Category News

White House Urged To Raise SSI Limits

The National Council on Disability, a government agency that advises the President and Congress on disability issues, recently sent a letter to President Obama advising him to raise the $2,000 asset limit on Social Security Income (SSI) recipients, a limit…

Asset-Building for Low-Income People

Approximately 20% of the United States population lives with some level of disability, and people with disabilities are almost three times as likely to live in poverty than any other group. WID’s Access to Assets project opens doors for the…

Healthy Computing

Computers have evolved from from the salvation for people with disabilities to the cause of many disabling conditions. Our current computer-laden work and school environments have the potential to significantly damage our bodies. It is critical that we establish new…

Survey on Emergency Communications

I think Hurricane Sandy has left us all feeling a bit more vulnerable, even if we don’t live in the affected area.  And of course, people with disabilities and the elderly are more vulnerable than most in disaster situations. In…

Navigating the Maze of Benefits

The World Institute on Disability (WID) has created two very useful websites to help you navigate the bewildering realm of benefits. One website, www.db101.org, is for disability benefits in general and the other, vets101.org, is specifically for veterans. Disability Benefits…

Art Exhibits at the ERC

The Ed Roberts Campus (ERC) in Berkeley is best known for being a hub of non-profit organizations by and for people with disabilities, but it is also a significant venue for art exhibits by accomplished artists with disabilities. Just recently installed…

50% Discount on Broadband

In an attempt to bridge the digital divide, the state of California has initiated the California Teleconnect Fund, which provides eligible organizations with a 50% discount on broadband and other communication services.  Eligible organizations include: Non-profits that offer one of…

How Stephen Hawking Uses a Computer

You’ve probably seen Stephen Hawking on TV.   The world-famous physicist and author of A Brief History of Time, has a degenerative motor neuron disesase that, after several decades, has left him almost completely paralyzed, yet he still manages to speak using a computer generated…