Disability Headlines

Latest Headlines from DisabilityScoop.com

Parent Training Key To Tackling Behavior, Study Finds
Children with developmental disabilities who have severe behavior issues respond better to medication if it is paired with training for their parents, researchers say.

Funding For Down Syndrome Research Shrinks
New data shows that federal funding for Down syndrome research dropped last year, despite already lagging behind other conditions, and that's leaving advocates none too pleased.

Minorities Show More Severe Signs Of Autism
Children with autism who come from minority backgrounds are more delayed than their Caucasian peers with the disorder, researchers say, likely because their symptoms go unnoticed longer.

Teen With Down Syndrome Turns Basketball Phenom
David Andrews has Down syndrome, but when his high school basketball team gave him a chance to play, they found out he really is good at shooting hoops.



Most Popular This Week

» Can Autism Be Derailed? Researchers Say Maybe
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» Sheltered Workshops Offer Little Benefit, Studies Find
» Motor Impairments Core Feature Of Autism
» Max From NBC's 'Parenthood' Talks Asperger's

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Buddy Walk 2012

Mark your calenders for this years Buddy Walk on Sunday, October 7 in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina sponsored by the Down Syndrome Association of the Lowcountry (DSAL).

Over-Reactive Parenting Linked to Negative Emotions and Problem Behavior in Toddlers

ScienceDaily (Feb. 21, 2012) — "Researchers have found that parents who anger easily and over-react are more likely to have toddlers who act out and become upset easily.
The research is an important step in understanding the complex link between genetics and home environment. In the study, researchers from Oregon State University, Oregon Social Learning Center, and other institutions collected data in 10 states from 361 families linked through adoption -- and obtained genetic data from birth parents as well as the children.
They followed the children at nine, 18 and 27 months of age, and found that adoptive parents who had a tendency to over-react, for example, were quick to anger when children tested age-appropriate limits or made mistakes. These over-reactive parents had a significant effect on their children, who exhibited "negative emotionality," or acting out and having more temper tantrums than normal for their age.
Genetics also played a role, particularly in the case of children who were at genetic risk of negative emotionality from their birth mothers, but were raised in a low-stress or less-reactive environment.
The study was published in the latest edition of the journal Development and Psychopathology.
"This is an age where children are prone to test limits and boundaries," said lead author Shannon Lipscomb, an assistant professor of human development and family sciences at OSU-Cascades. "However, research consistently shows that children with elevated levels of negative emotionality during these early years have more difficulties with emotion regulation and tend to exhibit more problem behavior when they are of school age."

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SC AT Exchange: Wheelchairs, scooters and a van lift

We have an inventory of wheel chairs and scooters that are in very good condition. A few of them have batteries that work and many of them need batteries. Batteries Plus in Columbia offers a very, very good discount on batteries and will install them for free. In most cases, the batteries would cost from $200 - $300. This is a great bargain! People have even gone to churches and civic groups to get this kind of funding.
We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity! If you end up getting one of these chairs/scooters, we could have them at the Expo March 13 (at Brookland Conference Center in Columbia) for you to pick up after attending the Expo.
Call or email Catherine Graham at 803 434-3189 if you’re interested in these items and she can talk to you about the battery cost and other relevant issues.
Please pass this information along! We want to help South Carolinians with mobility and independence through our reuse programs!
Janet Jendron, SC Assistive Technology Program

To read more about the SCATP Expo, click on the title above.

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Correction: SC Youth Leadership Forum July 11-13

The correct contact address and phone number is listed below.

Students 17-21 years old are invited to attend the SC Youth Leadership Forum (YLF) on July 11-13, 2012 at Newberry College in Newberry, SC. This is a three-day program for SC students with disabilities who have demonstrated leadership potential in both their school and community. The leadership forum is designed to assist youth with disabilities in further developing leadership, citizenship, and social skills by using resources that can help them face challenges in becoming participating members of their communities.

There is no charge to attend YLF and all meals are provided. Students are responsible for providing their own transportation to and from Newberry College. More information and the application can be found at http://www.scvrd.net/i_ylf.html . The completed application packet must be postmarked by April 16, 2012. Please note what assistive technology accommodations (e.g. fm system, text-to-speech software, magnifier, or wheelchair) you use and will need during the forum.

The forum will include guest speakers, small and large group discussions, team-building activities, ropes course, mentor luncheon, and FUN!

For more information contact:

SC YLF c/o PROParents

652 Bush River Road Suite 203

Columbia, SC 29210 803-734-8028

The SC Youth Leadership Forum is implemented by state and local partners including PRO-parents, Inc., South Carolina Assistive Technology Program, South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department, Continuum of Care, Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School, South Carolina Division of Career Development and Transition, South Carolina Developmental Disabilities Council and South Carolina Department of Education.

