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In Spain, a Different View of Independent Living

Javier Romañach, Iñaki Martínez , William Loughborough, Alejandro Rodríguez-Picavea, Manuel López, in Madrid, Spain.

By William Loughborough

Romañach is a prominent figure in the Spanish equivalent of the U.S. disability rights movement. The highlights of our conversations centered on how it came to be that Spain has, by law, established direct payments for personal assistance (home care) services

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Polio Survivor, 101-year-old Still Going Strong

By Kathi Wolfe

There is nothing unusual about this, except that Dodes, who lives in southeastern Florida and has post-polio syndrome, is 101 years old. Born in New York City in 1908, Dodes is believed to be the oldest polio survivor in the United States.
Full story on Polio Survivor

Assistive Technology Providing Hope for Children with Autism

By John M. Williams

For Kelly, giving her son a future is her life’s mission. She has been searching for a year for technology that can make a difference in Terry’s life. Using the Internet, she has found some companies that manufacture technology specifically developed to benefit autistic individuals

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Compassionate Allowance System to Speed Benefit Process

By Brenda Brown-Grooms

The Compassionate Allowance (CAL) system is designed to quickly identify diseases and other medical conditions that invariably qualify under the government's "Listing of Impairments" based on minimal, but sufficient, objective medical information

Click here for story on Social Security

Sotomayor Would Do Justice to the U.S.

By Kathi Wolfe

Barring something unforseen, at press time it appears highly likely that the Senate will confirm Sotomayor as a Supreme Court justice.

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White House Stance Frustrates ADAPT

By Mike Ervin

The long line of ADAPT marchers slithered toward the White House. Everyone took his position along the front fence, facing the White House main entrance, across from Lafayette Park. It was the first day of ADAPT’s first national action against the Obama administration.

Full story on ADAPT

Injured Poet's Memoir Takes Healthy Approach

By Amy Halloran

It didn’t start out that way but I think the parallels are pretty undeniable. I was very near to death, and I had to think a lot about what matters, what would I want

Full story on Poet Peggy Shumaker

Ways to Ease Side Effects of Mental Health Meds

By Joely Johnson

The first time I took Prozac, I thought I was going to die. A few hours after swallowing one 20-milligram capsule – the standard starting dose – I experienced a pounding heart, sweating, tremors and confusion.

Click here for the full story Side Effects

The Ideal Stimulus Package

By Patricio Figueroa Jr.

Have you ever wondered why banks protect us from our money? To perform a simple transaction at a bank, you have to provide picture identification, your Social Security number, your mother’s maiden name, and your blood type

Click here for the full story Ideal Stimulus Package

Product Testing

Most Like What They See of These Binoculars

By Opal Shelton Colvin and Kimberly R. White

Independent Living Aids clearly specifies that the binoculars are for viewing, not reading. They may be used to look at a computer monitor, but they are not designed for reading words on a computer screen

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Advocates for the Blind Sue Arizona State U. Over Kindle Use

The National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind are suing Arizona State University for its use of the Amazon Kindle DX to distribute electronic textbooks to students, alleging the device cannot be used by blind students.

Click here for article on Kindle