Federal lawmakers say they’ve reached a deal to move forward on legislation that would establish a new way for people with disabilities to save money without jeopardizing their government benefits.
Members of the U.S. Senate said Friday that they have an agreement that will allow the Achieving a Better Life Experience, or ABLE, Act to proceed.
Tag: Disabilities
Though nearly 20 percent of Americans have physical or mental disabilities, studies show that less than 20 percent of medical schools teach their students how to talk with disabled patients about their needs.
More than half of medical school deans report that their students aren’t competent to treat people with disabilities, and a similar percentage of graduates agree. Accreditation and licensing boards don’t require clinicians to demonstrate knowledge or skills in treating patients with disabilities.
Doctors’ Ignorance Stands In The Way Of Care For The Disabled (via disabilityhistory)
Great article!
(via chronic-illness-support)
abled people who act like medical professionals are magical omniscient gods need to read this
(via marshmallowknight)
Since I haven’t seen any posts about it on Tumblr, I figured I’d make the post myself! #heardwhilstdisabled is a trending hashtag on twitter, has been on-and-off for awhile obviously, and it’s about the common, casual microagressions the disabled of all stripes have to deal with. It’s UK- and AU-based primarily from the looks of it but I would think it applies to most disabled people – I certainly know I’ve heard my share of this kind of ableism. Here’s more tweets (source is The Indepedant):
@DamonLord #heardwhilstdisabled “that’s so sad. That baby will grow up with a blind father. We should call Social Services on them” About me and my son
@Quinonostante #HeardWhilstDisabled: “mental illness could be eradicated though right?” Me: “how’d you mean?” The reply: “By sterilising people”
@Imbecillis #heardwhilstdisabled Person: “You don’t look disabled…” Me: “I’m sorry I didn’t realise the neon sign was compulsory these days.”
@RedRubyGem #heardwhilstdisabled My housebound daughter was told if she didn’t attend interview at job centre her benefits would be stopped
@lauraevans311 Learning about DMD [muscular dystrophy] – fellow med student: “If they’re only going to live that long, what’s the point in educating them?”#heardwhiledisabled
@major___tom ‘I don’t want to vaccinate my kids in case they end up autistic like you’ #heardwhiledisabled
@TwinsMa #Heardwhiledisabled “If you’d stop coddling him, he’d quit being so clingy.”– says a former pediatrician to me about my autistic son
@claireOT told I’m “a bloody disabled” by a taxi driver when refusing to pay an extra £2 to carry my scooter #heardwhiledisabled
@thebeardlessone “You won’t make any friends if you keep making noises” #heardwhiledisabled (Actually, he’s the only person to diss my tourettes to my face)
@latentexistence #HeardWhileDisabled While visiting psychiatrist for suicidal thoughts, in a wheelchair: “You just need to exercise more.”
@usherchic2 #heardwhiledisabled so do you just tell your guide dog the plan for the day in the morning & he sorts it all out? Me:……
@Geeketteuk “Hitler was wrong about the Jews but right about people like you” (thanks for not being anti-semitic !) #heardwhilstdisabled
@Fire_Rosa #heardwhilstdisabled At the Dentist with Husband and Carer, receptionist” What home do you come from?* my own?
@lizmcternan #heardwhilstdisabled at a buffet, me in wheelchair, helping blind friend choose: ‘You people take up so much room’
@PottsMcG #heardwhilstdisabled “Don’t stare at her, she’s not all there” as said about my 9 year old sister in law, who has down’s syndrome. Vile
@AvoidedDrowning Frequently been told off for using a walking stick because I’m “too young to need it” too #heardwhilstdisabled
@hypatia “you people shouldn’t use rush hour transport, it’s for people going to work”. (me in suit with backpack) #heardwhilstdisabled
@MatthewJFowler #heardwhilstdisabled. Your not albino you haven’t got red eyes
@sparklygoth #heardwhilstdisabled ‘You don’t look deaf.’ & that looks like what exactly?
@badfanfic “They’ll diagnose anyone with autism these days” – my doctor #heardwhilstdisabled
@CarrieBeckwith #heardwhilstdisabled “we don’t have a ramp cos we don’t get disabled customers” – prob cos they can’t get into our shop!
