Mass shootings in America have become commonplace. Between January 2011 and December 2012, 145 people were killed with assault weapons or large capacity ammunition magazines. Many of the perpetrators have been linked to mental health conditions, leading to proposed legislation on both gun control and mental illness. The FBI defines a mass shooting as ... Read more
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Andy Madadian Issue
Articles in the Andy Madadian Issue; Senator Harkin — The Deaf President Movemen; Ashley Fiolek — From Pigging Out to Nutrition Classes; Humor — Part II of the “Greek Geek” Adventure; Candida — The Hands She Was Dealt; Derek Paravicini — He’s Got the Keys to the World; Geri Jewell — Next Exit, Joy; Seizure Dog — She Nose When; Long Haul Paul — What the Farkle?; China — Wang Kun Overcoming Obstacles for Art; Sharjah’s — Sheikha Jameela bint Mohammed Al Qasimi; Accountability — Employing People with Disabilities; ANDY — Music + Charity = Millions of Fans; QJMC — Team Quincy Jones Spreading Music’s Roots; Morgan’s Wonderland — An Accessible Fun-der-land; DRLC — The Blame Game in Gun Control ; ABILITY’s Crossword Puzzle; Events and Conferences…
Morgan’s Wonderland — An Accessible Fun-der-land
While splashing in a hotel pool in 2006, Gordon Hartman’s daughter, Morgan, approached some children. Unable to speak, she tapped a ball at them eager to play, but they backed away cautiously. The moment both saddened Hartman and made him determined to find a place where people like Morgan, who have cognitive or physical ... Read more
QJMC — Team Quincy Jones Spreading Music’s Roots
I grew up in New Orleans where the music and culture are so rich that they become part of your DNA. I tried to learn the guitar when I was about 12 or 13, but had a really tough time. Instead, I learned to express the emotions within the music as a tap dancer ... Read more
Andy — Music + Charity = Millions of Fans
This really is a small world after all. When my dad was a teenager playing soccer, he could not have predicted that he would have a daughter interviewing his good friend and teammate Andy Madadian. Today he is best know as Andy, is now an international pop star who has created a fusion of ... Read more
Accountability — Employing People with Disabilities
It is commonly accepted wisdom that ‘what gets measured gets done.’ Establishing metrics and holding managers accountable for hiring practices, particularly in relation to affirmative action and diversity goals, is also an effective way to promote demographic change within your organization’s workforce. This is especially true when considering disability as one of the diversity ... Read more
Sharjah’s — Sheikha Jameela bint Mohammed Al Qasimi
At the recent assistive technology conference in San Diego, ABILITY’s Chet Cooper and Lia Limón Martirosyan caught up with Sheikha Jameela bint Mohammed Al Qasimi and Amal Al-Khamis. They’d flown in from Sharjah, one of the seven United Arab Emirates (UAE). Chet Cooper: Does Sheikha mean “princess” Sheikha Jameela bint Mohammed Al Qasimi: In ... Read more
China — Wang Kun Overcoming Obstacles for Art
Wang Kun is a renowned oil painter born in western China’s Jilin province in 1970, he contracted polio at a young age resulting in mobilty issues due to weakness in his legs. In recent years, his work has been exhibited internationally and he’s won numerous awards. For the artist, time is like a paint ... Read more
Seizure Dog — She Nose When
Most dogs bark, but Rosie, a melt-yourheart, dark-eyed Basenji, does something different: she yodels. Not for food or to alert her master of potential intruders, but to call attention to a burgeoning medical emergency. Rosie knows a unique trick: She knows how to sense an imminent seizure in her owner, Charlie, a former firefighter/paramedic. ... Read more
Derek Paravicini — He’s Got the Keys to the World
Over recent months, ABILITY Magazine has examined different facets of autism and the arts. That exploration continues via world-class pianist Derek Paravicini who has autism and is also blind. He recently traveled to the United States with his sister Libbet and his teacher Adam Ockelford, PhD, a professor of music at the University of ... Read more
Candida — The Hands She Was Dealt
Candida Sullivan lived with minor deformities affecting her hands, foot and arm for the first 26 years of her life, without a clue as to what caused them. Even to this day, she’ll be standing in a store and someone will approach her, eyes fixed on an indentation circling her arm. “People will say ... Read more
Part II of the “Greek Geek” Adventure
Zotikus gathered a group a guys to go on his mission with him. He brought his best friend Maximus, a well-known playboy who despised Trojans, Atropos the juggler, Funicius the comedian and Efimia the mime—out-of-work entertainers looking for a little action. Kicking a clay pot down the street had gotten old. “I’m down for ... Read more
The Deaf President Movement
Dear ABILITY readers, Twenty-five years ago, Gallaudet University, the premier institution of higher education for deaf Americans, passed over two qualified deaf candidates to appoint a hearing person as the school’s new president. The students at the Washington, DC based institution were driven to act. They marched, called on Congress, and protested not only ... Read more
Next Exit, Joy
It’s so unfortunate that today’s society makes it difficult to take a breather. Our brains are multi-tasked to the max and simple things that give us joy are oftentimes overrun by our obsession with surviving. Our minds become a mangled maze of freeways and toll roads with no off ramps or rest areas. This ... Read more
What the Farkle?
FARKLE is an acronym for Fancy Accessory Really Kool and Likely Expensive. They are custom items motorcycle enthusiasts install on their bikes. The term is well known among those of us in the sport-touring and long-distance motorcycle communities. To use it in a sentence: A motorcyclist may be in the process of “farkling,” and ... Read more
From Pigging Out to Nutrition Classes
Right now, not much racing is happening, so I’ve been doing different things to keep myself busy. Over Easter, my family wanted to see me, so they bought me a plane ticket to come home to Florida for a few days. I had a great visit, spending time with family, going to church and ... Read more
