26 -- A paralyzed patient implanted with a brain-computer interface device has allowed scientists to determine the relationship between brain waves and attention.
New wheelchair gets its first real-world test (Click to Read)
THURSDAY, February 18 -- The U.N. Development Programme estimates that less than 1 percent of the need for wheelchairs in developing countries is met by local production, partly because small workshops can’t exploit economies of scale to be profitable. Moreover, the wheelchairs that are available aren’t designed for people who must push themselves over rough roads and muddy walking paths often encountered in the Third World. As a result, millions of people must rely on others to carry them or be stranded inside their homes.
A Second Chance: Paraplegic mother competing again after freak accident (Click to Read)
WEDNESDAY, February 10 -- "I'm very competitive," says Carly Waugh. "My nature is very competitive." Carly Waugh is an athlete to the core. "If I'm going to do something, I'm gonna try to be the best at it."
Wheelchair mobility at the tip of the tongue (Click to Read)
MONDAY, January 25 -- Cruise Bogle, 18, was skimboarding with friends in Delray Beach, Florida, when he took a wave that whipped his board out from under him. Bogle was thrown backward, and his head hit the ocean floor. When friends saw him lying still in the surf, they knew something was wrong and rushed him to the hospital.
Hack a day: A day at the lake for the disabled (Click to Read)
FRIDAY, January 15 -- We do a lot of useless hacks just for the fun of it so when we see something with purpose it’s pretty exciting. This hack turns any kayak into a motorized vessel that can be controlled by a quadriplegic person using a sip & puff interface. After the break you can see some clips of navigation and an explanation of the hardware.
Should a Quadriplegic Mom Have Custody? (Click to Read)
MONDAY, January 4 -- Kaney O’Neill and David Trais will be in a Chicago courtroom this week, arguing over their five-month-old son, Aiden. Trais says that O’Neill is unfit to have custody of the boy because she is a quadriplegic, having lost all use of her legs and some use of her arms in a fall off a balcony a decade ago.
Advances in spinal cord rehabilitation (Click to Read)
MONDAY, December 28 -- About 5.6 million Americans have some degree of paralysis, far more than previously thought, according to the findings of a survey by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. Previously, the highest estimate of paralyzed Americans was 4 million.
Handicapped Golfer Adapts to Adversity (Click to Read)
WEDNESDAY, December 16 -- Aside from the four medals she won, the most gratifying aspect of Judy Overholt's appearance in the 29th National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Spokane, Wash., in July was her participation in a golf clinic. "Being in a wheelchair, I thought that was the end of me being able to participate in golf," she said.
Collier ‘at peace’ with aftermath of shooting (Click to Read)
MONDAY, November 23 -- Richard Collier’s(notes) left leg is gone and his right one is paralyzed. He’s confined to a wheelchair, his once-promising NFL career gone in the time it took six bullets to pierce his body nearly 15 months ago.
Sabrina Cohen Foundation for Stem Cell Research Founder Recognized as a WebMD 2009 Health Hero (Click to Read)
FRIDAY, November 20 -- Sabrina Cohen, founder of The Sabrina Cohen Foundation for Stem Cell Research (SCF), was just recognized as a WebMD 2009 Health Hero. She will receive national media attention with a full-page article about her personal story of triumph and courage, and shares the spotlight with celebrity movie-star, Scarlett Johansson and other Health Heroes in the November/December issue.
Wheelchair rugby puts athletes back on the team (Click to Read)
MONDAY, November 16 -- Talbot Kennedy became a quadriplegic on the last day of high school. He's still an athlete. Playing rugby has helped Kennedy come to terms with his injury and his new life using a wheelchair.
Judge says handicapped Manville man can get gun permit (Click to Read)
TUESDAY, November 10 -- There is no reason James Cap, a quadriplegic who is physically unable to hold a gun or pull a trigger, should be denied a firearms ID card a requirement for the purchase of any gun in New Jersey, a judge in Somerville said today.
Segways give new mobility to disabled veteransSegways give new mobility to disabled veterans (Click to Read)
THURSDAY, October 29 -- Veterans who were severely injured and lost limbs serving in Iraq and Afghanistan will have an easier time getting around, thanks to donations from a volunteer program.
What Are the Best Words for Disabilities? (Click to Read)
TUESDAY, October 27 -- Maybe it seems obvious that you shouldn't use the word "retarded," but what about other terms like "handicapped" or "special"? What language should you choose when speaking about or communicating with people with disabilities? DiversityInc asked experts to provide guidance on choosing the right words.
Dad invents Halloween costumes for daughter's wheelchair (Click to Read)
TUESDAY, October 25 -- Halloween can't come soon enough for 8-year-old Peyton McCubbin. That's the day she gets to be just like everyone else.
