Posted on: , Nic Lindh
How paralysis forced Michael Graves to design a better wheelchair
After an untreated sinus infection left him paralyzed from the waist down, designer Michael Graves turned his talents to creating better experiences and products for the disabled, including a replacement for the standard x-frame hospital wheel chair. Read more.
Posted on: , Nic Lindh
The developmentally disabled face extra challenges when flying
A lack of industry-wide policies for airlines, as well as the sometimes hidden nature of developmental disabilities, creates difficulties and dangers for some passengers. Read more.
Posted on: , Lauren Loftus
High school valedictorian has a 4.0 GPA, is headed to Towson University and is autistic
Montel Medley was the valedictorian of the Class of 2014 at Surrattsville High School in Prince George’s County, Maryland. His speech covered the standard topics of growth, support from great teachers and future plans but also addressed something less common in such remarks– his autism. Medley said having a disability does not have to be a disadvantage, in fact it can be an advantage. In his case, Medley graduated with a 4.0 GPA and accepted an offer to attend Towson University in the fall. Read more.
Posted on: , Nic Lindh
States’ special education services face tighter oversight by the Obama administration
The Washington Post reports the Obama administration is tightening its oversight over states’ handling of special-needs students, significantly dropping the number of states that are in compliance with federal guidelines. Read more.
Posted on: , Nic Lindh
A New Guide to the Grand Canyon by Wheelchair
The New York Times offers a quick overview of a new book written by Cindy Harrington that is a guide to visiting the Grand Canyon for travelers with mobility limitations. Read more.
Posted on: , Nic Lindh
ONLY ONE DAY LEFT TO ENTER the second annual Katherine Schneider Journalism Award for Excellence in Reporting on Disability.
The Schneider Award is the first national journalism contest devoted exclusively to disability coverage. It is administered by the National Center on Disability and Journalism, headquartered at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, under a grant from Katherine Schneider, a retired clinical psychologist who also supports the Schneider Family Book Award.
The first-place winner is awarded $5,000 and receives an invitation to speak at the Cronkite School. The second-place winner receives a $1,500 award, and additional honorable mention awards of $500 may be given at the discretion of the judges.
For more information on the contest, go to https://ncdj.org/contest/, where you can also find the 2013 winning entries and an archive of other top entries.
The entry deadline is July 31, 2014.
Posted on: , Lauren Loftus
What’s In A Label? In Special Ed, Words Matter
Reporting on disability can be akin to walking through a minefield, carefully avoiding certain terms but inadvertently using others that backfire. As part of a running segment on special education, NPR’s Steve Drummond spoke with NCDJ director Kristin Gilger about how journalists should refer to students with disabilities and to the disabilities themselves. Gilger referenced the NCDJ’s style guide, which gives recommendations but also admits that there’s little uniform terminology when referencing people with disabilities. Gilger said, “our advice to journalists it to ask the person you’re interviewing.”
The NCDJ style guide is currently undergoing an update. We hope to have it up by the end of this year. Read more.
Posted on: , Lauren Loftus
Court throws out ‘mental retardation’
The U.S. Supreme Court has officially thrown out the term “mental retardation” from its opinions. In a little-noticed move, the court deemed the term outdated and inappropriate last week when deciding the case Hall v. Florida, which struck down Florida’s method for determining whether a death row inmate with an intellectual disability should be executed.
In the majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote, “Previous opinions of this court have employed the term ‘mental retardation.’ This opinion uses the term ‘intellectual disability’ to describe the identical phenomenon.” Read more.
Posted on: , Lauren Loftus
Paralyzed Eric LeGrand Delivers Graduation Speech After Controversy
Former Rutgers University football player Eric LeGrand delivered a moving speech at his graduation in May despite his keynote invitation being rescinded just a few weeks earlier. LeGrand, who was paralyzed during a football game against Army in 2010, took to Twitter to express frustration after being uninvited to speak at graduation. Rutgers officials insisted it was a matter of miscommunication– LeGrand would still be able to make a speech but former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean was the official keynote speaker.
Meanwhile, Kean said he’d donate his speaking fee to create a scholarship fund for LeGrand. Read more.
Posted on: , Lauren Loftus
Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act: July 26
The 24th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act is just over a month away. President George H.W. Bush signed the act on July 26, 1990, prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities.
As part of its Facts for Features newsroom segment commemorating national anniversaries or holidays, the U.S. Census Bureau compiled a list of data on people with disabilities from the 2010 Census. It includes the number of people with a disability (56.7 million), the state with the highest rate of disability in the nation (West Virginia) and the average salary of a worker with disabilities ($20,184 annually).
Read more on the Census Bureau website.
