News

When you think of possible careers for people with disabilities, modelling might not be the first thing to pop into your mind, yet it is a viable option.  Nordstrom’s, the upscale department store chain, recently received a fair bit of press for featuring four models with disabilities in the catalog for its biggest sale of the year.  But it’s not the first …

Only 55% of job seekers with disabilities disclose their disability before they’ve been offered the job, and sometimes not even then.  It’s understandable that they would try to avoid discrimination. But what about employers, such as federal contractors and sub-contractors, who actively seek to include people with disabilities in their workforce?  How are they to do this if the applicants don’t disclose? Tania Lavin …

That familiar blue and white symbol of a sedentary person in a wheelchair is about to change throughout the state of New York.  The new symbol will be one of a very active person in a wheelchair.  Along with the signs, the designation “Handicapped” will be changed to “Accessible”. Douglas Hovey, Executive Director of Independent Living, Inc.‎ in Newburg, NY‎ said, …

If you listen to National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition”, you’ve probably heard their broadcast of StoryCorps–average, everyday people interviewing a friend or loved one about their lives.   It’s always heart-felt and moving, and the listener comes away enriched with a broader understanding of the life experiences and wisdom of others. In celebration of the upcoming 25th anniversary of the Americans with …

According to a report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Inactive adults with disabilities are 50 percent more likely to have at least one chronic disease than are active adults with disabilities. Working age adults with disabilities are three times more likely to have heart disease, stroke, diabetes or cancer than adults without disabilities. Nearly half of adults with disabilities get …

Looking for a job?  Try a federal contractor.  The federal government recently issued new regulations that apply to all contractors and subcontractors who have federal contracts of $10,000 or more. These regulations, issued under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, are an attempt to improve the employment situation for people with disabilities.  Statistics from 2011 show the employment rate of adults with disabilities …

How can this be?  Home health agencies aren’t required to do background checks on people who provide in-home care services for people with disabilities? According to a report recently released by the U.S. Office of the Inspector General, that is the reality in 10 states–Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming.  These states lack any …

Meet Jewel Kats, the real life woman who inspired the new Archie comic book character, Harper.  Jewel is responsible for instigating as well as inspiring the character.   A long-time Archie fan herself, when she saw Dan Parent, the Archie writer/artist, at a comic  book expo, she  wheeled right up to him, looked him in the eye and said, “How come there’s no one in Riverdale with …

  The venerable comic book classic Archie, first published in the 1940s, has always tried to stay current with our ever-changing culture, and in their newest effort to better reflect modern life,  the comic book creators are introducing a character with a disability.  Joining the eternally teenaged characters Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica and Reggie in the fictional town of Riverdale is Harper, described as a …

What trials and tribulations do mothers with disabilities face and how do they adapt?  What are their actual experiences? That’s the subject of a new book called Disabled Mothers. This collection of 18 scholarly works and personal accounts from Canada, the U.S. and Australia explores and analyzes issues of parenting by mothers with a variety of physical and mental disabilities. The book also delves …