Kinnelon man can't walk (yet), but can play rugby (Click to Read)
WEDNESDAY, October 21 -- He is not sure when he will take his first steps. But the 23-year-old is absolutely sure it will happen during his lifetime. Templeton fractured his C-5 vertebrae diving off a boat into the bay at Long Beach Island on July 23, 2004. He had just graduated from Kinnelon High School and was planning to attend Bentley College in Waltham, Mass.
Student's invention to help quadriplegics makes competition finals (Click to Read)
TUESDAY, October 20 -- Designing an assistive device for a quadriplegic friend has earned a University of Illinois student a place in the finals of the 2009 Collegiate Inventors Competition.
Indian Spinal Injuries Centre organizes ASCoN Peer Counseling Workshop from 5th to 9th October 2009 (Click to Read)
THURSDAY, October 8 -- In order to improve the quality and coverage of psychological counseling and support services for people with spinal injuries, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre is organizing an ASCoN Peer Counseling Workshop from 5th to 9th October. The workshop inaugurated by Maj. H.P.S Ahluwalia, Chairman, ISIC would be attended by Peer Counselors and specialists from the Asian Spinal Cord Network, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India.
Paralysed dog walks again after pioneering treatment that could help humans with spinal injuries (Click to Read)
THURSDAY, October 8 -- A paralysed dog has been put back on his feet again, raising hopes of a treatment for humans with severe spinal injuries. Henry the miniature dachshund was unable to walk after discs ruptured in his spine last November. In a pioneering treatment, scientists at Cambridge University took cells from his nose and injected them into his spine.
Epidural steroid injection: an option for low back pain (Click to Read)
TUESDAY, October 6 -- One of the most common problems leading to doctor visits is back pain. Usually, it is low back pain termed lumbago. The pain might stem from painful muscle spasms, from ruptured discs that touch the spinal cord or nerves emanating from, it or from bone disease.
Freedom to Move: Naples man invents Angel Hands to make life easier for people who can’t move themselves (Click to Read)
SATURDAY, October 3 -- Think of the millions of ways you move your body every day and then imagine that you can’t. You can’t get out of bed. You can’t walk to the bathroom. You can’t get yourself into a wheelchair.
Two Powerful Foundations Join Forces To Create the Nation's Premier Spinal Cord Injury Organization (Click to Read)
FRIDAY, September 25 -- On what would have been Christopher Reeve's 57th birthday, Life Rolls On Foundation (LRO) and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation have announced a merger. Effective immediately, Life Rolls On Foundation, based in Los Angeles, will serve as the West Coast headquarters and division of the Reeve Foundation.
Redefining ‘Cured’ (Click to Read)
WEDNESDAY, September 23 -- Ever since 1988, wheelchairs have figured into Alan T. Brown's dreams. That was the year his neck was crushed by an ocean wave at a Club Med in Martinique. He was 20 years old, young and single and free, and in one second went from a vibrant college student to a quadriplegic, with no movement below his chest. The dreams began almost instantly, usually with the wheelchair off to one side, Brown standing nearby. "In the beginning, I was convinced I would walk again—1,000 percent," says Brown, now 42, who runs his own public-relations company in Hollywood, Fla. "My old mottos were 'There's light at the end of the tunnel' and 'Never say never.' I did think there was going to be a cure."
Clash over Wheelchairs in Health-Care Reform (Click to Read)
FRIDAY, September 18 -- Budget cutters looking at Medicare want to reduce spending for motorized wheelchairs. Not so fast, say manufacturers and vendors.
Wheelchair pushes woman to be her best (Click to Read)
WENESDAY, September 16 -- Tiffany Giddes doesn't push the wheelchair as much as the wheelchair pushes her. "I love adversity," said Giddes, 27, relaxing at home in her streamlined "Razor Blade" chair. "Adversity is the spice of life."
Cowboys Stadium gets mixed reviews on handicap access (Click to Read)
FRIDAY, September 11 -- Several people with disabilities toured Cowboys Stadium on Friday and praised everything from their view of the field to the height of the concession stands.
U.S. Open hosts wheelchair tennis tourney (Click to Read)
THURSDAY, September 10 -- No love was lost and no lob serves offered after David Wagner and Nick Taylor, the No. 1 and No. 4 ranked quadriplegic men's tennis players in the world, rolled onto Court 11 at the U.S. Open Thursday.
Wheelchair-using Eagle Scout (Click to Read)
THURSDAY, September 10 -- Only a select few Boy Scouts earn the rank of Eagle and fewer yet become one while using a wheelchair. Josh Swoverland of Avon, Ind., is an Eagle Scout who was born with a spinal cord abnormality, a club foot, and paralysis in both feet.
Besides tasting, your tongue can drive (Click to Read)
WEDNESDAY, September 2 -- Aside from everyday functions of chewing, swallowing, talking and tasting, the tongue has new uses such as steering wheelchairs and helping blind people see. Also in Spain last month, doctors transplanted a tongue as part of a face transplant surgery.