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The Association of University Centers on Disabilities Council on Community Advocacy

If you are ADA eligible for paratransit services (curb-to-curb/door-to-door) and travel outside of your service area as a visitor in another county, region, or state, the Association of University Centers on Disabilities Council on Community Advocacy would like to hear from you.To join the discussion just click here: http://adaparatransit.blogspot.com/ and Join this site.

Three Ways Windows 8 Will Boost Accessibility

PC World (Feb. 15, 2012)- Almost 50 million citizens have disabilities, and the likeliness of a disability rises with age. Meanwhile, nearly one-quarter of the workforce will be 55 or older by 2018. At the same time, mobile devices that are smaller than the typical desktop computer and require more dexterity to operate are becoming more common in business.

As Windows 8 straddles the desktop-mobile divide, it will include assistive technologies optimized for touch-enabled devices, and built to be easier for easier integration by developers.

Microsoft's Building Windows 8 blog on Tuesday said the new OS will include improvements to help users with physical disabilities, including vision, mobility, hearing and cognitive impairments. In the post, Jennifer Norberg, lead project manager of the Human Interaction Platform team, focused on the underlying assistive-technology changes to Windows 8, and specific changes to serve users with vision impairments.

1. Adopting Standards

The most important change is the adoption of industry standards, including those from the Web Accessibility Initiative, Accessible Rich Internet Applications, HTML5, and XAML. Norberg's post notes that in previous versions of Windows, vendors had to use "different 'creative' ways of getting information from the system," making it difficult to add assistive technologies to apps. Providing a standards-based “accessibility foundation” for developers to build on will make it easier to add ATs to apps, which should expand their use and result in a larger number of apps being accessible.
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Vision Summit 2012

Vision Summit 2012

The twelfth annual South Carolina Summit of individuals who are blind or visually impaired, their families and the professionals who serve them

Date: Friday, March 9, 2012

Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Cost:

$25 - Professionals

$10 - School Students and parents of students who are blind/visually impaired

Location:

South Carolina Archives and History Center

8301 Parklane Road, Columbia, SC 29223
(803) 896-6100
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Oprah Pick With Cerebral Palsy Debuts New Show

Disability Scoop (Dec. 12, 2011)-Zach Anner relies on a wheelchair to get around, but that’s not stopping the 27-year-old with cerebral palsy. On his new travel show debuting Monday on Oprah Winfrey’s cable network, Anner tries everything from surfing to rock climbing.

Anner landed the gig earlier this year when Winfrey selected him as one of two winners of her “Your OWN Show” contest. The six-episode run of “Rollin’ with Zach” kicks off Monday night on OWN (8 p.m. ET). Two half-hour episodes will air back-to-back each Monday for three weeks.

Shot over two months this summer, the show follows Anner as he travels to Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Portland, Ore. Each episode focuses on a different city, with Anner taking viewers along for the ride as he counts down his top five favorite things to do.

Ahead of the premiere, Anner spoke with Disability Scoop about the rewards and challenges of making his own show and what he hopes audiences will take away from seeing a television host with a disability.

Disability Scoop: What was it like making the show?

Zach Anner: I got to see a really unique view on this country and have a great time doing it. It was just an amazing adventure. My goal was always to make the crew laugh and have a good time with them and hopefully the viewers at home will get that sense of fun and excitement.

Disability Scoop: You really challenge yourself on the show to try all kinds of new things — from surfing to sailing, rock climbing to water skiing. Did you ever imagine doing these things?

Zach Anner: Some of the things I didn’t know were even in the realm of possibility. Rock climbing was something that I never thought I’d be doing. I’m not a mountain climber. I’m not even a stair climber. It was the most physically demanding thing. Not all of the challenges are physical. In New York I do stand-up comedy and that was terrifying. We just wanted to present different challenges that would be difficult whether you had a disability or not.

Disability Scoop: You talk a lot on the show about having cerebral palsy. Was that something that was conscious on your part?

Zach Anner: Obviously people tuning in for the first time are going to wonder, what is it that this guy has? I wanted to be able to communicate that and then move on. It’s not something that should be the focus of the show or the main thing that people are thinking about.

To read the rest of the interview with Zach Anner, please click the the above title.

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Integrated Employment Toolkit

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has developed this Integrated Employment Toolkit to provide valuable information as individuals, community employment agencies, policymakers and others pursue integrated employment as the desired employment goal for youth and adults with disabilities. The Toolkit includes practical and, in some cases, adaptable information and documents to facilitate the movement of states, organizations and, most importantly, youth and adults to integrated employment as their primary option for employment.

The Toolkit offers a collection of resources, reports, papers, policies, fact sheets, case studies, and discussion guides from a variety of sources to accommodate the full range of users and increase capacity and understanding about the value and potential of integrated employment. It is organized by different audiences or perspectives. Within each audience, there are key, commonly-asked questions to guide the user to the appropriate materials.

NOTE: To get to the toolkit, click on the title above.

