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Latest news and stories
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Worse-Than-Expected Cuts to Complex Wheelchair Accessories Set for January 1st
By Don Clayback, NCART On November 23, 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) published the 2016 Medicare fee schedule. As feared, the new payment rates include major reductions (as high as 30% to 40% or more) to critical components used with Complex Rehab wheelchairs. But there is still time to act! Complex Rehab wheelchairs and…
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Four-legged Visitors Delight Children in Pediatric Unit
Two minis walk into a hospital. The first one says to the other, I’m feeling a little hoarse. Sure, it sounds like the opener for a corny kid joke, but it really did happen at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. (The part about the hospital visit, not the talking.) It seems that more…
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Keeping Mobile with MS
By Jennifer French, Neurotech Network “It just isn’t fair,” she thought, looking up at her children. Dawn Gast was on a trip in downtown Chicago with the three youngest of her seven children. While crossing busy Michigan Avenue, she tripped in the middle of the street and was bleeding with her children aged 5, 7…
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Create Mock Stain Glass at Abilities Expo Chicago
By Mike Ervin, Abilities Expo Ambassador Samantha Feigenbaum specializes in what she calls “make and take” art projects. You make it and then you take it home. She also refers to it as recycled art since she incorporates into the artwork something that has been discarded and is not intended to be an art material.…
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New Must-Read Kid’s Book Explores a Girl’s Adventures on Daddy’s Chair
By Glen Dick In this new children’s book, We Can Go Anywhere, My Adventures on Daddy’s Chair, love and imagination transform a wheelchair into a source of adventure and freedom for a father and his daughter. Insightful Book Sparks Discussion about Disabilities, Possibilities and Acceptance In 2009, 15 years after suffering a spinal cord injury at…
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How Can You Help Your Tube Fed Child Learn to Eat?
By Dr. Margueritte Dunitz-Scheer, NoTube Eating School As a senior pediatrician and developmental child psychotherapist, my expertise and passion in my professional life are helping children who have been tube fed since birth or for most of their lives to earn to eat. I love observing the diversity of tastes and textures of foods in various…
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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…
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Making Sky-wide Smiles on the Slopes
Millions of smiles each snowy winter season happen because of one main reason: 8,195 hours of volunteer time. That’s the number of adaptive teaching hours Ontario Track 3 Ski Association delivers every alpine season to enable kids of all abilities to experience the magic of snow sports. Behind each of those hours is a dedicated volunteer ski…
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5 Home Organization Tips to Accommodate Someone with Visual Impairment
By Paul Denikin One of the best ways to prepare your home to accommodate someone with visual impairment is to improve your organization. By having a place for everything and remaining consistent with your organization, you will make it easier for your loved one with low or no vision to know where things are so…
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Para-golf in the Paralympics—WHY NOT?!?
By Edmund Q. Sylvester, United States Adaptive Golf Alliance (USAGA) The vision of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is, “To enable Para athletes to achieve sporting excellence and inspire and excite the World.” The World Disabled Golf Championship—hosted by the United States Adaptive Golf Alliance (USAGA) in Portland, Oregon on August 15-18, 2016—did just that. After more…
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Gateway to Gold: Your Path to the Podium
By Cindy Berkman, Harris County-Houston Sports Authority Do you have what it takes to be a future U.S. Paralympic medalist? Here’s your chance to find out. Athletes with physical and visual disabilities can test their skills in two sporting events tailored to introduce participants to adaptive sports and to identify the next generation of U.S. Paralympic…
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20 Things Every Parent of Kids with Special Needs Should Hear
By Dr. Darla Clayton, PsyD, The Mobility Resource 1) You are not alone.There may not be anyone else with the same constellation of symptoms as your child but there are people with similar challenges. Find those people. I have never met anyone with all of these same challenges as my kid but I have a strong network within…