Circa 2007 TIME Magazine correspondent Michael Weisskopf was riding through Baghdad in the back of a U.S. Army Humvee, an embedded reporter alongside soldiers from the First Armored Division, when he heard a metallic thunk. Looking down, he saw a small, dark object rolling inches from his feet. He reached out and took it ... Read more
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Teri Garr Issue
Media Access — 24th Annual Awards
Circa 2007 LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACCESS! From a deaf actor who overcame her fear of using her voice on camera, to a filmmaker who documented the life of a brother with Down’s syndrome, to a comedian with cerebral palsy who won NBC’s Last Comic Standing, the recent 24th annual Media Access Awards (MAW) celebrated those ... Read more
Blind Leading The Blind — Ca Dept. Of Rehabilitation
Circa 2007 Kurt Weston began his career in the 1980s as a fashion and commercial photographer. Living in Chicago, he scored sought-after jobs with cosmetology giant Pivot Point International and noted art studio Stephens, Biondi and DeCicco. His work appeared in glamour magazines and beauty publications throughout the world. Then, Weston began to notice ... Read more
Zoo Fight — Disability Legal Rights Center
Circa 2007 Rick Kneeshaw and Gladys Swensrud couldn’t believe it was true. Long-time members of the Zoological Society of San Diego, both visited the zoo frequently, at least until they started to use motorized scooters. That’s when they encountered a major speedbump. Swensrud was an avid hiker, before post-polio syndrome limited her mobility. Her ... Read more
Miss Deaf America — Chelsea Tobin
Circa 2007 Chelsea Tobin, Miss Deaf America 2006-2008, grew up on a farm in rural South Dakota. Her sparkling eyes and contagious smile are equal only to her enthusiasm and dedication to growing within, while serving others. I get my information first hand: I’ve worked with her over the last four years. The day ... Read more
The Brain That Changes Itself —Doidge Md Book Excerpt
Circa 2007 Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Norman Doidge, MD, traveled the country to meet scientists championing a new field called neuroplasticity, and the patients it’s helped, including people whose mental limitations or brain damage were seen as unalterable. In The Brain That Changes Itself, the doctor puts the lie to centuries-old notions that the brain ... Read more
Allen Rucker — ‘The Day I Woke Up Paralyzed’
Circa 2007 One morning, life started anew for former TV producer, author and humorist Allen Rucker. “Like the day Elvis died or O.J. was acquitted,” he says, “the Tuesday you wake up paralyzed is not a day you soon forget.” His rare condition, transverse myelitis, diagnosed more than a decade ago, is one in ... Read more
Best Seat In The House — Rucker Book Excerpt
Circa 2007 Allen Rucker is the author of eight books, most of them written since he was paralyzed by transverse myelitis 10 years ago. He’s written three tomes on the HBO series The Sopranos alone, including the No. 1 New York Times bestselling The Sopranos Family Cookbook. Other works include The History of White ... Read more
Brain Aneurysm 101 — What You Need To Know
Circa 2007 Remember as a child sneaking up on your friends with a loaded water balloon and blasting them? Some say that no experience matches that childhood satisfaction. But of course, on rare occasion the water balloon would surprise you before you could throw it, bursting prematurely and drenching you instead of your target—major ... Read more
Teri Garr — Before Ms And After
Circa 2007 Many people would attribute Teri Garr’s success to sweat, dedication and raw talent. But she gives top billing to a Beverly Hills numerologist, who convinced her to alter her name. “It was the best $35 I ever spent,” the actress and public speaker declares in the pages of her memoir, Speedbumps. There, ... Read more
MS Under A Microscope — Up-To-The-Minute Research
Circa 2007 A funny thing happened on the way to San Francisco. ABILITY editor-in-chief Chet Cooper planned to fly up from LAX for a few hours to meet with one of the foremost authorities on multiple sclerosis: Dr. Douglas S. Goodin. But it turned out Cooper was grounded. “May I have your attention, please?” ... Read more
Faces Of MS — Increasing MS Awareness
Circa 2007 MEET JEFFERY, EMILY, CHARLES AND LISA Five years ago, the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (MSF) designated March as National MS Education & Awareness Month. The primary goal was to raise consciousness among the public about this often-misunderstood disease, as well as to help those who have it become further educated and empowered. MS ... Read more
Headlines — Ford, GE, Carlson Hotels and more
Circa 2007 STRONG IN WAR AND PEACE FORD SPONSORS IRAQ VET IN TRIATHLON When U.S. Army Major David Rozelle recently finished the Ford Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, he became the first war amputee to ever complete the grueling triathlon, which includes 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking and 26.2 miles of ... Read more
Senator Harkin — Promoting The Wellness Act
Circa 2007 PROMOTING WELLNESS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES ACT Dear ABILITY Readers, As many of you know, promoting the health of America’s citizens has long been one of my top priorities. In particular, I have advocated wellness and disease prevention, which requires access to health screenings and other services that keep people out of ... Read more
Humor Therapy — Don’t Go There
Circa 2007 Honk if you’re going insane. There’s something about traffic that brings out the beast in me. When I want to get somewhere, I’d like to get there that day—especially if it’s just a trip to the grocery store down the street. Yeah, when you’ve got a severe hankering for a Snickers bar, ... Read more