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Columbia Parkinson Support Group - News and Meeting Reminder

Meeting Reminder: Our February 19th meeting is one that you will not want to miss! We will be having two excellent,well-known, and respected doctors from the Georgia Health Sciences University (formally called the Medical College of Georgia -
MCG). We know that you will find this meeting very informative, not only about the DBS procedure and process, but also about Parkinson's disease. (DBS is "Deep Brain Stimulation" - a type of surgical management of Parkinson's disease.)

Date: Sunday, February 19, 2012

Topic: "What You Need To Know About The DBS Process" -- From determining who is a DBS candidate - the evaluation process - the surgery/surgeries - and the on-going treatment after surgery.

Time: 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm With time after the meeting for additional discussion and socialization

Where: Lexington Medical Park Auditorium, 2720 Sunset Boulevard, West Columbia, SC 29169

Speakers:
Doctor Cole Giller, Director of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery; Clinical
Professor, Department of Neurosurgery

Doctor Shyamal Mehta, Assistant Professor of Neurology and Staff Member of the Movement DisorderClinic

Some of the Coming Events of Interest - Visit our "2012 MEETING & EVENTS CALENDAR" web page which is updated often with information [including events listed below] about new events, seminars, symposiums, and of course our monthly meeting at http://www.columbiaparkinsonsupportgroup.or/meet_calendar_2012.htm

March 13, 2012 - The 2012 SC Assistive Technology Expo
March 18, 2012 - Columbia PD Support Group Meeting - Topic: Are you prepared? Russ Bell will be discussing what you need to do to prepare for emergencies and natural disasters (i.e., hurricanes, tornadoes, evacuations). While the topic will be applicable to everyone, there will be focus on special preparation for seniors, those with disabilities, and those who are ill and need special care.
April 2012 - PARKINSON'S AWARENESS MONTH - Stay Tuned! - We have special events planned for this month
A Special Note: One of our members would like to share information and experiences with other caregivers of Parkinson's patients with dementia to. If you wish to connect with this member, please send name, phone number, and email to Dottie Gantt contact@columbiaparkinsonsupportgroup.org

To Contact Us:
Carol Baker, Vice President & Program Chair - Email: caroltbaker@bellsouth.net - Telephone 803-781-6193
Dottie Gantt, President - Email: contact@columbiaparkinsonsupportgroup.org - Telephone: 803-604-0061

We look forward to seeing you at the February 19, 2012 meeting.
Dottie M. Gantt, President Columbia Parkinson's Support Group
Email: contact@columbiaparkinsonsupportgroup.org - Telephone 803-604-0061
Website: http://www.columbiaparkinsonsupportgroup.org/
“Every PD patient is unique and everything about his or her disease is specific to him or her and ONLY to him or her. PD has only one time - NOW, the
present. The previous hours do not forecast how you are going to feel. The only thing that is predictable about this disease is its unpredictability.”
~~Written by Rick Kramer and Margaret Tuchman~~

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SC Youth Leadership Forum

Students 17-21 years old are invited to attend the SC Youth Leadership Forum (YLF) on July 11-13, 2012 at Newberry College in Newberry, SC. This is a three-day program for SC students with disabilities who have demonstrated leadership potential in both their school and community. The leadership forum is designed to assist youth with disabilities in further developing leadership, citizenship, and social skills by using resources that can help them face challenges in becoming participating members of their communities.

There is no charge to attend YLF and all meals are provided. Students are responsible for providing their own transportation to and from Newberry College. More information and the application can be found at http://www.scvrd.net/i_ylf.html . The completed application packet must be postmarked by April 16, 2012. Please note what assistive technology accommodations (e.g. fm system, text-to-speech software, magnifier, or wheelchair) you use and will need during the forum.

The forum will include guest speakers, small and large group discussions, team-building activities, ropes course, mentor luncheon, and FUN!

For more information, contact
Youth Leadership Forum
c/o SC Vocational Rehabilitation Department
1410 Boston Ave., P.O. Box 15
West Columbia, SC 29171-0015
(803) 896-6574
ylf@scvrd.state.sc.us

The SC Youth Leadership Forum is implemented by state and local partners including PRO-parents, Inc., South Carolina Assistive Technology Program, South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department, Continuum of Care, Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School, South Carolina Division of Career Development and Transition, South Carolina Developmental Disabilities Council and South Carolina Department of Education.

To get to the application, click on the title above.

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South Carolina Assistive Technology Expo 2012

South Carolina Assistive Technology Expo 2012!

Free and open to the pubic
No pre-registration

Tuesday, March 13, 2012
9 am – 4 pm
Brookland Banquet and Conference Center
1066 Sunset Boulevard
West Columbia, S.C. 29169

Find all you need to know about the SC Assistive Technology Expo 2012, which includes sessions on IT accessibility, and the Equipment Donation Drive at http://www.sc.edu/scatp/expo/expo12.html and http://www.sc.edu/scatp/expo/expo12donation.html . Please share this through Blogs, Facebook and Twitter. It can be as easy as pasting the url as your Facebook status or in your tweet. We'd also appreciate your linking it to your web pages.

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