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Kevin Richardson Issue

ABILITY Magazine Cover Kevin Richardson issue

Bangladesh — Seeing In The Dark

Circa 2004 In Bangladesh people with disabilities are struggling for their rights. But an innovative exhibition has helped promote greater understanding and acceptance. Derek Thorne, who has been volunteering for a year in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, tells the story of Seeing in the Dark. I’m a volunteer from the United Kingdom working with … Read more

Volunteerism — Lord Of The Rings’ Sean Astin

Circa 2004 Recently more than 2,500 volunteer and national service leaders gathered in Kansas City for the National Conference on Community Volunteering and National Service. Together they hope to motivate more Americans to volunteer, and to make public service even more effective at meeting social needs in communities throughout the country. Convened by the Corporation … Read more

Picture-Perfect Kids — Celebrating Differences

Circa 2004 When Heidi Lewis’s son Taylor was born with arthrogryposis, a rare joint and muscle disease, his doctors predicted he might never walk, talk or see. But after a year of four-times-a-week therapy, Taylor was doing great, and Lewis wanted to celebrate his first birthday the way most proud moms do—by having her son’s … Read more

The Value Of PSAS — The Impact They Make

Circa 2004 How important are media images of people with disabilities? Very important, according to Gail Williamson, executive director of the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles (DSALA). She became aware of the impact of those images when the CBS drama Life Goes On began to air in 1989. She told her 10-year-old son Blair, … Read more

Colon Cancer — What Men and Women Should Know

Circa 2004 Colorectal Cancer (which includes cancers of the colon, rectum and appendix, as well as some anal cancers) is the second leading cancer killer in the United States annually, trailing only lung cancer. It is the third most diagnosed cancer in the U.S. and Canada (after lung and breast in women, and lung and … Read more

Kevin Richardson — Interview With A Backstreet Boy

Circa 2004 Actors of television and film, recording artists, sports figures, stars of reality television, all are thrust into the limelight. For some it is a fleeting 15 minutes, for others a lifetime. The ways they respond to the public’s attention are as varied as the performers themselves. It is no secret that America places … Read more

ABILITY House — Accessible Smart Home Technology

Circa 2004 For nearly 30 years Habitat for Humanity International has been dedicated to creating simple, decent and affordable housing. After the construction of more than 175,000 homes in 100 countries, there is no question that the tireless work of founders Millard and Linda Fuller has made a profound impact on the world. Now the … Read more

Discussion W/ Author — Rachel Simon

Circa 2004 ABILITY Magazine: What prompted you to write Riding the Bus with My Sister? Rachel Simon: I was writing commentary for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and one day I mentioned to an editor that I needed to visit my sister Beth for the holidays but couldn’t figure out how to work around her bus schedule. … Read more

Riding The Bus With My Sister — Book Excerpt

Circa 2004 “Wake up,” my sister Beth says. “We won’t make the first bus.” At six a.m. on this winter morning, moonlight still bathes her apartment. She’s already dressed: grape-juice-colored t-shirt and pistachio shorts, with a purple Winnie the Pooh backpack slung over her shoulder. I struggle awake and into my teacher-and-writer-off-for-a-day clothes: black sweater, … Read more

ODEP — Q & A On Customized Employment

Circa 2004 The 21st Century workplace cannot be thought of in the same terms as that of the preceding century. The global economy is creating jobs that can’t be accomplished under the old 9-to-5 model or don’t necessarily need to be performed on-site. Workers are also demanding more autonomy, freedom and customization of the terms … Read more

Western Law Center — Annual Awards Gala

Circa 2004 Vision, passion, and commitment to advancing disability rights are on full display each fall during the Annual Awards Dinner and Gala held to support the Western Law Center for Disability Rights (WLCDR). The event is a time to pay special tribute to leaders in the disability community and highlight the Western Law Center’s … Read more

Marilyn Bartlett — Lawyer V. New York Bar

Circa 2004 Marilyn Bartlett was a senior in college when she made a life-changing discovery—her performance struggles in school had been caused by dyslexia. She could not imagine then that her new understanding would lead her two decades later to an 11-year battle with the New York Board of Law Examiners, and that her victory … Read more