Brain Injury Dialogues: A Documentary

Brain Injury Dialogues will be airing on over 80 PBS stations across the US in honor of Brain Injury Awareness Month 2011. We have all current PBS station and air date information on our website's homepage.

A lot has been happening quickly, so we're encouraging everyone to help promote Brain Injury Dialogues on PBS in their area. We can't promote our documentary in every location it's being aired and we're asking you and anyone else you know that wants to help better educate the general public about brain injury, to help out.

The responses so far have been very strong. Many from folks that see the need of greater public awareness about this hidden disability in our midst. Of course we also want to reach the millions of Americans that are brain injury survivors to offer whatever help and support we've been able to assemble in our documentary.

NOTE: To learn more about the Brain Injury Dialogues, click on the title.

Youth Leadership Forum

July 13-15, 2011 Newberry College
The only cost is transportation to and from Newberry college.
Applications for the 2011 SC Youth Leadership Forum (YLF) are now being accepted! The deadline for submitting completed applications is May 2, 2011. Approximately 30 delegates will be selected.
YLF is a leadership development program for high school students with disabilities between the ages of 17 and 21 who want to increase their leadership skills while making new friends and trying new experiences. It features team-building activities, group discussions, guest speakers, a ropes course, and most of all, fun!
SC Assistive Technology staff members will be there to provide assistive technology supports. On your application, please note what assistive technology accommodations (magnifier, wheelchair, text-to-speech software, fm system, etc.) you currently use and will need during the forum.
NOTE: To learn more about the Youth Leadership Forum and to get an application, click on the title above.

The South Carolina Assitive Technology Exchange

The goal of the South Carolina Assistive Technology Exchange hosted by the South Carolina Assitive Technology Program (SCATP) is to put AT equipment that is not currently being used into the hands of someone who can benefit from it.

The South Carolina Assistive Technology Exchange is primarily for South Carolinians, although we do accept entries from neighboring states. The program is designed to facilitate equipment exchange between individuals and is not for the use of vendors or distributors.

NOTE: To read the entire article, click on the title above.

Making the Web More Accessible to People With Disabilities and Special Needs

ScienceDaily (Feb. 25, 2011) — In posting information to the Internet, one of the main aims is for that information to reach as many people as possible. That usually means achieving a prominent position in the search engine results pages, providing legible and attractive enough information that potential readers are wont to read it and to ensure that it meets the demands of users with disabilities. Researchers in Hungary suggest that only if all these criteria are fulfilled does a website become truly accessible.Writing in the International Journal of Knowledge and Web Intelligence, the team, based at the University of Szeged, suggests how theoretical and practical dimensions of screen structure, data structure and metadata can be analysed and used to promote universal accessibility.
Medical informatics expert Erzsébet Forczek, explains that access to the Internet, and more specifically the world wide web, has become essential for all members of society. Physical access is a prerequisite but the availability, retrieval and processing of information on the web must be supported by information technology.

NOTE: To read the entire article, click on the title above.

Higher Levels of Social Activity Decrease the Risk of Developing Disability in Old Age

ScienceDaily (Feb. 17, 2011) — Afraid of becoming disabled in old age, not being able to dress yourself or walk up and down the stairs? Staying physically active before symptoms set in could help. But so could going out to eat, playing bingo and taking overnight trips.

According to research conducted at Rush University Medical Center, higher levels of social activity are associated with a decreased risk of becoming disabled. The study has just been posted online and will be published in the April issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.

"Social activity has long been recognized as an essential component of healthy aging, but now we have strong evidence that it is also related to better everyday functioning and less disability in old age," said lead researcher Bryan James, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the epidemiology of aging and dementia in the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center. "The findings are exciting because social activity is potentially a risk factor that can be modified to help older adults avoid the burdens of disability."

NOTE: To read the entire article, click on the title above.

Controlling a Computer With Thoughts?

ScienceDaily (Feb. 18, 2011) — Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have been awarded funding for two projects that will place brain-computer interfaces (BCI) in patients with spinal cord injuries to test if it is possible for them to control external devices, such as a computer cursor or a prosthetic limb, with their thoughts.The projects build upon ongoing research conducted in epilepsy patients who had the interfaces temporarily placed on their brains and were able to move cursors and play computer games, as well as in monkeys that through interfaces guided a robotic arm to feed themselves marshmallows and turn a doorknob.
"We are now ready to begin testing BCI technology in the patients who might benefit from it the most, namely those who have lost the ability to move their upper limbs due to a spinal cord injury," said Michael L. Boninger, M.D., director, UPMC Rehabilitation Institute, chair, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Pitt School of Medicine, and a senior scientist on both projects. "It's particularly exciting for us to be able to test two types of interfaces within the brain."

NOTE: To read the entire article, click on the title above.

PARTICIPANTS NEEDED: Parenting Study

We are looking for parents and primary caregivers of children in their pre kindergarten year to participate in an interview.

Parents and caregivers--- we want to get your perspective on what you do with respect to raising your children and why certain practices are important to you.

The interview will take between an hour to an hour and a half and we will come to you.

You will get a $20.00 Walmart gift card for your time.

