Health and Well-being

What is USAID?

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the U.S. government agency responsible for administering foreign aid and development assistance worldwide. Its primary goal is to promote global stability, economic growth, and humanitarian aid while advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives. Countries receiving USAID assistance often have to meet certain conditions or “strings attached,” which … Read more

Neurosurgeons Establish Stroke Therapy with the Florida BrainLink Initiative

For eons, neuroscientists, including clinicians such as neurosurgeons and neurologists have striven to remedy maladies of the brain. The uniquely complex anatomy and physiology of the brain compared to other organs of the body have been a general impediment to progress. Of great interest has been failure to recover lost function after injury or damage … Read more

Chasing the Mouse

“The Mouse” kept jumping out of my pocket! That’s what I called my insulin pump, attached to a tube from my abdomen. It didn’t care that it was supposed to be my first day at work, my dream job at a community college. There had been SO much stress for its owner – building a … Read more

Dr. Liberman and Psychosocial Rehabilitation

When most people think of treatment for individuals with severe mental illnesses such as recurrent depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, they imagine physician visits, medications or perhaps some sessions with a counselor. Rarely do they think of drama programs, community college classes or role-play groups for making friends and dating. Yet, there is increasing evidence … Read more

Dr. Robert P. Liberman on Electroconvulsive Therapy

Robert P. Liberman, M.D. is one of the fathers of the rehabilitation movement in psychiatry. For the past 25 years he has directed the UCLA Center for Research on Treatment and Rehabilitation of Psychosis, where he studies skills training and other treatments for individuals with severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia. Diagnosed with bipolar II illness … Read more

Bob Woodruff — War Journalist and the Explosion that Caused His Traumatic Brain Injury

Circa 2007 As he traveled through Iraq with a U.S. military unit early last year, World News Tonight co-anchor Bob Woodruff was severely wounded by an insurgents’ improvised explosive device. His new book, In An Instant, chronicles that experience. Both he and wife, Lee, his co-author, contribute journal entries about the 36 days he spent … Read more

Epilepsy

If you “Google” the definition of “epilepsy,” the result is more confusing than it need be. The basic definition of epilepsy is a condition in which a person suffers recurrent seizures. The reason the search result is so confusing is that instead of just saying “epilepsy is recurrent seizures,” the writers are trying to include … Read more

Paralympics wins with Panasonic Robots

2020 is a year we couldn’t forget no matter how hard we tried. Covid-19 took over the world in the blink of an eye, putting everyone’s plans on hold, and causing every soul to hold their breath, waiting to exhale into what we would hope to be normality and familiarity of the world we used … Read more

Together, we aren’t rare! Let’s talk about Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

Twenty-five million people in the US are affected by rare diseases – many of them are genetic and life-limiting. One of these conditions is Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), an unknown and neglected disorder of the connective tissue that can lead to severe disability. Over the last years, popular figures like Jameela Jamil and Mandy Harvey publicly … Read more

Chen Ang — Therapist

“Easy. You may feel your muscles stretching a bit, but it’s okay. I’ll take care of that.” The patient’s upper arm was held up in one hand, the wrist cupped by all five fingers of the other, so that her glenohumeral joint could be rotated gently in rhythm, as it was now, overseen by a … Read more

Autism Awareness: Easterseals and Rafi Nova develop sensory-friendly masks

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed all our lives in many ways. However, it hit people with disabilities exponentially harder. They have been neglected in decisions for vaccine distribution; they have been harmed by triage protocols, all while following strict rules on isolation and distancing. Especially people on the autism spectrum have faced many challenges due … Read more

Disability, Sex and Adult Toys by and for People with Disabilities

Disclaimer: The following content is for a mature audience due its images and language. “Why are you of all people writing this article?” some of my friends asked me. Good question. As a native German, I grew up in a small, Catholic town in Bavaria – a very conservative city. Sex was the last thing … Read more

Challenges and Chances: Navigating the US Healthcare System with a Chronic Condition

“Do I have cancer? This thought had been on my mind for months. I could have received answers immediately, but my insurance kept denying the MRI necessary to rule out cancer. I am just one of many people fighting for their rights within the US healthcare system every single day.” ABILITY Magazine speaks with four … Read more

Emergency Preparedness for the Most Vulnerable Californians. Plan B?

Recently, my family had a scare. We had a fire threaten our property, our home in the mountains of Jamul, an unincorporated town in San Diego County. Contrary to most assumptions, potentially losing our houses on the property was not the actual scare. The scare was that my brother, Joaquin, who experiences severe autism and … Read more

How YAI, Next for Autism and Cure SMA are supporting their members during COVID-19

ABILITY Magazine contacted three large organizations and their members about the changes in how they operate during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. YAI, located in New York State, discussed their current situation in their housing facilities as well as their COVID-19 database, which offers information for people with (intellectual) disabilities. NEXT for AUTISM described what the … Read more

Justin Dart Remembered — Humanitarian, Leader and Friend

Editor’s note: In recognition of a great humanitarian, leader and friend, we present “The Resurrection of Justin Dart Jr. : A Quest for Truth and Love,” which was written by Mari Carlin Dart and originally appeared in the Diahann Carroll issue of ABILITY Magazine. Also included are additional comments from Dr. Fred Fay and … Read more

Joe Pantoliano, aka Joey Pants

Jun/Jul 2012 ABILITY’s Chet Cooper met up with Joe Pantoliano, aka Joey Pants, at a Belgian restaurant in New York City recently. The popular character actor has appeared in such films as Risky Business, The Fugitive and The Matrix. His skill at playing scumbag mobster Ralph Cifaretto on the hit HBO series The Sopranos won … Read more

John Sie

Dec/Jan 2011-12 When their granddaughter was born with Down syndrome, Anna and John Sie became keenly aware of a lack of resources for her as well as others around the globe with her condition. They decided to take action, establishing research facilities at Children’s Hospital Colorado through the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation. Opened … Read more

Linda Crnic Institute and the Sie Center clinic

Dec/Jan 2011-12 Though Down syndrome affects people around the globe, money to research the condition lags far behind that of breast cancer or autism. Despite advancements in rights and opportunities for people with disabilities, families of children with Down syndrome continue to battle against diminished expectations. Thanks in no small part to the efforts of … 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 work … Read more