My Paralympic Blues
During the 12 days of the Paralympic Games, it will seem that we have sprung directly from the technological imagination of the 21st century. Those iron feet! Those wheelchair athletes and their superbuff biceps! But after the medals are awarded we will retreat underground again — into normalcy, I guess, which is in fact a […]
This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22
Apple engineer Jordyn Castor has never been one for limitations. She was born 15 weeks early, weighing just under two pounds. Her grandfather could hold her in the palm of his hand, and could even slide his wedding ring along her arm and over her shoulder. Doctors said she had a slim chance of survival.
Children with autism give insight into their world view through Darwin photography exhibition
When Darwin tradesman Darren McCallum gave his nine-year-old daughter a $90 digital camera, its lens ended up focused on everything from the family staffy dog to their evening dinners.
Actors With Disabilities Are Ready, Willing and Able to Take More Roles
“Have you ever been hit?” a man named John asks his caregiver in “Cost of Living,” a new play by Martyna Majok. “That’s what it’s like,” he continues. “Like people hitting me from beneath my skin.”
‘Finding Dory’ isn’t just about disability — it’s about community and support
From its first line — “Hi, my name is Dory, and I suffer from short-term memory loss” — it’s clear that Pixar’s “Finding Dory” will deliver very pointed messages about disability and how society treats members of the disabled community. The film opens on a flashback. Dory is tiny, her voice making clear that she’s […]
Workers with Disabilities See Long-Delayed Improvement as Job Market Tightens
Workers on the margins of the labor pool often get a second look as the job market heats up. After years of steady job creation, are we now at that point in the business cycle? A new report from the Labor Department suggests the answer could be “yes.” For working-age persons with disabilities, rates of […]
Disability-inclusive development isn’t cheap, but exclusion has a higher price
At a parliamentary meeting on the case for disability-inclusive development three years ago, one MP playing devil’s advocate said: “Yes, but isn’t this all too costly?” Attitudes to disability inclusion may have moved on over the past few years, but concerns over its financial costs have not gone away.
BlindNewWorld Challenges Everything You Think You Know about Blindness
A new social change movement has been created to help dispel the misinformation surrounding the capabilities and limitations of those who are blind or have low vision, and to help sighted individuals learn how to interact with individuals with blindness or low vision.BlindNewWorld, sponsored by the Perkins School for the Blind, aims to improve inclusion […]
Autism Can Be An Asset In The Workplace, Employers And Workers Find
As the population of people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder keeps growing, so does the number of people with that diagnosis who aren’t finding employment. Though many young adults on the spectrum are considered high functioning, recent research shows 40 percent don’t find work — a higher jobless rate than people with other developmental disabilities […]
A Look Inside The Cerebral Palsy Foundation’s Design for Disability Runway Show
Fashion continues to be an industry of innovation and change, but when it comes to advancements in design for individuals with disabilities, things have remained relatively stagnant over the past few years. A quick Google image search for adaptive clothing is proof of how little has been done. Functional, sure, but most of the clothing […]