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Marlee Matlin 2 Issue

Marlee Matlin ABILITY Magazine cover

Deaf Community – Vibrant And Strong

Circa 2006 Think of Marlee Matlin-hold her kindly face in your mind. Consider her enduring Hollywood career, her success, her de facto spokesperson role those years for millions with hearing loss. Imagine that she is past 20 standing in front of you. What of her do you notice; what of Marlee sets her apart? Those … Read more

Joe Montana -Tips On Blood Pressure Control

Circa 2006 As quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, Joe Montana guided his team to four Super Bowl championships in the 1980s, winning a place as one of the greatest football players who ever competed in the sport. An exemplar of grace and poise under pressure, Montana time and again led San Francisco to victory … Read more

Once Upon A Sign – Sign Language For Tots

Circa 2006 An eight-month-old infant clearly tells her mother she’s hungry and would like a banana. When she’s full, she lets her mother know. When her father comes home, she indicates a desire to play with her dolls, and a few hours later she signals she’s tired and wants to go to bed. This child … Read more

There Is Room At The Inn – Book Review

Circa 2006 Inns and bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) dot the United States, from standard New England cottages to scenic overlooks that keep watch over the West Coast. Whether these intimate hostels are suited in Victorian style or modern architecture, they evoke a single common perception among people with disabilities: inns and B&Bs are not accessible. … Read more

Shall We Overcome – A United Community

Circa 2006 Approximately 20 young people headed for the bus, A bags in hand, sunglasses in position and water bottles stowed. We were about to depart for an action-packed afternoon of getting-to-know-you activities, part of a youth-with-disabilities retreat that would kick off a larger conference. The day was perfect. Our surroundings made us feel as … Read more

Memoirs To Our Stars – Jane Wollman Rusoff

Circa 2006 I am tense, silent, walking hesitantly with my mother down the shabby hallway-dimly lit and creepy inhaling the oppressively musty odor of poverty. Four heels barely click on the broken flooring covered with washed-out, worn floral linoleum. We pass one door, two doors, then the tiny communal bathroom with its rickety pull-chain flush … Read more

Forgotten Children – UCP Report on Foster Care

Circa 2006 On a cold Christmas weekend in Wisconsin, Linda and Craig Campana were called upon to care for Timothy, a two-month-old baby boy born prematurely to a mother who was unable to care for him. As with many premature babies, his medical condition was precarious and his future unpredictable. At the hospital, the Campanas … Read more

Marlee Matlin – An Interview

Circa 2006 Marlee Matlin has received many important awards and has had many laurels bestowed upon her over the years, but here’s an honor that’s a little out of the norm: This year, she was named the godmother of a cruise ship-specifically, the Ms Noordam, the newest luxury vessel in the Holland America cruise line. … Read more

Linda Dano — Depression Is Another World

Circa 2006 Emmy Award-winning television star Linda Dano, lauded for her long-running role as Felicia Gal the large screen to the small. But America knows her best as the celebrity of daytime drama, a dynamite performer on shows like “All My Children”. “As the World Turns””One Life To Live” and “General Hospital”. Throughout her career … Read more

Assistive Technology – CSUN Conference

Circa 2006 Stephen is an industrial engineer. On a typical day he wakes up, brews coffee as he gets dressed, browses the newspaper, then jumps online to send a few emails before his carpool arrives. On the way to the office, he stops by the ATM to get cash for lunch by privately entering his … Read more

Humor Therapy

Circa 2006 Reality Check   The problem with living in a free country is there’s nothing we can do to stop reality TV. If the founding fathers had foreseen a society engrossed in viewing a person eating cow entrails or marrying a millionaire who is actually a minimum-wage construction worker, it’s quite possible a no-lowering-your-IQ … Read more

Letter From The Editor – Hidden Disability

Circa 2006 Dear ABILITY Reader, In this issue, writer Betsy Valnes discusses her experiences with a disability that is not outwardly identifiable-a hidden disability-and the lack of inclusion she feels at times not from able-bodied people, but specifically from the disability community. Her article led me to reflect on a dilemma encountered by all minority … Read more