Circa 2006 The world’s most comprehensive braille reference book, World Braille Usage, has been updated for the first time in 23 years—and now includes more braille codes for indigenous languages from every corner of the globe. An ambitious effort, World Braille Usage, 3rd Edition is an international compilation of language codes for the reading ... Read more
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Brian Wilson Issue
Letter From The Editor — Health and Happiness
Circa 2006 Dr. Peter Ubel—whose latest book is excerpted in this issue of ABILITY Magazine—is pursuing happiness. Of course, so are the rest of us—it’s even stated in our Constitution. Who doesn’t want to be happy? But as a scientist, Dr. Ubel is not satisfied with happiness as a metaphysical goal. He wants to ... Read more
Congressman Etheridge — Volunteerism for All
Circa 2006 Dear ABILITY Readers, Each time I travel around my North Carolina district, a community where I’ve lived nearly all my life, I enjoy a welcome opportunity to connect with my constituents and chat with my neighbors about the issues that affect them on a day-to-day basis. In today’s housing climate, I often ... Read more
Employment — The ADA and People with Hearing Loss
Circa 2006 Beth is a business professional who last year experienced significant hearing loss from an injury. After a period of recovery, she is ready to reenter the job market and has decided to look for a sales position. What protections does federal law provide her against discrimination based on her disability? The employment ... Read more
Shoshannah Stern — Ready for Prime Time
Circa 2006 I was reclined, watching this show on cable just to wallow in entertainment, taking it in for white noise or a lullaby. Then a captivating girl, deaf like me, appeared on screen, rebuking the clumsy advances of a high school boy and bringing looks that kill to uncharted brazenness. The show airing ... Read more
Freedom For Life — Accessible Adventure
Circa 2006 As Darol Kubacz crouches down and positions himself in the seat of his customized hand-propelled bike (a.k.a. the One-Off) the muscles in his upper torso swell with a strength active men strive to obtain. He then glides smoothly down a small valley for a moment before he cranks his mountain climbing bike ... Read more
Dr. Ernst Katz — 70th Anniversary of the Jr. Philharmonic
Circa 2006 People young and old lined Los Angeles’ city blocks waiting for food handouts. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, a young Ernst Katz—son of Russian immigrants who by his teens had made a name for himself as a concert pianist—believed this depressed and hungry city was also hungry for the uplifting ... Read more
Universal Design — How to Build Your Dream Home
Circa 2006 By all standards I had it all. I had been married for three years to a wonderful man, Mark Leder. We were living in a home we had built when we were first married. My two-year-old speaking, training and consulting business was doing well. Life was plump with promise! Then all of ... Read more
Schizoaffective Disorder — What You Need to Know
Circa 2006 Jason is a 19-year-old college student. His friends notice that he begins staying up all night, not just studying for exams but also writing furiously in his journals. At first they admire his spurt of creativity, but then he begins looking disheveled and has a hard time remembering to shower, brush his ... Read more
Staglin Family Vineyard — Good Wine & Good Causes
Circa 2006 From the start of their marriage in 1968, wine connoisseurs Garen and Shari Staglin had a dream to own a vineyard in Napa Valley, California, and make world-class wines. Following successful advances in each of their chosen careers, by 1985, the couple was able to buy a 62-acre ranch with 50 acres ... Read more
Brian Wilson — A Powerful Interview
Circa 2006 When we consider the most iconic, influential and well-known music groups in American pop culture, one name that undoubtedly comes to mind is The Beach Boys. This harmonious sensation, featuring the musical talents of Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine, swept the 1960s generation with memorable hits including ... Read more
ABILITY House — Volunteers with Disabilities Build Home
Circa 2006 Mark Goffeney, a musician who lives in San Diego, places a call to airline reservations asking for the accommodations he needs to comfortably fly the four-and-a-half hours to Honolulu to volunteer building Hawaii’s first ABILITY House. “I was born without arms,” he tells the airline representative, “and I use my feet for ... Read more
Book Excerpt — You’re Stronger Than You Think
Circa 2006 Sarah Lezotte’s kidney problems started in 1991 with what felt like a case of the flu. Fifty-eight years old at the time, she had never experienced any major health problems before, but these flu symptoms were lasting longer than normal. So Sarah decided to see her primary care doctor, who discovered that ... Read more
Google — New Accessible Search
Circa 2006 With a mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful, former Stanford computer science students Larry Page and Sergey Brin are the proud founders of Google, the world’s largest Internet search engine. A play on the word googol, the mathematical term for 1 followed by 100 zeroes, ... Read more
Headlines — AT&T, A&E, Accessible Tent, Fibromyalgia
Circa 2006 AT&T FOUNDATION FUNDING ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY The AT&T Foundation, the philanthropic arm of AT&T Inc., has announced a $1 million grant to the Community Technology Centers’ Network (CTCNet), a national network of community technology centers (CTCs) and other nonprofits that provides technology access and education to underserved communities. This grant will provide new ... Read more
Humor Therapy— Global Warming
Circa 2006 This global warming thing doesn’t sound that bad. I don’t know about you, but I get cold easily, so I welcome the heat; that’s why I moved to California—along with being able to get a yummy burrito. I lived back east for a long time, and stepping outside every winter morning was ... Read more
