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Scott Baio Issue

Articles in the Scott Baio Issue; Senator Harkin — Trying to Make it Work; Ashley Fiolek — Kickin’ up Dirt; Humor — Die Laughing; Geri Jewell — Pet Power; Eva Feldman, MD, PhD — ALS and Stem Cell Therapy; Beyond Silence — Deafness in India; Long Haul Paul — Q&A with a PA; Models of Diversity — Embrace it! ; Governor Markell — Blueprint to Employment; China — A Coach with Passion; EMPOWER — Global Inclusion; FREEJ — Grandmothers Rule; MIT — Leveraged Freedom Chair; Scott Baio — Happy Days; MADA — Global Assistive Technology; ABILITY’s Crossword Puzzle; Events and Conferences

MADA — Global Assistive Technology

Chet Cooper of ABILITY Magazine traveled to Doha, Qatar and met members of the country’s Assistive Technology Center – also known as Mada. He sat down with Ahmed Habib, head of communications, as well as Anirban Lahiri, senior assistive technology specialist. Danielle Zurovick, PhD, joined in the discussion. Chet Cooper: Tell me about the idea … Read more

Scott Baio — Happy Days

Over nearly four decades, Scott Baio has carved out a career on TV. In the mid-70’s he played Chachi on the long-running TV series Happy Days, which led to the spin-off Joanie Loves Chachi. He went on to star on TV’s Charles in Charge and later the medical mystery drama Diagnosis Murder. Although he … Read more

MIT — Leveraged Freedom Chair

Out of a small seminar at the Massachusetts Institute of flobal (MIT), a team of inventors created a product that’s gone global. Natasha “Tish” Scolnik, entrepreneur and graduate of the Cambridge, MA-based college, remembers the mechanical engineering course taught by Professor Amos Winter from about five years ago: it centered around wheelchair design. At the … Read more

FREEJ — Grandmothers Rule

Dubai based animator Mohammed Saeed Harib created the most successful animated TV series in the history of the Middle East. He recently spoke with ABILITY’s Chet Cooper about his nonstop work pace, the charity he started with his sister and working on the hit show. Chet Cooper: Can you give me some background on FREEJ, … Read more

EMPOWER — Global Inclusion

The Department of State (DOS) in Washington, DC, recently invited ABILITY Magazine for a visit. There we witnessed strides toward inclusion of people with disabilities and the impact the United States is having around the world. We were hosted by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), which is best known for promoting understanding … Read more

China — A Coach with Passion

Run!” A shot rang out and a group of kids wearing competition jerseys darted towards the finish line. Suddenly a kid stopped in the middle of the track, the coach shouted from outside of the field, “Don’t stop! Faster!” The runner replied that he wanted to wait for his competition. What Yu Cai Zhang just … Read more

Governor Markell — Blueprint to Employment

On the eve of his recent national summit to help America build a more inclusive workforce, Delaware Governor Jack Markell spoke with ABILITY’s Chet Cooper and Marge Plasmier about his driving passion to bring more Americans with disabilities into the labor force and boost their career outcomes. Marge Plasmier: What you’re doing is very important. … Read more

Q&A with a PA

Recently and coincidentally, after a fire alarm went off in his office building, I was finally able to steal Physician’s Assistant (PA) Paul Barlow away from his busy schedule for a few moments for this candid interview. Mr. Barlow is part of the highly-skilled professional team that oversees my multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment. He also … Read more

Beyond Silence—Deafness in India

As she listened to the president’s welcome address at San Francisco State University (SFSU) a few years back, graduate student Vidyut Latay noticed something that she’d never seen before, back home in India: a sign language interpreter. Standing next to the president, the person helped carry the administrator’s message to those audience members who could … Read more

Eva Feldman, MD, PHD — ALS and Stem Cell Therapy

Eva Feldman, MD and PhD, works closely with her research team to seek cures for some of the world’s most devastating diseases, including Alzheimer’s, diabetic neuropathy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is often called Lou Gehrig’s disease. The latter causes progressive weakness, muscle atrophy and respiratory difficulties. As a neurology professor at the University … Read more

Pet Power

From the day I came home from the hospital as a newborn in 1956, my family’s had pets. Back then it was a gold German Shepherd named Kim. In my first two years, she was as much a part of our household as my parents or two older brothers. Though Kim was technically not … Read more

Die Laughing

Recently I found out that I’m dying. The news really dampened my day. My doctor says that everyday I’m alive, I get closer to death; he predicts I may not make it past 90. Wow, dying. Now it’s all I can think about. Fortunately my spirits are high. As God is my witness, I’m … Read more

Kickin’ up Dirt

When I first started as a professional motocross racer about five years ago, women used to have to park outside the racing area. Later, when they started to include us in the sport, we were able to move in and park where the men parked. Initially, women didn’t get any TV coverage, but then highlights … Read more

Trying to Make it Work

Dear ABILITY readers, Now into the 23rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it’s important that we take stock of the progress we’ve made in fulfilling its promise. While we’ve come a long way in our efforts to integrate people with disabilities into mainstream society, we’ve yet to make adequate progress in … Read more