Check it out!: SC Assistive Technology Exchange

The SC Assistive Technology Exchange is an online recycling database
to help citizens with disabilities and older people with functional
limitations find affordable assistive technology devices and
equipment. For more information or to buy, sell or donate, visit the
Web site at http://www.scatpexchange.net/ or email Janet Jendron at
jjendron@usit.net.

Call for Applications for 2008 Hearne and Betts Awards

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: THE 2008 PAUL G. HEARNE/AAPD LEADERSHIP
AWARDS (due: Sept. 21, 2007)

The Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awards program was established
to identify and support emerging leaders with disabilities who
will carry on the disability rights movement. Administered by
AAPD and sponsored by the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation,
the 2008 Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awards identifies up to
two emerging leaders with disabilities to each receive $10,000 to
help them continue their progress as leaders. These individuals
will also have an opportunity to meet and network with national
disability leaders at the annual AAPD Leadership Gala in
Washington, DC in the spring. Applications are available from
www.AAPD.com.

Apply by: Friday, September 21, 2007.

Questions and submissions for the Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership
Awards program to: aapdhearne@aol.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: THE 2008 HENRY B. BETTS AWARD
(due: Tuesday, October 9, 2007)

The Henry B. Betts Award program, administered by AAPD, was
created by the Prince Charitable Trusts and the Rehabilitation
Institute of Chicago in 1989 to annually honor individuals who
have, in the course of their work, helped to lead the societal
transformation that is producing dramatically better outcomes and
higher expectations for the diverse groups that make up the
disability community in the United States and around the world.
Typically, one outstanding living individual is selected each year
to receive The Henry B. Betts Award with an unrestricted $50,000
cash award at AAPD's annual Leadership Gala in Washington, D.C.
Nominations are available from www.AAPD.com.

Nominations are due: Tuesday, October 9, 2007.

Questions and submissions for the Henry B. Betts Award program to:
aapdbetts@aol.com.

SOURCE: AAPD

Zebrafish Study May Point Way to Blindness Cure

LONDON (Reuters) - The ability of zebrafish to regenerate damaged retinas has given scientists a clue about restoring human vision and could lead to an experimental treatment for blindness within five years.
British researchers said on Wednesday they had successfully grown in the laboratory a type of adult stem cell found in the eyes of both fish and mammals that develops into neurons in the retina.

To view the entire article, click on the title above.

High-Tech Bionic Hand Invented in England

London, July 19 (UPI)-The new, high-tech i-LIMB bionic hand, with five motorized fingers, will soon be sold in Britain for about $17,000, The Telegraph reported Thursday.

To view this entire article, please click the title above.

Getting in Touch: Virtual Maps For the Blind

Researchers in Greece have developed a new system that converts video into virtual, touchable maps for the blind. The three-dimensional maps use force fields to represent walls and roads so the visually impaired can better understand the layout of buildings and cities.

To view this entire article, please click the title above.

Scientists Eye an Enzyme as Target in Fighting Autism

Chicago (AFP)-U.S. researchers have reversed the symptoms of mental retardation and autism in mice by inhibiting an enzyme that affects the connections between brain cells.

To view this entire article click on the title above.

NOTE: Up and Coming Forums!

DDSN STATEWIDE LISTENING FORUMS

Tuesday, June 26

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Colleton Industries

Colleton County Disabilities and Special Needs Board

728 Hiers Corner Road, Walterboro, SC

(Call 843-549-1732 for directions)

Service Theme: Adult Individual and Family Supports and Services – Focus is on individuals aged 22 and older who live at home with family.



Tuesday, July 17

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Patrick Center Annex

Greenville County Disabilities and Special Needs Board

1700 Ridge Road, Greenville, SC

(Call 864-679-0220 for directions)

Service Theme: Early Intervention and Other Children’s Services– Focus is on individuals aged birth through 21 who live at home with family.


Tuesday, July 24

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Staff Development Building

Pee Dee Regional Center

714 National Cemetery Road, Florence, SC

(Call 843-664-2635 for directions)

Service Theme: Residential Services– Focus is on all individuals living in a community or regional center residence funded by DDSN.


Tuesday, August 7

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Training Center

Midlands Regional Center

8301 Farrow Road, Columbia, SC

(Call 803-935-7502 for directions)

Service Theme: Self Advocacy −Focus is on listening to consumers and self-advocates of all ages who receive DDSN-funded services.

Hearing Loss Gene Discovered

Antwerp, Belgium, June 19 (UPI)-"Belgian scientists have identified a gene responsible for the most common cause of hearing loss among white adults-otosclerosis.

A University of Antwerp team, led by Melissa Thys, said the finding might lead to new treatments for the malady that affects approximately 1 in 250 people."

To view this entire article, please click the title above.

A Wider Range of Sounds for the Deaf

ScienceDaily--"More than three decades ago, scientists pursued the then radical idea of implanting tiny electronic hearing devices in the inner ear to help profoundly deaf people. An even bolder alternative that promised superior results-implanting a device directly in the auditory nerve-was set aside as too difficult, given the technology of the day.

Now, however, scientists have shown in animals that it's possible to implant a tiny, ultra-thin electrode array in the auditory nerve that can successfully transmit a wide range of sounds to the brain."

To view this entire article, please click the title above.

MRI May Predict Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury

Science Daily-"Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), radiologists can better predict the likelihood of full or partial recovery of patients with acute spinal cord injuries (SCI), according to a study published in the June issue of the journal Radiology."



To view this entire article, please click the title above.

Deaf audiences can 'see' dialogue

BBC News website -By Geoff Adams-Spink,Age & disability correspondent.
"Thanks to government and Arts Council grants, more and more theatres in England are able to offer captioned performances to people with impaired hearing.

Captioning is an emerging craft that demands a combination of skills - not least the ability to maintain concentration for long periods."

To view the entire article, click the title above.

Trials for 'bionic' eye implants

By Jonathan Fildes
Science and technology reporter, BBC News, San Francisco
"A bionic eye implant that could help restore the sight of millions of blind people could be available to patients within two years. US researchers have been given the go-ahead to implant the prototype device in 50 to 75 patients."

To view this entire article, please click the title above.

Therapy Helps Boy Control Tourette's

"CARY, N.C. - Thanks to new behavioral therapy at a Duke University Medical Center clinic, 9-year-old Rick Shocket is doing what seemed impossible for him a year ago: gain control over Tourette's syndrome, a brain disorder that causes repetitive movements and sounds. "

To view this entire article, please click the title above.