When I was a little girl, I don’t remember having a firm concept of God, specifically. Yet I do remember having a very clear idea of what heaven would be like. I believed that heaven would be just this: a place where I could talk freely with my brother. It would be a place ... Read more
Amy Brenneman Issue
Leveling the UAE Playing Field
About 20 percent of United Arab Emirates (UAE) nationals living in Dubai report having disabilities and more women are affected than men by about five percent, according to a 2012 study by the Dubai Health Authority. The UAE is a country made up of seven emirates (including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, its capital) and ... Read more
Scotty Enyart — PhD the Hard Way
I’m a few months away from attaining the highest degree in academia, the culmination of an 11-year journey. I’ve spent six years earning a bachelor’s in psychology; two pursuing a master’s in social work; and another three getting a PhD in international psychology, which focuses on multicultural research and practice. That time doesn’t include ... Read more
Anaphylaxis or Anaphylactic Shock…
is a type of allergic reaction where the immune system has a severe, potentially fatal reaction to otherwise harmless substances from the environment. The reaction begins within minutes or even seconds of exposure, can quickly lead to airway constriction, skin and intestinal irritation, and a change in heart rhythm. In severe cases, it can ... Read more
DRLC — Federal Wellness Programs
From First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign, to personalized medicine research, to workplace wellness programs, there is a growing trend in our society to focus on preventing illness. In fact, in 2011, the Surgeon General issued the nation’s first National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), ... Read more
Tony Spineto — You Say Club Foot, I Say Marathon
Tony Spineto’s body pulsated with pain. He only had 100 more yards to go in the final stretch of the Ironman Arizona competition, but it felt like 100 miles. He gave it everything he had because after five months of training, there was no way he could come up short. “As I turned into ... Read more
A Tail of Two Kitties
The year was 492 BC and Zotikus had just arrived in Athens to study under the astute philosopher Euripides, so named because as a ticket-handler, theatergoers handed him their tickets and said, “you rip a these.” While Plato and Aristotle had stressed the mind and the body, individuality and happiness, Euripides was less conventional. ... Read more
Spring Into Action
It’s that time of year again, the vernal equinox, when night and day are nearly the same length. In Latin, ver means “spring” and equinox means “equal night.” And while there’s a fall equinox, only in spring does the sun cross the equator moving northward, on the up, you might say. This time of ... Read more
Riding the MS Trail
I never claimed to take the easier, shorter, or most traveled road. As a matter of fact, I usually take the path where everyone warns me, “You can’t get there from here!” Pursuing uncharted paths can be rewarding, but it can also whack you in the knees, throw you down and steal your breath ... Read more
Making the Move
My big move. I just started a new adventure. I moved from my home in St. Augustine, Florida, to California. I travel back and forth so much because most of the motocross industry is in Southern California and most of my friends are here, too, so I decided it was time to head west. ... Read more
Kendall Hollinger — Allergies
Kendall Hollinger is a triple threat: ice skater, singer and spiritual warrior. At 16 she glides across the ice with a winning smile and plenty of tricks up her sleeves—all honed over the 11 years she’s made the rink her second home. Neither a broken bone, nor a rump-chilling fall fazes this California girl, ... Read more
China — A Family’s Story of Strength
In a family photograph, four people affectionately hold each other. The eldest man, Zhu Bangyue, needs the support of a cane as he stands behind three people with disabilities. To look better in the photo, he wears new clothes. He smiles wearily, while the other faces are expressionless. This picture only hints at the ... Read more
HE Fahed Bin Al Shaikh — Autism in the UAE
As the United Arab Emirates (UAE) gear up for a big 2013 conference on disability, His Excellency Fahed Bin Al Shaikh of Dubai works to raise awareness about autism in his part of the world. He and ABILITY’s Chet Cooper recently spoke via Skype. Chet Cooper: How did you start working within the autism ... Read more
Amy Brenneman — Chiming In
Amy Brenneman is best known for her TV roles on Private Practice, NYPD Blue and Judging Amy, which was based on her real life mother, who was a state superior court judge in Connecticut. As the wife and mom of two, daughter, Charlotte, and son, Bodhi, Brenneman is heavily involved in ... Read more
CSUN — This is Your Future
Brand new to ABILITY Jobs, I was honored and excited—okay shaken—to be invited to my first California State University, Northridge (CSUN) Conference in San Diego. It was also my first major crowd scene since my sensorineural hearing loss about seven years ago. With a scant two days’ notice, I got pulled into the deep ... Read more
Charles Limb, MD — Jazzology & Your Brain
Charles Limb is a medical doctor whose lifelong love of music inspired his career choice. He plays dual roles as associate professor of otolaryngology—head & neck surgery—at John Hopkins and is also a faculty member of the Peabody Conservatory of Music. A talented saxophonist, he interweaves music and medicine through his innovative research into ... Read more
