Current Events
When the groundbreaking Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1991, civil rights activist Justin Dart, Jr. said, “It is the world’s first declaration of equality for people with disabilities by any nation. It will proclaim to America and to the world that people with disabilities are fully human; that paternalistic, discriminatory, segregationist attitudes are no longer acceptable; and that henceforth people with disabilities must be accorded the same personal respect and the same social and economic opportunities as other people.”
Sign up for the Buzz
Get disability news and information delivered to your inbox.
Latest news and stories
-
Can Therapeutic Cannabis Benefit People with Disabilities?
By Thalia Michelle, MAMMA (Mothers Advocating Medical Marijuana for Autism) In August of 2013, CNN aired Sanjay Gupta’s revolutionary documentary “Weed.” Suddenly, the world was made aware of lives being saved by the therapeutic and potentially curative properties of the cannabis plant. The documentary chronicled the journey of the Figi family and their young daughter, Charlotte. Charlotte…
-
Overreaching Medicare Proposal Mobilizes Amputee Community
By Kim Lan Grout, Redefining Disabled Lower limb amputees across the country have had a unique, dramatic and, for some, traumatic summer. On July 16, 2015, Medicare Audit Contractors released a new proposal to the Medicare Local Coverage Determination (LCD) Proposal: Lower Limb Prostheses (DL33787) that would eliminate and/or stringently limit benefits for prosthetic devices. It…
-
Debunking Nutrition Myths
By Tracy Williams, www.tracysplate.com Most Americans have probably heard the new term “fake news,” especially since social media has risen in popularity as a news source. Fake news is truly not a new term, especially in the specialty area of health and wellness. If news outlets do not have writers and editors to help research medical…
-
Raising Your Voice for a Better Medicare
By Lisa Wells, Wheel-Life.org Have you struggled to get the wheelchair repairs you need? Or found it nearly impossible to have the diabetic supplies you were prescribed (instead of another brand) delivered through Medicare’s national mail order program? Unfortunately, you’re not alone. Medicare reform mistakes are hurting millions of people nationwide who depend on medical…
-
Paralympian Advocates for Wheelchair Users and Amputees via SaveMyMedicalSupplies.org
By Lisa Wells, SaveMyMedicalSupplies.org As a recent amputee, Thomas Morris discovered a whole new world when he attended his first Abilities Expo three years ago. Today, he’s returning to the Expo as an ambassador and care advocate for a new program—www.SaveMyMedicalSupplies.org—that aims to help Medicare beneficiaries in receiving necessary medical equipment, supplies and repairs. “I’m…
-
A Broken System Makes It Hard to Get the Right Wheelchair
By Ann Eubank, UsersFirst I attend every Abilities Expo because it is the number one expo for people with disabilities and people who love people with disabilities. They have everything there: accessible vans and cars, the latest styles of wheelchairs, very cool accessories and lots of non-profit organizations offering advice and connection. If you can…
-
Fighting Against Gravity for the Law
By Mike Ervin, Abilities Expo Ambassador Former Abilities Expo Chicago ambassador Linda Mastandrea always liked the idea of becoming a judge someday. But she hated the idea of doing what must be done to run a successful campaign to be elected to a seat on the bench. But when a vacancy occurred last summer in the 9th…
-
Sitting Ground for Disability Rights Against Medicaid Cuts
By Stephanie Woodward, Center for Disability Rights I was arrested four times in five weeks because I refused to sit quietly when the lives and liberty of Americans with disabilities are at risk. I am used to strangers stopping me in public to compliment me on my brightly colored wheelchairs; I am not used to…
-
Best and Worst Places to Live for People with Disabilities
Congrats to the Heartland of America! According to an analysis by consumer finance website WalletHub, Overland Park, Kansas tops the chart as the best place to live for the disability community. The cities of Scottsdale and Peoria, Arizona and Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida rounded out the Top Five. But how does your hometown stack…
-
Cannabis Facts: THC, CBD and the Cannabinoids
By Lex Pelger, Bluebird Botanicals Here at Bluebird Botanicals, we loved getting the opportunity to engage with the Abilities community. Two of our bluebirds, Allie and Katie, recently attended the expo in Chicago and fell in love. With everybody being so warm and open, they said it didn’t feel like a work trip but more like coming…
-
Abilities Expo and Wheel:Life Join Forces for the Community
Wheel:Life—a global initiative that assists people in addressing the many challenges and questions that come with using a wheelchair—is hitting 2015 running with a relaunched website and propitious new organizational partnership with Abilities Expo. “With our virtual audience spanning the globe, we wanted to do more to help introduce our members who use wheelchairs to lifestyle-enhancing…
-
Finding Expo as Child Shapes a Life and Career
By Scott Stone The Abilities Expo has been around for four decades, providing services and solutions to the disability community in an effort to build independence and open eyes to even greater possibilities. While many attendees visit with the intention to purchase equipment and receive education, others are inspired to find their purpose and passions…