You can contact Dr. Mark Macauda at 777-7029 or at macauda@mailbox.sc.edu for more information or to set up an appointment.

Thanks!

Bone-Anchored Hearing Aids Appear Beneficial for Hearing-Impaired Children

ScienceDaily (Feb. 21, 2011) — Bone-anchored hearing aids appear helpful in improving hearing and quality of life in children with hearing loss in one or both ears, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

"Since its introduction more than 30 years ago, the bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) has become an established treatment option for auditory rehabilitation in patients with chronic conductive or mixed hearing loss," the authors write as background information in the article. Although the BAHA was most commonly fitted in adults when it was first introduced, it has gradually become a popular option for children with bilateral conductive hearing loss who are too young to undergo alternative surgical options.

Maarten J. F. de Wolf, M.D., and colleagues at the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, obtained information about 31 children who were current BAHA users. Data were collected through questionnaires answered by the children and their parents. Eligible children were a minimum of 4 years old at the time of BAHA fitting, and had been using the device for one to four years. Patients with both bilateral hearing loss (16 children) and unilateral hearing loss (15 children) were evaluated.

NOTE: To read the entire article, click on the title above.

A Bundle of Books from Winston's Wish Foundation

Winston's Wish Foundation is proud to announce the launch of a new statewide initiative for families of children with autism. "Bundle of Books" is a collaborative effort between Winston's Wish Foundation, Junior League of Columbia, and South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs to provide the families of newly diagnosed children with a collection of books to be used as their initial resource for understanding and dealing with a child with autism. Winston's Wish would like to express sincere appreciation to the provisional members of the Junior League who worked together to assemble the initial bundles for this program! Through collaboration with the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, we will be distributing each "Bundle of Books" to families throughout our state. Thank you to everyone who helped make the kickoff of this program a success!

NOTE: To learn more about Winston's Wish Foundation, click on the title above.

4th Annual Run For Thought

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month!
Help celebrate Brain Injury Awareness Month by coming out and showing your support of the Brain Injury Association of South Carolina at our 4th Annual Run For Thought, presented by Roger C. Peace Rehabilitation Hospital.

5K Run and 1 Mile Walk/Roll
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Start time - 9:00am
Clemson University ICAR
5 Research Drive
Greenville, SC

We would like to challenge EVERYONE to begin fundraising for this great event! This year we are using Network For Good's Charity Badge to allow participants and volunteers to do individual fundraising. You can sync it with your Facebook page, add pictures, videos, and your own picture!

NOTE: For more information and to register, click on the title above.

Columbia Parkinson'​s Support Group

We are looking forward to seeing you this coming Sunday on

Date - February 20th, 2011
Time - 3:00 p.m. until 4:00 P.M. - with time available after our meetings for socialization among guests and support group members
Cost - Free / Donations Appreciated
Where - Lexington Medical - Park 1 Auditorium
2720 Sunset Boulevard, West Columbia, SC 29169

Topic: OPEN FORUM & DISCUSSION

For our open forum meetings we usually start with a theme or topic and go from there.
Our members have an opportunity to share their own experiences; ask questions of each other; and help each other by proving solutions that they have for various issues, concerns, problems, etc.
At the open forum meetings, our members tell us they learn about things that they can't find anywhere else, because they are learning directly from other Parkinson patients and their caregivers.
We welcome all visitors and guests to our monthly meetings. There is no cost to attend our meetings. Visit our website page for more information about our meetings and directions to the Lexington Medical Center Park 1 Auditorium. We would be pleased to see you at our next meeting.

FEBRUARY 22nd SPECIAL EVENT

THE WATERFORD RESOURCE HEALTH FAIR - Sponsored by the Columbia Northeast Parkinson Support Group -- Please visit our website for more information about this event!

As always, we thank you for your constructive feedback, comments, and input to our website and support group meetings - they are very much appreciated!

We would be pleased to see you at our next meeting! Thank you for your support of the Parkinson's community.

New Report Reviews Key Provisions in the Affordable Care Act for Children with Special Healthcare Needss

AAIDD (Feb. 2, 2011)- A new report by the National Academy for State Health Policy for The Catalyst Center at Boston University provides an in-depth analysis of the Affordable Care Act and specific steps policymakers can take to better achieve three major coverage goals for children with special health care needs: universal, continuous coverage; adequate coverage; and affordable coverage. Approximately one of every seven children under 18 years of age, or 14 percent of children in the United States, has a special health care need.

NOTE: To read the entire article, click on the title above.

GPS-ENABLED PORTABLE DEVICE HOLDS PROMISE FOR INDEPENDENT BUS TRAVEL FOR PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY, NEW STUDY REVEALS

AAIDD (Feb2, 2011)- In a study of adults with intellectual disability attempting to follow a new bus route and get off the bus at a previously unknown location, researchers observed that when using a GPS-based system providing visual and auditory prompts, participants were significantly more successful at completing a bus route than were people using a map and verbal directions. For example, 73% of participants with the PDS-based software successfully rang the bell and exited the bus at the right stop compared with only 8% of the control group.

NOTE: To read the entire article, click on the title above.