Circa 2009 The Community Choice Act: Change We Need In 1990, Congress overwhelmingly passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA sets out four goals to truly bring people with disabilities into the mainstream of society: equal opportunity, full participation in the community, independent living and economic self-sufficiency. Nine years later, the United ... Read more
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Rick Allen Issue
Def Leppard Rick Allen (View articles on PDF)
Articles in the Def Leppard’s Rick Allen issue include Senator Harkin — The Community Choice Act; Humor — Blame Bin Laden; Ashley’s Column — International Language of Pizza; Adventure Skills — More Than a Workshop; Lise Cox — The Blind Leading the Blind; H’Sien Hayward — Volunteering, Travel and Bulls; Katrina — Stormy Stories; George Covington — A Brush with Andy; Perfect Circles — One-of-Kind John Michael Stuart; Hawaii — Wheels To Water; ABILITY’s Crossword Puzzle; Events and Conferences…
Perfect Circles — One-of-Kind John Michael Stuart
Circa 2009 INTRODUCTION: THE REAL MASTERPIECE I was with some friends, walking through the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, when I was given some amazing insights about life’s experiences. We were casually making our way, admiring each masterpiece, when I overheard some comments that left me with some food for thought. While we ... Read more
Obama Signs — Kennedy’s Act Expanding Community Service
Circa 2009 Since the dawn of the twentieth century, president after president has called on his fellow Americans to answer the most pressing needs of our country and our world through volunteerism. In 1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps, providing opportunities for millions of young men to help restore the ... Read more
Hawaii — Wheels To Water
Circa 2009 I stand on the pier in Kailua Kona, Hawaii, watching the canoe crews come in from practice to beach their outriggers in the approaching twilight. Sweaty paddlers rinse off in the outdoor shower and head home for supper carrying their personal paddles of cedar or poplar. I am fortunate to live in ... Read more
Adventure Skills — More Than a Workshop
Circa 2009 My butt was shoved into the padded bucket. My feet were wedged into the harness that sat near the front of the wide board. My arms were clinched around the bucket’s bars, almost to the point of hurting because I was gripping so tightly. “Tell me when you’re ready,” a voice shouted. ... Read more
Lise Cox — The Blind Leading the Blind
Circa 2009 All of a sudden it hit me. “I am blind, I am divorced and I am alone.” Never had I imagined that losing my eyesight would have such a devastating impact on my self-concept. Every venture outside the familiarity of my home began to pose too great a risk for pain or ... Read more
H’sien Hayward — Volunteering, Travel and Bulls
Circa 2009 For H’Sien Hayward, the rewards of international travel are boundless. A graduate student at Harvard University, Hayward has traveled to thirtyfive countries on four continents. It was an undergraduate study abroad experience in Spain, however, that sparked a lifelong desire to travel with confidence and joy to some of the most remote ... Read more
Katrina — Stormy Stories
Circa 2009 Excerpts from Aldon E. Cotton Born in 1968, Aldon E. Cotton is the youngest of six boys raised in Back of Town by church-going parents who worked around the clock to provide for their family. As a child Aldon showed talent for music, determination, spirituality, reasoning ability, and sociability were already clearly ... Read more
George Covington — A Brush With Andy
Circa 2009 Lack of artistic talent should not be a burden. I have absolutely no artistic talent, but since I don’t attempt to create art, I feel quite unburdened. However, I do have opinions about those people who claim to be artists and produce their mediocre work for public consumption. I must state my ... Read more
Terri Cheney — Bipolar or Mood Rainbow Disorder
Circa 2009 Through a stellar career in entertainment law, where she represented such celebrity clients as Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones, and Universal and Columbia Pictures, Terri Cheney secretly struggled with manic depression. But after a suicide attempt in 1999, she abruptly walked away from the law to write about her illness, both as ... Read more
Driven — Beyond an Accessible RV
Circa 2009 Ahigh-achieving, take-charge mortgage banker for three decades, Sandy Oliver today finds her body, her speech, her stamina all struggling to keep pace with a mind that is still more agile than most. “You either accept it,” she says slowly, her speech slurred and labored, “or you become bitter.” For Sandy, the articulation ... Read more
Def Leppard’s — Rick Allen Tapping Drum Therapy
Circa 2009 The drum. Whether being used in ceremony or sacred ritual, in warfare or military exercise, or for communication or celebration, the drum has influenced nearly every culture in the world. The instrument’s 8,000 year heritage also includes drum circles which transport participants to meditative states that harken to our ancient tribal roots ... Read more
Ashley’s Column — International Language of Pizza
Hello everyone, I just wanted to introduce myself before I start on my first column for ABILITY Magazine. My name is Ashley Fiolek, I am 18 years old, I was born deaf and I live in St. Augustine, Florida. I am a women’s professional motocross racer, and I race the WMA (which is a ... Read more
Humor — Blame Bin Laden
Circa 2009 There is a dying art in the world today. It is called taking responsibility for one’s own actions. It usually means that you were wrong doing something. But, come on, who wants to ever admit they were wrong? I must admit, irresponsibility is a big peeve of mine. The reason why is ... Read more
