The National Institutes of Health is trying to kickstart autism research with $60 million in grant funding from the stimulus bill. It is the largest-ever funding opportunity for research into the neuro-developmental disorder, says the NIMH, the NIH’s mental-health arm.
The CDC estimates that autism now strikes 1 in 150 U.S. children, and the epidemic spurred the government to put out a research plan in January.
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Disability employment is the highest barrier separating people with disabilities from their fellow Americans. More than 79% of the two-thirds of people with disabilities who are not working want to be employed, according to a survey by Lou Harris polling.
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In a case with potential financial repercussions for school districts and families alike, the United States Supreme Court will soon decide when public schools must reimburse parents of special-education students for private-school tuition.
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MICHIGAN CITY – People with disabilities deserve to have a voice.
Anyone who attended Friday’s joint meeting of the Indiana Council on Independent Living and Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services heard that message clearly – and sometimes loudly.
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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reports a dramatic rise in hate crimes in the state last year. Crimes against people with disabilities rose 88 percent to 42 total offenses, as the total number of hate crimes in the state rose 38 percent to 515 in 2008.
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Newly developed software is helping kids like JW Clark (left) communicate through an Apple iPhone or iPod Touch. JW has autism and does not speak.
JW uses Proloquo2Go, a downloadable application that lets him touch icons to voice basic comments or questions through the device’s tiny speakers. Apple touts another handful of communications applications on iTunes, including one that offers sign language assistance.
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For a long time, Chuck P. didn’t know what was wrong with him. A former customer service representative at Wal-Mart in Bowling Green, Kentucky, he sometimes lashed out at coworkers and shoppers. Eventually, he attended anger management classes only to learn that his problem wasn’t anger at all. His therapist helped him identify that he was depressed—and that his irritability was a product of a biochemically-based brain disorder.
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