With Adaptive Skiing, Disabled People No Longer Left Out In The Cold

March means spring break is just around the corner, and for New Mexico
 it means mild temperatures and fresh snow — perfect conditions for
 visiting area ski resorts.  A growing number of resorts are now offering
 programs that cater to vacationers with disabilities, and resort owners 
say it has proved to be a boost for business.  At a Taos Ski Valley chairlift, 
Barbara and Philip Logan prepare their son, Tilghman, for his first day of
 ski lessons.  The Logans traveled from New York City to Taos, N.M., for
 a winter vacation, and Tilghman can't wait to begin his ski lesson.  
Tilghman  has a severe form of cerebral palsy that limits much 
of his physical movement and some of his eyesight. But that's
 not stopping him and his father from 
experiencing the snow. With some careful planning and specialized 
equipment, the duo hopes to be tearing up the slopes together in no time.  

Ski instructor Craig Stagg takes the group up the lift to demonstrate a 
few sit ski basics. A sit ski is a specially made sled developed for people 
with limited use of their lower limbs, allowing them to slide down a 
mountain much like an able-bodied skier.  The resort must offer adaptive
 ski lessons under the Americans with Disabilities Act because it sits on 
Forest Service land.   Eric Lipp, executive director of the Open Doors 
Organization, an advocacy group helping people with disabilities get 
access to travel and other consumer opportunities, says people with
 disabilities are extremely vocal, and they're a large group with
 significant buying power.   A recent market study 
shows that the disabled community now spends 
more than $13 billion each year on travel. As the general population 
continues to age, Lipp says, that number is only expected to grow

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Including Disabled Students In Sports

A Map For Including Disabled Students In Sports

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — After a tough 5-1 loss, Jordan Anderson was sweaty, short of breath and sorry he hadn't played stronger defense during the floor hockey game at Humboldt High. He resolved to improve next time."I can get the puck out of my team's end better," he said.The junior with epilepsy and a developmental disability spends a lot time in the gym. He plays soccer in the fall, floor hockey in the winter and softball and bowling in the spring.As the federal government pushes schools to include more students like Anderson in sports, Minnesota offers a map for how to do it and a look at the challenges that come along the way.What started 40 years ago as a game of wheelchair floor hockey among friends has grown into a thriving statewide league that offers four sports. Disabled students can earn letters and win state championships.

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Shortage Of Brain Tissue Hinders Autism Research

Research on autism is being hobbled by a shortage of brain tissue.

The brain tissue comes from people with autism who have died, and it has allowed researchers to make key discoveries about how the disorder affects brain development.

But there's not nearly enough tissue because most potential donors aren't identified, and their family members are never approached about the possibility of donation. The shortage has been especially bad since last summer, when a freezer at a Harvard brain bank failed  allowing dozens of autistic brains to thaw.

This is the story of three people who are grappling with the shortage: one is a man who has autism, one is a scientist who studies the disorder, and one runs a tissue bank.

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A Life Defined Not By Disability, But Love

When Bonnie Brown was pregnant with her daughter, Myra, she says she felt a mix of joy and anxiety.  "I hadn't ever been pregnant before," she says. "I never had really an idea of how to take care of a baby."  Brown, who is intellectually disabled, works at Wendy's while raising     Myra as a single mom. Despite her disability, she says she never felt like her daughter was too much to handle. "I think because I'm different it might seem hard for me, but I was going to give it all I got no matter what," she tells Myra, now 15, during a visit to StoryCorps.

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