Posted on: , Lauren Loftus
Sophisticated Prosthetics Help Liberate Disabled Adventurers
Disabled thrill-seekers are finding “liberation through technology,” according to NPR. Eric Whitney with “All Things Considered” profiled companies producing innovative prosthetics that allow amputees and those with other disabilities to rock climb, kayak, mountain bike and more.
Posted on: , Lauren Loftus
NFL Agrees to Settle Concussion Suit for $765 Million
The NFL agreed to shell out $765 million Thursday to settle a lawsuit brought by thousands of retired players accusing the league of hiding the dangers of brain injury. The settlement may be perceived as a win for the league, which makes nearly $10 billion in annual revenue, as terms do not require the NFL to admit guilt.
Posted on: , Lauren Loftus
Labor Rules to Boost Employment for Vets, Disabled
The national unemployment rate for disabled workers is nearly 15 percent, almost double the rate for the general public. New rules announced by the Labor Department this week could help disabled workers land more jobs, according to the Associated Press.
Under the new requirements, most government contractors will have to meet certain employment standards, having disabled workers make up at least 7 percent of their workforce.
Posted on: , Lauren Loftus
VA Workers Rewarded for Avoiding Difficult Disability Claims
Despite a growing backlog of disability claims and appeals, the Department of Veterans Affairs gave workers millions in bonuses through a system that values quantity over quality, according to an investigative report from the Carnegie-Knight News21 program.
VA claims processors said they were encouraged to avoid complex claims that needed extra work to verify veterans’ injuries and disabilities in order to meet performance standards. As of September 2012, veterans injured on duty waited more than 429 days on average for their claims to be handled while those appealing decisions often waited for years to receive help.
Posted on: , Chris Carr
More Disabled Workers Paid Just Pennies an Hour
Some employees at Goodwill stores around the country are being paid well below minimum wage — as little as 22 cents per hour, according to a report this summer from NBC. Those most likely to earn such small amounts are those with disabilities.
As host Brian Williams and correspondent Harry Smith explain in this video for NBC Rock Center, there are legal loopholes that allow for such practices. Smith talks with employees and company representatives to help better understand the issue.
Posted on: , Nic Lindh
Tony Coelho, former U.S. congressman from California and primary author and sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act, will serve as one of five judges for the inaugural Katherine Schneider Journalism Award for Excellence in Reporting on Disability, a new national journalism awards program that focuses exclusively on disability coverage.
Coelho will join four other judges who will review entries for the contest and select winners. The other judges are:
For brief biographies of contest judges, go to https://ncdj.org/contest/#judges.
The deadline for entering the contest is Aug. 1. For more information, visit https://ncdj.org/contest/.
Posted on: , Nic Lindh
Applications are now being accepted for the Katherine Schneider Journalism Award for Excellence in Reporting on Disability, a new national journalism awards program that focuses exclusively on disability coverage.
Print, radio, television and online entries are all eligible. The first-place winner will be given an award of $5,000 and receive an invitation to speak at the Cronkite School, and the second-place winner will receive a $1,500 award. Additional honorable mention awards of $500 may be given at the discretion of the judges.
Entries are being accepted until Aug. 1, 2013. For more information, visit our awards page at https://ncdj.org/contest/.
Posted on: , Nic Lindh
May 29, 2013, is the 23rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To celebrate, the U.S. Census Bureau has released a “Facts for Features” document that breaks down disability information from the 2010 U.S. Census into easily digestible nuggets perfect for journalists working on stories related to disability.
Some highlights include that 56.7 million people in the United States lived with a disability, that West Virginia had the highest percentage of people with non-institutionalized disabilities and that 23 percent of people with a disability lived in poverty.
Posted on: , Chris Carr
Video: Helen Keller Speaking in 1930
In this video, Anne Sullivan, Helen Keller’s teacher and companion explains how over time, Keller expanded her communication skills to include being able to speak. For decades, Keller was able to interact with others using tactile sign language and other methods. But as the video makes clear, by developing innovative yet simple methods, Keller learned various sounds and words through feeling the vibrations in Sullivan’s face and vocal chords.
At the time when this video was produced, Keller was already involved with the American Foundation and years earlier, she had attended Radcliffe College as well as the Perkins School for the Blind.
Posted on: , Chris Carr
“War and Sports Shape Better Artificial Limbs”
Tremendous advances have been made in the medical field within the past decade, thus making it easier for those who lose limbs either in war or for another reason to regain their physical abilities. James Dao talks with veterans who have lost limbs in various wars, as well as experts and others who emphasized the importance of adaptive sports and other support systems to help those with injuries.
