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Latest news and stories
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Exercise for Every Body: Maximize Your Potential
By Kristin McNealus, PT, DPT, ATP, SCI Total Fitness Over the past few years, our country has become more and more unhealthy. This has caused a shift in the need for more preventative medicine and a focus on wellness. This couldn’t be more true for people with disabilities! Here’s some good news—exercise is the best…
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New Mobile App Provides 411 on Accessibility
By AXS Lab AXS Map (‘access map’) is a crowd‐sourced tool for sharing reviews on the wheelchair accessibility of businesses, restaurants, entertainment centers, and other day-to-day destinations available online or via mobile web, as well as Android and iPhone applications. For some it may be surprising to learn that as many as nine out of ten businesses on a…
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Nutritional Issues and Special Needs Children
By Claire Capaldi If you are a parent to a special needs child and you’re all revved up to attend an upcoming Abilities Expo near you, then you’re probably ready to discover how findings of the latest research can make a big change in your child’s quality of life. One area in which you are perhaps hoping…
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Product Spotlight: Tobii EyeMobile & I-Series
Tobii ATI, a leader in AAC and assistive technology devices and solutions, has kicked it up a notch. We’ve watched eagerly in recent years as they applied their eye-gaze technology to laptops and video games. But, now—virtual drum roll, please—we see the debut of the Tobii EyeMobile, uber-cool tech that gives you eye-only control of your Windows 8 tablet.…
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People Making a Difference: Andrew Skinner and Triumph Foundation
People Making a Difference: Andrew Skinner and Triumph Foundation Christmas, 2004 was supposed to be the pinnacle celebration to an exceptional year for Andrew Skinner. That year, he had met Kirsten, the girl of his dreams, graduated with his BS in Business, and landed a well-paying job. Life was good. But… Instead of celebrating around the sparkling…
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Taking Control of Your Travel Experience
By Debra Kerper, Easy Access Travel/Cruise Planners Franchise Traveling always has the potential of being a frustrating, stressful situation as it encompasses many variables and unknowns. Add to this mix traveling with a disability and it can appear to be somewhat daunting. I am here to tell you that this need not be the case…
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Angela Madsen vs. the Pacific Ocean
By Angela Madsen, Paralympian and Guinness World Record Holder for Rowing I am often asked, “Aren’t you afraid” and “Do you have fears about whether you will be able to make such a journey?” YOU BET! I have fears and doubts every time I set out to row an ocean. The prospect of rowing for…
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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…
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Criptaedo Inspires Confidence and Independence
By Paul Brailer, Criptaedo My name is Paul Brailer. I am a black-belt from the Art of Karate in Barberton, Ohio and the creator of Criptaedo, a new martial art designed to educate the community of people with disabilities on self-defense and fitness. I haven’t always had high self-esteem and confidence. Being born with spina-bifida, growing…
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Making a Difference: Annie Hopkins’ Story and Vision for the World
By Chris Rohan, Abilities Expo Ambassador and Former Publisher of Disabled Dealer Magazine Annie Marie Hopkins took the world by storm during her short stay on earth. She made her presence felt when she was here, and her legacy and vision—embodied in her company 3E Love—continue to touch many lives throughout the world. What Annie may have…
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The Life and Times of Chris Rohan
What do you do when your whole life changes in an instant? How do you cope? What about your sense of self when everything is changing? Where can you turn? Ask Chris Rohan. She knows, because it has happened to her again and again. Just look; she has the stubborn grin to prove it. “I…
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Blindness and Cerebral Palsy Can’t Keep Teenaged Filmmaker from her Hollywood Dream
Fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Harrington has a vision. Born with anophthalmia—without eyes—her vision does not depend on her ability to see. It is not hindered by her cerebral palsy or her eye prosthetics. Instead, this vision is what drives her to fulfill her Hollywood dreams and what caught the attention of award-winning independent filmmaker Tim Greene. Elizabeth’s current film project,…