Leaping dogs and cats painted in brilliant colors welcome guests into the cozy office space of Pets Are Wonderful Support Los Angeles (PAWS/LA). Once inside, snapshots of clients’ furry companions hang on staff members’ bulletin boards. And throughout the building, which is tucked away on a gray, downtown L.A. street, animal art is for ... Read more
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Quincy Jones Issue
Oct/Nov 2011 Articles in the Quincy Jones Issue; Humor — Coupons Are For Suckers; Ashley Fiolek — 2011 Women’s Motocross Champ!; Sen. Tom Harkin — Working For More Jobs; Cinderella — A New Spin on an Old Tale; Still Swinging — An Inside Look at Adaptive Golf; Susanne Bruyère, PhD — Creating Possibilities at Cornell; Virginia Jacko, CEO — Blind Visionary; Meet the Biz — Actors Training Actors; PAWS/LA — The Sick and Elderly’s ‘Best Friend’; Quincy Jones — Renaissance Man and More; Michelle Sie Whitten — Things Are Looking Up; Workout Dvd — First You Get Off The Couch…; The Old Guard — A Change is Gonna Come; OCD — From Pain to Published Author; ABILITY’s Crossword Puzzle; Events and Conferences
OCD — From Pain to Published Author
Circa 2011 Some 25 years ago, when I was in my late teens, I developed an irrational fear of the police. I kept thinking that if I spat on the sidewalk, I would be arrested for littering. I knew the thought was bizarre, or at least part of me did. But that did not ... Read more
Workout DVD — First You Get Off The Couch…
Circa 2011 Kerry Westfall contacted Ed Ferrell with what seemed a simple request. He wanted Ferrell to become his personal trainer. The proposal wasn’t out of the ordinary. Ferrell worked at a fitness gym in Southern California and trained clients for a living. But Westfall’s situation was complicated: At age 16, he had been ... Read more
The Old Guard — A Change is Gonna Come
Circa 2011 On an ideal summer afternoon in a quaint Bethesda, MD, shopping district, one lone voice stood out from the hum of whooshing breezes, passing cars and chattering teens. “Change? Change? Anybody? Change?” A man walked the street holding a tattered Coke cup, seeking a few coins or a spare dollar from anyone ... Read more
Cinderella — A New Spin on an Old Tale
Circa 2011 Editor’s note: In this twist on a beloved fairy tale, taken from an inspiring new book, Cinderella has a new set of challenges, and—ultimately—arrives at a different happily-ever-after. At tihs point in the story, the stepmother and stepsisters are about to leave for the ball… Finally, the big day arrives. Stepmother hires ... Read more
Still Swinging — An Inside Look at Adaptive Golf
Circa 2011 Not everyone plays golf quite the same way. Tiger Woods swings a club differently than Jack Nicklaus, and Jack Nicklaus’s game is nothing like Arnold Palmer’s. Golfers with disabilities add their own twist to the sport: They use adaptive equipment that allows them to participate on the same courses, while following the ... Read more
Ashley Fiolek — 2011 Women’s Motocross Champ!
Circa 2011 I start racing in May and by the middle of September I’m finished. So now that the season has recently ended, I’m in time-off mode! I had some ups and downs this year. One of the downs occurred during the X Games in August. Though I spent most of July training for ... Read more
Virginia Jacko, CEO — Blind Visionary
Circa 2011 In December 2000, Virginia Jacko found she was rapidly losing her sight to retinitis pigmentosa, a condition characterized by retinal damage. The discovery prompted her to take a three-month leave from her executive position at Purdue University and enroll in Florida’s Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Although she fully ... Read more
Susanne Bruyère, PHD — Creating Possibilities at Cornell
Circa 2011 Finding a job in this economy is an uphill climb for everyone, but it’s especially grueling for people with disabilities. As associate dean of outreach at Cornell University’s Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) school, and director of Cornell’s Employment and Disability Institute, professor Susanne Bruyère is working to ease concerns and create ... Read more
Healthy Soups
Circa 2011 As the weather turns cooler, it’s time to savor soup. A hearty bowl can curb your appetite, says dietician Becky Hand, especially if the soup is broth or veggie-based, which lowers calorie content. Soup is generally served hot, so you may eat it more slowly, feel fuller sooner and consume less. And ... Read more
Meet The Biz — Actors Training Actors
Circa 2011 Even while growing up in Northern California’s Bay Area, David Zimmerman knew his sights were set on a career in Hollywood. In first grade he directed, produced and starred in a production of Hansel and Gretel. Years later, he majored in drama at San Francisco State University, and went on to study ... Read more
Michelle Sie Whitten — The Up Side of Down
Oct/Nov 2011 As executive director of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation (GDSF), Michelle Sie Whitten is dedicated to promoting research of a common birth defect that has touched her family. She recently sat down with ABILITY’s David Radcliff to discuss the aims of her foundation, and the role Down syndrome plays in both her ... Read more
Quincy Jones — The Quintessential Life of Harmony
Oct/Nov 2011 Quincy Jones’ music-industry reign spans more than six decades. He’s taken home a phenomenal 27 Grammy Awards, and found winning formulas for the likes of Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand. A major multimedia presence, he produced TV’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, created Vibe magazine, and co-produced the movie The ... Read more
Humor Therapy — Coupons Are For Suckers
Circa 2011 I used to say, “A penny for your thoughts.” Not anymore, though, because I need that money. In fact, I’ve been pinching my pennies so hard that Lincoln’s nose oozes liquid copper. Forget putting in my two cents. Every day I hope my car will stop on a dime so I can ... Read more
Sen. Tom Harkin — Working For More Jobs
Circa 2011 Dear ABILITY readers, Since the beginning of the recession, I have heard impassioned pleas for this Congress to focus our attention on the jobs crisis in America. In September, the Census Bureau reported that nearly one in six Americans is living in poverty, a number that has increased each of the last ... Read more
