‘Access+Ability’ exhibit showcases designs for, and by, those with disabilities | CNN
Eye-catching objects designed for, and by, people with physical and other disabilities are the focus of the current “Access+Ability” exhibition in New York. More than 70 exhibits, including colorful prosthetic leg covers and jeweled earrings that are also hearing aids, are featured as examples of “inclusive design” at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.
“There has been a surge of design with and by people with a wide range of physical, cognitive, and sensory abilities,” according to the museum’s website.
Older Americans are experiencing “delayed aging” — and better health | USC News
Americans may be aging more slowly than they were two decades ago. U.S. life expectancy has lengthened significantly for the last 60 years. But at least part of the gains in life expectancy may be due to a change in the rate of biological aging, rather than simply keeping very sick people alive for longer, according to a study by USC and Yale University researchers.
Hawking: Did he change views on disability? | BBC News
His life was a juxtaposition of sparkling intellect and failing body. Prof Hawking was diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease when he was 22. The nerves that controlled his muscles were failing and he became trapped in his body, but his mind was still free. He reached the height of his field while being a wheelchair user and communicating through a synthetic voice. So did he change society’s perceptions of disability?
Hawking won the world’s respect – and gave disabled people like me hope | The Guardian
Growing up disabled, I had few role models. But this brilliant, witty scientist helped shift the negative stereotypes many face. Growing up disabled in Britain, I didn’t have many role models. There are hardly any statues of disabled leaders, no great lives with chronic disability documented in the history books. As a child, it’s easy to believe that disabled people have never really existed, and that when they did, it was as cripples to be pitied or burdens on society. In Hawking, we had a figure – brilliant, witty, kind – who confounded the negative stereotypes and the low expectations so often forced on those of us with a disability.
Projections Show An Aging U.S. Population | NPR
Older people will outnumber children for the first time in U.S. history by 2035, according to new projections by the Census Bureau. Aging baby boomers are one of the main drivers of this trend.
How Exercise Can Keep Aging Muscles and Immune Systems ‘Young’ | New York Times
Remaining physically active as we grow older could help to keep our muscles and immune systems robust, according to two inspiring new studies of older recreational cyclists.
Together, the experiments add to growing evidence that some of our assumptions about aging may be outdated and we might have more control over the process than we think.
U.S. Attorney Berman sues MTA for disability violation | City State NY
Geoffrey S. Berman, President Donald Trump’s recently-appointed United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, defied expectations that he will hew to his boss’s anti-civil rights agenda, filing suit on Tuesday against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for allegedly violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.
For Aspiring Doctors With Disabilities, Many Medical Schools Come Up Short | NPR
Being a medical student or resident is hard enough, but what if you have a disability that adds to the challenge? One medical resident with a physical disability was about a year and a half into training when the medical institution finally installed an automatic door he needed. Another student faced frustrations when arranging accommodations for taking tests, with it seeming like the medical school was “making up rules along the way.” When another resident with a disability first sought support, the disability representative was allegedly unfamiliar with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Ethiopian Disability Rights Advocate Champions Opportunities for Women | Voice of America
Yetnebersh Nigussie had opportunities other girls in rural Ethiopia can only dream of. Unlike her peers growing up in Wollo province, Nigussie wasn’t married off as a young girl or forced to work at home. Instead, she devoted herself to learning. Nigussie moved to the capital, Addis Ababa, and pursued an education, eventually earning a law degree and founding the Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development, a group that advocates for the rights of disabled people in her home country.
10 Ways to ‘Reach Out’ When You’re Struggling with your Mental Health | Let’s Queer Things Up
I’m a mental health writer and advocate, and a suicide attempt survivor. I’ve told people on this blog many times, “Keep reaching out.” I’ve written multiple articles preaching the importance of vulnerability, defying stigma, and owning your struggles. This is my whole thing, okay? This is what I do. So when one of my closest friends died by suicide a few weeks ago, I wasn’t just shocked — I was completely gutted. I thought there was never a question of whether or not my loved ones could reach out to me. But the very person who I’d talked to so often about mental health… didn’t call me. Not even to say goodbye.
What having a stroke at 32 taught me about the American healthcare system | Insider
I suffered a rare stroke at the age of 32. I consider myself fortunate: I was surrounded by informed advocates who could care for me and help me navigate the healthcare system.
It gave me a new — and terrifying — perspective on the American healthcare system and the situation that most Americans find themselves in when faced with a medical emergency.
Cutting Edge: Robot designed to make aging easier | WCVB
Meet Frasier, a robot being taught to help people who are elderly or disabled live a full life in their own home.
Classical Sculptures Raise Prosthetic Limbs for Disability Rights | Hyperallergic
The nonprofit Handicap International outfitted the Venus de Milo and other statues with 3D-printed prosthetic limbs to raise awareness of the global need for prosthetics.
Q&A: Judy Heumann on how donors can drive disability-inclusive development | Devex
The needs and challenges around making development programs work for people with disabilities has gained prominence over the last 10 years, most recently after it was taken up by United Kingdom aid boss Penny Mordaunt as one of her core focus areas. Approximately 15 percent of the world’s population has some kind of disability. But despite increased focus on disability rights, as shown by their explicit inclusion in the Sustainable Development Agenda, experts say that many people with disabilities, especially women, remain locked out of services, trapping them in a cycle of poverty and vulnerability.
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