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Latest news and stories
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Tips to Make Fitness a Part of Your Life
By Carolyn Mueller and Austin Bruhl, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago World-class wheelchair athlete, James Lilly, didn’t take ‘no’ for an answer when gang violence left him paralyzed at the age of 15. His perception of his own disability began to change, as he realized that his struggles and frustrations were experienced by others. He set…
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Independence through Sports
By Sheila Radziewicz Take a moment and think about your view of sports. Many of us give little though to the impact of sports in our lives. Most of us have been involved with sports in some way, either in gym class or in a team sport or as an adult professionally as a job.…
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Kicking Coach Doug Blevins Creates Champions from his Chair
By Mike Ervin, Chicago Abilities Expo Ambassador Doug Blevins was only four years old on New Year’s Eve, 1967, when the Green Bay Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys in the final seconds of the National Football League championship game. That legendary game has come to be known as the Ice Bowl because it was played…
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Martial Arts Therapy: Helping Children Take an Active Role in Their Own Healing and Rehabilitation
By Rabbi Sensei Gary Moskowitz, Martial Arts Therapy The more we move forward in time with breakthroughs in technology, the more we need to understand how to use and build on ancient wisdom as well. The Indian and Oriental cultures have contributed much to healthy living, rehabilitation and pain management. Martial Arts Therapy (MAT) utilizes this wisdom…
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Team USA Wins Back-to-Back World Championship
In early November, all the eyes of the power soccer world were on Paris, France as the Halle Carpentier hosted the 2011 Federation International Power Football Association (FIPFA) World Cup. Team USA was primed and ready to defend their world championship against worthy opponents from nine other countries. In an exciting final match-up against England, Team…
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Embracing the Zen with Adaptive Yoga
It seemed to happen overnight, constantly running into fellow co-eds on my University of San Francisco campus who were either a hot sweaty mess or all Zen’d out or both. Only about a year after my above-the-knee amputation, I considered myself very active and was ever eager to find new sports and movements I could…
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Is Our Addiction Policy Needlessly Killing People?
By Mel Raymond, Health writer Within the disability community, we are no strangers to the idea that our health services and government do not always have entirely the right idea when it comes to those in need. For reasons of private profit, misplaced ethics, or simple ignorance, those with disabilities or chronic diseases frequently experience…
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Does Advocacy Really Make a Difference?
By Mickae Lee, National Coalition for Assistive and Rehab Technology (NCART) All advocacy action begins not just with acknowledging that change is needed, but also believing that change is possible. In the world of Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) we know without a doubt that access to innovative technology for individuals with disabilities is an ever-growing…
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Flying the Friendly Skies with a Disability
By Autumn Grant, Abilities Expo Ambassador Traveling for pleasure can be one of life’s most rewarding experiences. Sure, a mobility disability can often add a layer of complexity to this endeavor, but nothing insurmountable. A little planning on your part goes a long way towards making your adventure an enjoyable one. Often the most challenging…
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Use-Now Pointers to Ensure Smooth Air Travel
By Tabassum Chagani, Travel for All I’ve flown all over the world, and it just so happens that I travel in a wheelchair. Air travel can be uncomfortable for many people—with or without a wheelchair, but maybe my tips can help! Be Prepared with an Air Travel Routine I like to arrive at the airport 90…
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Popular Houston Festival to Fund Accessible Playground
By Elyssa Horvath, Friends of Oak Forest Park The Festival of Abilities at Oak Forest Park on Saturday, October 27, from 3-7 pm benefits a landmark Playground for All Abilities, planned as part of the Oak Forest Park Revitalization. It will be the first accessible playground in Houston’s central northwest area stretching from the Heights…
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Amputee Soccer? Amputee Soccer Absolutely!
It’s the fastest one-legged game on the planet—now played in 47 countries around the world. And Team USA is training to compete in the 2018 Amputee Soccer World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico this fall. And please don’t make the mistake of dismissing the game as “disability” soccer. It’s fast, it’s physical and it’s highly competitive.…