Teen lands venture capital for accessibility device (Disability Scoop, Nov. 14)
One school science fair victory, a few national accolades, $35,000 of his parents’ savings and a visit to the White House later, seventh-grader Shubham Banerjee today is the founder of Palo Alto startup Braigo Labs, which aims to become the first purveyor of low-cost, compact Braille printers.
Lawmakers probe care for mentally ill inmates (New York WHEC.com, Nov. 13)
The head of the troubled New York City jail system said Thursday it’s critical to send mentally ill inmates to treatment programs instead of a lockup.
Affordable Care Act enrollment sign-up guide (The Washington Post, Nov. 13)
Here’s what you need to know about the Affordable Care Act’s second enrollment period, which started Saturday, November 15.
Schools must offer communication supports, Feds say (Disability Scoop, Nov. 13)
In guidance issued Wednesday, federal officials said the nation’s public schools have obligations under three separate laws to “ensure that communication with students with hearing, vision and speech disabilities is as effective as communication with all other students.”
Robotic legs for the disabled (The Wall Street Journal, Nov. 11)
Parker Hannifin, a nearly century-old manufacturer that supplies parts to Caterpillar Inc. and Boeing Co., pushes into medical devices, but can it get the FDA and insurers to back its invention?
Off the Charts blog: States can stand up for veterans by expanding Medicaid (Nov. 10, Center of Budget and Policy Priorities)
Roughly 215,000 veterans in 23 states are uninsured and denied Medicaid because their state has refused to take up health reform’s Medicaid expansion. Half of them live in five states: 36,000 in Texas, 32,000 in Florida, 20,000 in Georgia, 17,000 in North Carolina, and 12,000 in Tennessee.
The Eye blog: A typeface designed to help dyslexics read (Slate, Nov. 10)
Designed to make reading clearer and more enjoyable for people with dyslexia, Dyslexie uses heavy base lines, alternating stick and tail lengths, larger openings, and semicursive slants to ensure that each character has a unique and more easily recognizable form.
Jerry Seinfeld to Brian Williams: ‘I think I’m on the spectrum’ (NBC News, Nov. 6)
In a revealing conversation, Jerry Seinfeld tells Brian Williams he’s observed in himself behavior that makes him think he may have autism. (Video included in link.)
HRSA awards $51.3 million in Affordable Care Act funding to support mental health and substance use treatment services (HRSA, Nov. 6)
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced Thursday that it has awarded $51.3 million to 210 health centers in 47 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico for behavioral health services. The money can be used to hire mental health professionals and implement integrated models of primary care. Earlier this year, HHS awarded $54.5 million to 223 other health centers for the same purpose.
A wearable gadget implanted in your hand isn’t as freaky as you’d think (Wired, Oct. 20)
There’s new evidence that the next wave of wearables won’t be gadgets you strap on a wrist or tuck behind your ears. Instead, they’ll be tiny digital tattoos decked out with even tinier sensors, like this one by New Deal Design. They’re calling it UnderSkin, and it’s a flat pentagonal device that would be implanted just beneath the skin on your hand and charge off your body’s energy.