ProPublica experiments with ultra-accessible plain language in stories about people with disabilities | Nieman Lab
For an investigation into denied disability benefits in Arizona and an accompanying editor’s note, ProPublica is experimenting with plain language — a type of text that uses common words, short sentences, and clear structure to make information more accessible to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Scientists successfully reverse human aging process in breakthrough study | New York Post
The fountain of youth may be made of air, not water. Scientists say they’ve successfully reversed the aging process of elderly people through “oxygen therapy” in a first-of-its-kind study. Researchers from Tel Aviv University used hyperbaric oxygen chambers to target specific cells and DNA linked to shorter lifespans — and found the “Holy Grail” of staying young, according to a press release about the discovery.
Reports of two promising covid-19 vaccines don’t mean we ‘magically,’ quickly return to normal | The Washington Post
For many Americans chafing to return to normalcy, recent reports that at least two experimental covid-19 vaccines are highly effective come as welcome news in the midst of a frightening surge of infections and deaths. The first shots may be given in mid- to late December, but that doesn’t mean you can hug your friends, stop washing your hands or throw away your mask any time soon.
Older people who want an early Covid-19 vaccine might not get one as quickly as they’d like | CNBC
Older Americans eager to get vaccinated against Covid-19 may need to exercise some patience.
While Medicare — which insures much of the 65-and-older crowd — recently changed its rules so it can fully cover a fast-tracked vaccine, the availability of doses will be initially limited. And, individual states are tasked with actually distributing the vaccine and identifying priority populations to innoculate.
Anthem sees telehealth use spike 136x for Medicare Advantage members due to COVID-19 | Fierce Healthcare
Virtual care use among Anthem’s Medicare Advantage members was 136 times greater in the early months of the pandemic compared to pre-COVID-19 levels, a new report from the insurer shows.
My son’s learning disability means he’s more likely to die of Covid – the inequality fills me with panic | I News (UK)
Are people with a learning disability seen as expendable? This is the question I have asked myself throughout the Covid crisis as I have seen people with a learning disability like my son, Bradley, be forgotten time and time again. Now a new report from Public Health England shows just how bad it is. The Covid death rate of people with a learning disability is three to four times the rate in the general population – this soared to six times as high if you compare deaths of people of the same age and sex in the general population. And people are also dying younger – those aged 18 to 34 with a learning disability were 30 times more likely to die from Covid than others their age.
The Last Children of Down Syndrome | The Atantic
Prenatal testing is changing who gets born and who doesn’t. This is just the beginning.
Sometimes the caller is a pregnant woman, deciding whether to have an abortion. Sometimes a husband and wife are on the line, the two of them in agonizing disagreement. Once, Fält-Hansen remembers, it was a couple who had waited for their prenatal screening to come back normal before announcing the pregnancy to friends and family. “We wanted to wait,” they’d told their loved ones, “because if it had Down syndrome, we would have had an abortion.” They called Fält-Hansen after their daughter was born—with slanted eyes, a flattened nose, and, most unmistakable, the extra copy of chromosome 21 that defines Down syndrome. They were afraid their friends and family would now think they didn’t love their daughter—so heavy are the moral judgments that accompany wanting or not wanting to bring a child with a disability into the world.
Disability Organization Takes Virtual Event Access to Next Level \ PR Newswire
Access Living, a leading disability rights and service organization, will celebrate its 40th anniversary Wednesday, November 18, with a free online broadcast open to all, designed to be an immersive lesson in accessibility for its entire audience.
Who Had the Best National Anthem Performance of 2020? Vote! | Billboard
Various performances of the national anthem in 2020 fulfilled artists’ childhood dreams, signaled their medical recoveries and emphasized their missions to support Black lives.
Sending you Best Wishes for a Restful and Happy Thanksgiving!
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