Weekly News (September 20 - September 24)
Remote Control: A Blind Man Goes Sailing With Help From Afar (The Wall Street Journal, September 14, 2010)
Meet a man who is blind and uses technology that enables him to sail his boat. While impressive enough, this sailing experiment is also part of a bigger plan. He wants to offer technology that will help people who are blind perform everyday tasks, from reading expiration dates on food labels to crossing streets.
iPhone applications are helping people with disabilities communicate better than ever. For example, one app helps people with speech disabilities by providing natural sounding text-to-speech voices. And there are many more…
Helpful iPhone Apps (The Rotunda, September 15, 2010)
iPhone App Unlocks World of Communication for People with Disabilities (Gimundo, February 9, 2010)
iPhone Apps for Disability and Vision Impairments, (Disabled World, September 20, 2010)
Travelers with disabilities face obstacles at airports (USA Today, September 15, 2010)
In a recent survey, 80% of people with disabilities said they face obstacles at airports and with airline employees. Some groups are working together to push airports to be more accessible.
Suits by disabled raise questions on litigation law (Los Angeles Times, September 18, 2010)
A California state law was supposed to reduce the number of inappropriate claims under the ADA. But some small businesses – facing litigation – say the law isn’t working. For example, one small restaurant was sued for not having a grab bar in the restroom. Attorney watchdog groups say this is abuse of the ADA.
Deadline Looms for New ADA Law Compliance (Aquatics International, September 2010)
Swimming pools are now required to meet accessibility standards, thanks to the ADA. Larger pools must now have lifts or sloped entries. Facilities with pools have 18 months to comply, or face fines, lawsuits, and complaints filed against them with the Department of Justice.
Brain injury not seen as disability (Globe Gazette, September 11, 2010)
In Iowa, brain injuries are not seen as a disability, meaning few services are available to those who suffer brain injuries because the funding isn’t available. Read one family’s story…
N.Y. awards $109 million in IT grants (Modern Healthcare, September 2010)
The state of New York awarded $109 million in health information technology grants to promote medical homes to hospitals and other healthcare organizations. The grants will focus on coordination of mental health, long-term care and home healthcare.
Individuals with disabilities face health-care crisis (Tennessee Voices, September 13, 2010)
In Tennessee, 60% of people with disabilities are unemployed, which means they likely rely on Medicaid for healthcare. This article briefly explores ideas that could boost employment – and therefore employer-sponsored healthcare - among people with disabilities.
UA Project Trains People with Disabilities for Competitive Work (UA News, September 14, 2010)
A University of Arizona project is training people with developmental disabilities to compete for jobs.