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Sally Field Issue

ABILITY Magazine Cover Sally Field issue

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome — Learning to Cope

Thirteen-year-old Anna had been ill for months. The usually cheery middle schooler was dull and listless, plagued by constant migraines and irritated stomach. After the typical culprits of colds and flu, mononucleosis and school or relationship problems had been ruled out, her doctor started a battery of tests to identify the cause, while Anna and … Read more

Diane Schuur — The Hot Lady Of Cool Jazz

Circa 2006 As a young girl growing up outside of Seattle, the musically precocious Diane Schuur loved to listen to Dinah Washington, a singer who earned the sobriquet Queen of the Blues for her evocative and often emotionally wrenching vocal renditions. And in many ways, Schuur’s life would play out for a while like one … Read more

Sally Field — Promoting Healthy Habits

Circa 2006 So a surfer girl, a flying nun and a woman with multiple personalities walk into a bar… No, wait a minute, that’s not really the start of a joke—it’s the versatile actress Sally Field. This icon of the Baby Boomer generation turns 60 this year, but her wide-ranging performances will always be ageless. … Read more

Headlines — IBM, Marriott, AssistiveWare, Turboset

Circa 2006 CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME CAMPAIGN FOR A FAIR NAME Researchers, doctors and patients have long hated the term chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), because it does not reflect the full range of symptoms from this complex condition of the immune and neurological systems, affecting more than four million Americans. Patients feel the current name trivializes … Read more

Recipes — No-Sin Appetizers

Circa 2006 DIETARY CHOICES PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN REDUCING CANCER RISK Thinking about cancer is something most of us would rather avoid, but today we know that paying more attention to our cancer risk is something that can yield real dividends. Researchers tell us the majority of cancers we face are preventable—not through new … Read more

A Lesson From Mackenzie— I Love My Little Self

Circa 2006 My five-year-old niece, Mackenzie, taught me something today. Again. And undoubtedly not for the last time. Children intuitively instruct those willing to learn, and my son, my nieces and nephews and the elementary schoolchildren I was once expected to teach—but who in fact taught me lessons that linger even now—have convinced me to … Read more

Community Studio — Verizon’s Video-On-Demand

Circa 2006 Call it a cultural history lesson at the touch of a button. Call it an innovative way to get America better connected to public interest topics. Call it whatever you want, but Verizon Communications executives and their partners from different civil rights organizations call it a necessary step in providing consumers the opportunity … Read more

Casting Your Ballot — Making Voting Accessible

Circa 2006 It took the entry of the words hanging chad and butterfly ballot into the American lexicon during the 2000 election in Florida for Congress and the media to wake up to just how difficult it is for many voters to cast their ballots for the candidates of their choice. Unfortunately for many voters … Read more

Book Excerpt — Leave No Nurse Behind

Circa 2006 In the midst of a national nursing shortage, many nurses who are able to work and want to work are being denied the opportunity. They are being pushed out of jobs and turned away from unfilled positions, all because they have disabilities. Donna Carol Maheady’s new book, Leave No Nurse Behind: Nurses Working … Read more

Jonathan Kuniholm — A New World Of Prosthetics

Circa 2006 Jonathan Kuniholm may never be able to pick the guitar again with his fingers. He’s accepted that. But it doesn’t mean he is not going to try. He’s never been afraid to try things. In 1997, at age 24, Kuniholm joined the Marines because he wanted a challenge in his life. “I certainly … Read more

George Covington — High-Desert Hijinks

Circa 2006 Nine years ago, when I decided to trade the dusty canyons of Manhattan for the even dustier canyons of West Texas, a number of friends thought that in addition to my eyesight, now my sanity was gone as well. After 20 years in Washington DC and two years in Manhattan, I had packed … Read more

Humor Therapy— A Volunteer’s Lament

Circa 2006 When it comes to volunteering, I’m usually the first to speak up… in fact, I volunteer my wife all the time. I knew she’d be dying to chair that PTA strip-tease-a-thon—I just hope I don’t have to pay to get in. It’s tough to be a volunteer, mainly because a volunteer is usually … Read more

Senator Harkin — Mental Health Parity 

Circa 2006 PARITY FOR MENTAL HEALTH—NOW Dear ABILITY Readers, Last spring, I joined with fellow senators Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) to inaugurate the Senate Caucus on Mental Health Reform. For me, as a long-time advocate for people with disabilities, forming this working group was a logical—in fact, urgent—step forward. … Read more

Letter From The Editor — Uncovering Addiction

Circa 2006 Dear Readers, In our office, as in offices across the nation, people can’t help wondering about former Florida congressman Mark Foley, who resigned after national news broke about sexually explicit emails he’d sent to underage congressional pages—allegedly sent over a period of years and continuing even after he had been warned by Republican … Read more

Osteoporosis — Are You At Risk?

Circa 2006 Your hip bone connected to your back bone, your back bone connected to your shoulder bone… dem bones gonna dance around… or so the gospel spiritual goes, based on the biblical story of Ezekiel, who walked into a valley of dead, dry bones and brought them back to life. These days, for millions … Read more

Universal Design — Nc State Leads The Way

Circa 2006 When was the last time you had to scale a flight of stairs with a heavy set of luggage? Or using crutches? Could you cross the threshold into your home on your own if you were seated in a wheelchair? Not every building design fits the needs of every person. But Dick Duncan … Read more