The year was 1914 and T.J. Watson, the founder of IBM, hired the company’s first employee with a disability. He didn’t need the Americans with Disabilities Act-which became law in this country some 76 years later-to realize that it’s good business to evaluate potential employees on the basis of what they can do instead ... Read more
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Robert David Hall Issue
Senator Harkin – Disability Rights Abroad
DISABILITY RIGHTS ABROAD ABILITY Magazine has graciously invited me to write a regular column offering a perspective from Capitol Hill on current disability issues. Many of this magazine’s readers already know me from my work shepherding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) through Congress in 1990. In a career in the House and Senate ... Read more
Letter From The Editor- Million Dollar Baby
Circa 2005 Dear Readers. Recently there has been much buzz over the controversial story line of Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby, prompting me to rush to the theater before this issue hit the presses. If you haven’t seen the movie and don’t want to know elements of the plot, dog-ear this page and come ... Read more
Humor – Cell It Somewhere Else
There must be a lot of important people in the world. I know this because everyone has a cell phone. And isn’t that little device the symbol of importance? I guess when you’re out in public you always need to be doing something or you could easily be labeled a loser. Talking on the ... Read more
Headlines – MS, Alzheimer’s, Flu Benefit, Tsunami Relief
MS FDA APPROVES NEW DRUG Following the first year of two ongoing clinical trials. the FDA has approved natalizumab, also known by the brand name Tysabri and previously known as Antegren, to reduce the frequency of clinical relapses in relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The sixth drug approved by the FDA for MS, ... Read more
Music – The Blind Boys of Alabama
Formed some six and a half decades ago, The Blind Boys of Alabama are the Ironmen of the music industry. They predate Elvis, Little Richard and Al Green, yet even in their 70s they are still at the top of the gospel charts and have earned impressive three peat honors by winning consecutive Grammy ... Read more
Cancer Dance – The Journey of Cathy McClain Kaplan
When Cathy McClain Kaplan was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002, she saw an opportunity to educate and inspire others about her journey. During her year of treatments and recovery, she wrote weekly e mail updates to a community of family, friends and other breast cancer survivors (whom she calls her Bosom Buddies). Her ... Read more
Innovations – Balance Sport Wheelchair
From the time of the first Model Ts, automobile makers have developed cars to go faster and burn fuel more efficiently. Televisions progressed from black-and-white to color, and now continue to produce clearer pictures. The record player turned into an eight-track player, then a cassette deck, then a CD player, and then an MP3 ... Read more
Motor Vehicle Accidents – Frightening Statistics
Each year more than five million motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) are reported to law-enforcement officials, and over 100 billion dollars are spent to take care of damages caused by MVAS. According to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, MVAS are the leading cause of death for those aged 3 to 33 and the ... Read more
Book Section – Jun Q’Anil
After years of struggle with a variety of chronic health problems, in 1999 author and psychotherapist Jessica Nagler left her home in Los Angeles to travel to Central America on a quest for well ness. There she met a Mayan shaman who taught her the ways of the ancient Maya and assisted her with ... Read more
Religion & Spirituality – The Health Connection
Every Jewish Sabbath service includes reciting of the MiSheBerach, asking God to assist congregation members who are sick. Christians invoke God’s healing through prayer and fasting. Followers of Hinduism use meditation to heal time sickness, a state of discontent produced by rushing through life. Virtually every world religion has spiritual remedies to restore mental ... Read more
Robert David Hall – CSF’s Dr. Al Robbins
In a scene from CBS’ hit CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Robert David Hall’s character, medical examiner Al Robbins, MD, is interrupted as he jams to the radio and nails a complicated riff on his air guitar. His talent is natural, his guitar-a crutch. While many writers feel the need to center a part around ... Read more
Behavior – Based Interviewing -Identifying Ability
Why do many smart, successful professionals fear and dread the process of hiring? Why do some employers find themselves continually making mistakes in their hiring decisions? Research tells us that most of these mistakes involve the interview, where people often make snap decisions based on gut feeling, intuition, prejudices or hurry-up-and-fill this-job pressure. Another ... Read more