@Wheelchair_Dave #HeardWhilstDisabled Someone asked wife “Did you know when you married him 15 years ago, he may have an accident & become disabled”
@WTBDavidG #heardwhilstdisabled Office fire warden 3 “You’re so disabled we need you to wait before using stairs, but not so disabled u need an evac plan”
@Becca_Boot #heardwhilstdisabled bus driver lowering ramp “i don’t have to do this, im going out of my way to help you, you better behave on here”
@VictoriaMWright Man: “she.. (gestures at me) makes me wanna (makes vomitting sound)” #heardwhilstdisabled
@WelshWallace #HeardWhilstDisabled police officer to me after being mugged – your not going to be much help as your blind & not able to give a description
@MelG1804 When refused access to restaurant with guide dog, relative said they shouldn’t have to take dogs if they don’t want to. #heardwhilstdisabled
@touretteshero #heardwhilstdisabled I know what would cure you – an exorcism #Tourettes
@Beakboo #heardwhilstdisabled My Irish mother, when she saw an obviously disabled person, in a loud whisper “would you look at that poor creature”
@theeternal “I thought autism was only in children.”#heardwhilstdisabled
@ScottTweed #HeardWhilstDisabled my personal favourite was “if you’re mum had seen a medium when pregnant then you wouldn’t of been born disabled”
@cvonruhland #heardwhilstdisabled Elderly landlady: ‘Why do disabled people need ‘rights’? They’re disabled, aren’t they.’ Gobsmacked
@urbanhippie21 #HeardWhilstDisabled hubby, in a swanky Shoreditch bar – is there a disabled loo? Them – no. There’s no demand for one. Him – I’m demanding
@supermattachine #heardwhilstdisabled “Hahahaha it’s so funny when you freak out when I come up behind you”
This is absolutely disgusting
Free for download Disability Etiquette
A great resource for businesses, schools, organizations, staff training and disability awareness programs. You don’t have to feel awkward when interacting with, or when you meet, a person who has a disability. This booklet provides tips for you to follow that will help create positive interactions and raise everyone’s comfort levels.
HALLOWEEN TIPS FOR FAMILIES OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
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Before You Plan Your Halloween Fun
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How to Make a Halloween Costume for a Child with Sensory Integration Dysfunction
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Halloween Costumes for Kids in Wheelchairs
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How to Make an Emergency Last-Minute Costume
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Halloween on a Restricted Diet
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Halloween “Trick or Treat” Cards and Sign
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Treats Too Tricky? Try Some Sweet Charity
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12 Ways to Use Up Halloween Candy
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How Do You Celebrate Halloween With a Child With Special Needs?
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Halloween With Special Needs: Tell Your Scariest Story
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What Do You Do With Leftover Candy?
October: National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Held each October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is a national campaign that raises awareness about disability employment issues and celebrates the many and varied contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. The theme for 2014 is “Expect. Employ. Empower.”…
Resources
Guys, look. They finally made a baby stroller for wheelchair-
boundusing mothers. This is so important.My wife is a physical therapist. She started tearing up when I showed this to her.
Want to hear a great Helen Keller joke?
Helen Keller was an author, lecturer, and advocate for women’s suffrage, labor rights, socialism, and other radical left causes. She was the first deaf and blind person to earn a bachelor’s degree, and she was an avid supporter of birth control.
But let’s forget all that and make some disabled person jokes. That way we don’t have to acknowledge any of her work or any of the causes she represented.
Custom controller lets disabled man dig into Minecraft using his eyebrows
Alexander Kostov has spinal muscular atrophy, a disease that makes impossible for him to use most traditional game controllers.Very cool. I would like to know more about how they mapped muscle movements to computer inputs. Nonetheless, it shows what’s possible with creativity and abandoning the mouse-and-keyboard paradigm.
Custom controller lets disabled man dig into Minecraft using his eyebrows
Great news that Google has bought Lift Labs a tech company that makes an ‘assisted living’ product.
The Lift Labs device is a fork or spoon created to reduce tremor, by stabilising using internal mechanics to keep it steady. With Google behind it will have a big opportunities for reaching people worldwide and further development. NY Times has speculated that Google may have been interested because Sergey Brin’s mother has Parkinson’s disease and he has a genetic predisposition of developing it.
From NY Times:
Lift Labs’ founder and a handful of employees will join Google and work out of the company’s Mountain View headquarters.
Most people take eating for granted, but for the 11 million Americans with either essential tremor or Parkinson’s disease, the act of lifting a utensil can be harrowing, embarrassing and messy.
Lift Labs’ Liftware device – basically a vibrating spoon/fork that makes eating easier by counteracting the tremors with a bunch of little swivels – tries to ameliorate the condition.
“A lot of social interaction revolves around eating,” said Dr. Kelvin Chou, a neurology professor at the University of Michigan who has collaborated with Lift Labs. “It’s embarrassing for them, and they feel like people are watching them all the time. I’ve had patients say ‘Someone came up to me and said I should stop drinking.’ Things like that.”
To read more click here
People with tremor might also want to check out the handsteady cup.
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
Holding the Bowl 