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One-Handed Basketball Star Kevin Laue Earns Division 1 Scholarship

May 29, 2009 | by

Kevin Laue, a one-handed basketball player, is on his way towards achieving his dream of playing N.C.A.A. Division I basketball. Laue has accepted a scholarship to play for the Manhattan College Jaspers next season, and told The New York Times that he’s looking forward to making a difference, while of course, playing some ball. When Laue was born, the circulation to his left arm was cut off by the umbilical cord, stunting its growth. But the rest of his body grew quickly. The 6-foot-10 center played basketball at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, Calif., but a broken lag dashed his hopes of getting a scholarship offer. Instead, he attended the postgraduate program at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia, a school that has graduated many professional athletes, including Heisman Trophy winners Vinny Testaverde and Eddie George. Laue can palm the basketball easily with his right hand, and uses his short left ... keep reading »
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New Online College Offers Disability Scholarship

May 15, 2009 | by

A new four-year college scholarship is available to a student with a disability. The scholarship is for Aspen University, a new online university based in Denver that provides undergraduate and graduate degrees, including MBAs. The Aspen Collegiate Foundation Scholarship was created and funded by Scott Thompson, a volunteer coach for Courage Center, a rehabilitation center for people with disabilities, including brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and autism. Thompson received his MBA from Aspen University and serves on its foundation Board of Directors. The scholarship is based on an applicants’ academic merit, financial need and a commitment to complete all four years at Aspen University leading to a Bachelor’s Degree. The school offers BAs in business administration and criminal justice. It also offers more than a dozen Master’s Degrees, such as business administration, education and nursing. Tuition starts at $250 per semester credit or $750 per course. An application can be obtained by ... keep reading »
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Obama to Increase Disability Spending

May 11, 2009 | by

President Obama’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2010 includes increased funds for employment assistance for people with disabilities as well as autism research and awareness, among other programs. The budget proposal includes $11.5 billion for special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This is in addition to the nearly $5 billion already set aside for IDEA in 2010. Another $11.6 billion would be applied to decrease the backlog of disability claims at the Social Security Administration. Other disability-related programs would also benefit from the proposal. On the health front, Obama will seek more than $140 million for autism research funded through the National Institutes of Health, and $125 million to provide mental health care to kids and teens with emotional disorders. For employment, Obama will ask for an increase of $10 million for the Office of Disability Employment Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor. Separately, the budget includes $145 million ... keep reading »
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Obama’s 2010 Budget Will Boost VA Spending

May 8, 2009 | by

Veterans may see expanded programs and services if President Obama’s 2010 budget plan passes, which includes $112.8 billion for the Veterans Affairs department, an increase of 15 percent. Calling it “veteran-centric,” the VA says Obama’s proposed budget represents the largest percentage increase sought by a president in more than 30 years. “Our 2010 budget represents the President’s vision for how VA will transform into a 21st-century organization that is veteran-centric, results-driven and forward-looking,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki said. The centerpiece of the VA budget proposal is a dramatic increase in veteran healthcare funding, with an 11 percent increase over the current year’s funding (excluding one-time Recovery Act funds). At the forefront: Helping the VA to remove the backlog in processing compensation and pension claims. Funding will go to building an online system, making processes more efficient, adding staff, and increasing training. The proposal also places a high priority on ... keep reading »
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Textbooks Will Speak on New Kindle DX

May 6, 2009 | by

Amazon’s new Kindle DX, designed for reading textbooks and newspapers, will include text-to-speech to allow students with print disabilities to read textbooks out loud. Amazon’s Director of Kindle Books, Laura Porco, said the company is working with three of the top five textbook publishers — Pearson, Cengage Learning and Wiley, along with more than 75 University Press Publishers to make their educational materials available in the Kindle Store starting this summer. With content accessible in an audio version to everyone — not just to those who can “prove” they have a print disability — Amazon and publishers have taken a big step in breaking down barriers to educational content for people with disabilities. The Kindle DX has a 9.7-inch electronic display, a built-in PDF reader and the ability to automatically switch from portrait to landscape. It can store up to 3,500 books, and also lets readers annotate and take notes. The ... keep reading »
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IBM Is DiversityInc’s Top Company for Disabilities

May 5, 2009 | by

DiversityInc revealed its annual Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities list, with IBM again topping the charts. IBM Corp., who was also 2008′s winner, “has been at the forefront of hiring, retaining and promoting employees with disabilities and is expanding its efforts globally. It also has been the most outspoken opponent of genetic testing for employees and has been clear and vocal in its values-driven mission,” DiversityInc said. In second place is Ernst & Young; DiversityInc calls E&Y’s AccessAbilities employee-resource group “world-class.” The group’s members — two-thirds have disabilities — meet monthly through a conference call and have Abilities Champions who make sure disabilities-awareness messages and educational material are part of communications, meetings and events. Not to be outdone, Cisco Systems placed third for providing “excellent benefits for people with disabilities and for employees who are caring for people with disabilities, including an onsite health center, an onsite pharmacy, healthcare incentives, job ... keep reading »
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Brain Anatomy Could Point to Autism

May 5, 2009 | by

Autistic toddlers seem more likely to have a brain area linked with facial recognition and emotions, University of North Carolina researchers reported. This brain abnormality, known as an enlarged amygdala, appears to be tied to the ability to share attention and experiences with others, said the report, which was published in the May issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. The study comes on the heels of a report published online last week in the journal Nature that found that the inheritance of abnormal mutations of two common genes can raise the risk for developing autism. “[This study] adds clarification to a potential fundamental brain mechanism underlying social deficits in autism. It provides potential insights into how this behavior develops,” said lead researcher Dr. Joseph Piven, a professor of psychiatry. “We found enlargement of the amygdala in very young children with autism at 2 years of age, and followed up again at ... keep reading »
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A Textbook-Friendly Kindle for Students with Disabilities?

May 5, 2009 | by

Amazon plans to announce a new Kindle with a larger screen that will be ideal for reading college textbooks. It will reportedly have a 9.7 inch screen, but will text-to-speech be enabled for students with print disabilities, such as low vision or dyslexia? My guess is yes. In the educational arena, students with print disabilities are allowed to download audio and Braille textbooks for free under a copyright exemption law. But it involves signing up with a national registry and sometimes waiting weeks or months for the book to be made available. A textbook-friendly Kindle that has speech capabilities would eliminate this issue and make it easier for students to access the necessary books. But publishers would need to agree, and they haven’t been very friendly to the disabled in the last few months. Publishers recently asked Amazon to disable the text-to-speech function on its Kindle 2, saying an audio book is ... keep reading »
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Oscar Pistorius Debuts “Blade Runner” Autobiography

May 5, 2009 | by

The Sunday Times of South Africa reviewed Oscar Pistorius’ new autobiography, “Blade Runner”, due to be released this week. The Paralympic sprint champion was fitted with prosthetic legs when he was just shy of two years old, but was able to participate in contact sports like cricket and rugby. When he was 16, however, a bad rugby tackle — known as a “hospital pass” — left him with a severe injury, compelling him to spend time away from contact sports. So he took up running. “When I started [running] for my rugby rehabilitation, I thought, Geez, this is terrible,” Pistorius told the Sunday Times. “Lo and behold, months later I was running at the South African Championships for disabled athletes, and eight months later [in 2004] I was in Athens.” He took gold in the 200-meter race in Athens, ahead of Marlon Shirley and then world champion Brian Frasure. According to ... keep reading »
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