Social Security disability process improved by new technologies (Click to Read)
TUESDAY, September 1 -- In 2009, Social Security became the first federal government agency to use the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN). This initiative will cut the time it takes Social Security to get medical records — from weeks or months to only minutes — for people who apply for disability benefits. Initially this will affect a small number of the people applying for disability benefits, but it will gradually expand.
Paralyzed man optimistic about future (Click to Read)
WEDNESDAY, August 26 -- Matt Wermer is optimistic about the future of spinal injury treatment. But he’s not spending a lot of time waiting for it to happen.
Wheelchair rugby becomes truly coed (Click to Read)
MONDAY, August 24 -- Kerri Morgan sees the stares and hears the comments when she wheels into gymnasiums. People wonder how this 100-pound woman is going to compete with men two or three times her weight in a sport originally known as murderball. Sometimes, she says, they think she's there to play in some women's league they didn't know existed.
Ricky "Bobby" James: a Remarkable Story of Perseverance (Click to Read)
SUNDAY, August 23 -- He lives by the one word: Perseverance. His goals and dreams are being fulfilled with each challenge that comes his way.
Wheelchair won't keep this Mordenite earthbound (Click to Read)
FRIDAY, August 21 -- Don Boulton has never let his disability and being in a wheelchair stop him from living life to the fullest, so it shouldn t be surprising he is taking on another challenge. He was rappelling off a 17-storey building in Winnipeg August 20 for the 2009 Winnipeg Drop Zone in support of SMD and Easter Seals Manitoba.
US Open Wheelchair Tennis Competition On Schedule (Click to Read)
FRIDAY, August 21 -- The 2009 US Open Wheelchair Tennis Competition is on the calendars of all top-ranked Wheelchair Tennis athletes, as the event will bring together a total of 20 participants to Flushing, New York.
Longest wheelie in a wheelchair-world record set by Michael Miller (Click to Read)
TUESDAY, August 19 -- Michael Miller, 19, of Ellington, took 40 laps around the quarter-mile, track logging 10.016 miles and setting the new world record for the Longest wheelie in a wheelchair.
Oldest Known Paralyzed Human Discovered (Click to Read)
THURSDAY, August 6 -- The remains of a man who could be the world's oldest known paralysis victim have been unearthed by Australian bio-archaeologists in northern Vietnam.
K-9 Cart East Delivers Fully Adjustable Dog Wheelchairs and Gives Disabled Pets Back their Mobility (Click to Read)
WEDNESDAY, July 29 -- K-9 Cart Company East announces the release of their newly revamped website, making it even easier for pet owners to find the right dog cart, discover expert veterinary approved information concerning handicapped pets, mobility, and dog wheelchairs, and give their beloved pet back their mobility.
SUNDAY, July 26 -- I’ve been confined to a wheelchair as the result of skiing accident that left me a paraplegic 18 years ago. I’m 75 now, and I feel my health deteriorating more and more every day from sitting in this chair like a vegetable.
Fighting stereotypes one wheelchair at a time (Click to Read)
TUESDAY, July 22 -- I’ve been living on my own for a little more than two weeks.
That might not seem like a huge deal to most people, but you’ve got to understand just how big of a deal it is for me because independence has been a long way coming and the fight hasn’t always been easy. It’s almost been three years now. Three years ago I was excited about getting the chance to live away from home, only if it was a meager thirty minutes, in a dorm suite with three other girls. I thought I had it all figured out. Boy, was I wrong.
Paralysis doesn’t stop swimmer from going for the gold (Click to Read)
MONDAY, July 20 -- At first glance you probably don’t even see what makes Mallory different from the other swimmers in the race at the Highland Park pool. It’s not until Mallory gets out of the water that her challenge becomes clear.
One wheelchair -- one lesson of problems in health care reform (Click to Read)
MONDAY, July 20 -- Debbie Brown used to process medical and dental forms for a living before a debilitating illness forced her into early disability retirement and left her in a simple, no-frills wheelchair -- a rented wheelchair that has cost taxpayers about $1,200.
“Virtual legs” help train first responders and spinal injury patients (Click to Read)
TUESDAY, July 14 -- A University of Utah invention simulates walking and running in any environment while you see, smell and hear everything that surrounds you.
First Fully Functional Quadriplegic in History to Race Dragboat During Cowtown Dragboat Nationals weekend, July 11 (Click to Read)
WEDNESDAY, July 8 -- Patrick Rummerfield, the first fully functional quadriplegic in the history of medicine, announced today that he has been invited by Extreme Beverage Company, makers of Bookoo and Fire it Up beverages, and by the organizers of the Cowtown Dragboat Nationals, to test-race a dragboat on July 11, during the racing weekend at Marine Creek Lake in Ft. Worth, Texas.
Golf buggy helps paraplegic with his swing (Click to Read)
THURSDAY, June 25 -- When 24-year-old Graham Hunt lost the use of his legs after a neurological disease, he thought that the closest he would get to a sporting life would be playing his Wii in the comfort of his own home. Until, that is, he discovered the Paragolfer, a mobility vehicle that lets disabled people play a round.
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