Dec/Jan 2011-12 While John C. McGinley is best known for roles on TV’s Scrubs, and the films Wall Street and Platoon, he also works to raise awareness about Down syndrome, stop verbal bullying and promote better opportunities for people with disabilities. He and ABILITY’s Chet Cooper recently met up at McGinley’s home in Malibu, ... Read more
Interesting Items
Bob Saget Interview
Apr/May 2011 Since losing his sister Gay to scleroderma, Bob Saget has served on the Scleroderma Research Foundation’s board of directors, and today hosts the organization’s charity-packed benefits around the country. He sat down with ABILITY’s Chet Cooper and Regina Hall to discuss his upcoming benefit, “Cool Comedy/Hot Cuisine,” and shared insight into how ... Read more
Tulsi Gabbard interview with Chet Cooper discusses TBI, PTSD, Aloha and more
UPDATE: 3/19/20 Tulsi Gabbard drops out of the race and endorses Joe Biden 2/07/20 — The first female combat veteran running for President of the United States, US Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), brings a unique perspective to the 2020 race. Rep. Gabbard took a break from her Presidential campaign in New Hampshire to talk ... Read more
Amy Klobuchar attended a fundraiser at the Los Angeles home of Loraine Sheinberg
Amy Klobuchar attended a fundraiser at the Los Angeles home of actress and activist Loraine Sheinberg, best known for her role in “Jaws”. The event was well attended by close to 200 guests. Loraine opened the evening welcoming her friend with great fanfare. Senator Klobuchar talked for almost an hour. She remarked about the ... Read more
Media Access Awards — 40th Anniversary & Easterseals 100 Years
The Media Access Awards (MAA), celebrating its 40th anniversary, and its partner Easterseals, commemorating 100 years, presented a celebration honoring the best in disability representation in Hollywood. MAA, founded by producers Fern Field and supported by Norman Lear, annually honors the top creatives in film and television with the Writers Guild of America West; ... Read more
Google Developer Studio Hosted: Accessibility and Inclusion Strategies for Video Production
Googler Brian Grady, famed videographer, hosted the “Accessibility and Inclusion Strategies for Video Production” at Google’s Sunnyvale Campus (11/12/19) Speakers: An introduction to Accessibility from a user’s perspective Christian Vogler, PhD, – Director, Technology Access Program, Gallaudet University Chet Cooper with the “ABILITY Collective” ABILITY Magazine, abilityJOBS.com, ABILITYJobFair and ABILITY Corps highlighted Google’s role ... Read more
New Podcast Series Addresses the Challenges of Eldercare
Working Daughter, a community for women balancing eldercare, career, and more, has launched a new podcast series aimed at the millions of Americans caring for aging parents. Hosted by Liz O’Donnell, founder of Working Daughter and author of the new book, Working Daughter: A Guide to Caring For Your Aging Parents While Making A ... Read more
Interview with Diahann Carroll
Interview with Diahann Carroll with Chet Cooper and Jeffrey Lane: Circa 2000 Intro by Bob Reed In the entertainment field the dream of every performer is to have his or her work recognized with a nomination for a major award. For movie actors the biggest prize is the Academy Award, otherwise known as the ... Read more
NeuroNode — EMG Based Communications and Control System
While interviewing Australian, entrepreneur Peter Shann Ford my memory kept repeating the late Senator Robert Kennedy’s quote, “Many men see things as they are and ask why, I see things as they aren’t and ask why not?” Resembling comedian Shecky Greene. Ford and Greene share another common trait. They are geniuses in their professions. ... Read more
Special Olympics World Games 2019; 200 Countries, 7.5K Athletes, Millions of Viewers
THE EVENING CEREMONY SIGNALS START OF SPECIAL OLYMPICS WORLD GAMES ABU DHABI Parade of Athletes from record number of nations, accompanied by Special Olympics Chairman Dr Timothy Shriver, Heads of State, VIPs, celebrities and representatives of the Special Olympics movement, met with huge applause as they entered arena His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed ... Read more
World Wide Web — 30th Anniversary
The World Wide Web was invented by Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee, British scientist, during his time at CERN The first website at CERN – and in the world – was dedicated to the World Wide Web project itself and was hosted on Berners-Lee’s NeXT computer. In 2013, CERN launched a project to restore this ... Read more
Web4All 2019 Personalising the Web with Accessibility Travel Scholarships
The W4A conference May 13/14 Travel scholarships for the Web4All’19 conference for students with disabilities and any students doing accessibility research. The conference will feature presentations on computer accessibility research followed by a 2-day industry supported hackathon: There are 3 exciting opportunities for students (Applications Closed): * Free travel, room, and registration – IBM Award ... Read more
Georgia Aquarium Becomes World’s First Certified Autism Center Aquarium
With so much mainstream media attention focused on autism in the past several years, it’s surprising more tourist destinations aren’t doing all they can to accommodate visitors on the autism spectrum. For parents, vacation planning can be a nightmare as they seek out attractions that are fun while remaining mindful of their childrens’ needs. ... Read more
New Netflix Series Cast Young Girl Wheelchair User in a Leading Role
We can’t announce who it is yet, but someone who reached out through ABILITY Magazine just got cast in the NetFlix “The Power of Dude” show! _________________________________ CASTING: A new Netflix series is searching for a young girl that is a wheelchair user to play one of the lead characters. She must authentically use a ... Read more
Visions for the Future of Mobility at CES
Five finalists in the three-year Mobility Unlimited Challenge have been unveiled at CES in Las Vegas. The Toyota Mobility Foundation launched the $4 million global challenge in 2017 in partnership with Nesta’s Challenge Prize Centre, with the aim of improving the lives of millions of people with lower-limb paralysis. The Challenge invited engineers, innovators, ... Read more
Easterseals in Bloom at the 2019 Rose Parade
Easterseals’ 100 year anniversary celebration kicks off with a Rose Parade float representing the nearly 1.5 million people with disabilities Easterseals serves throughout the country. For millions of people around the world, the Rose Parade is an iconic New Year’s Day tradition. Through the days and hours of the float construction, Easterseals CEO, Angela ... Read more
Elizabeth Taylor – Taylor Made
“Since I was a little girl, I believed I was a child of destiny…” For the last several years, however, the superstar, 62, says she’s tried to court a life that’s a little less extreme black and white, and more, say, on the gray side.And, indeed, the great triumphs and tragedies that were Elizabeth ... Read more
Mayors from Berlin, New York, Chicago and Amman Launch Cities for All Campaign
The German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) hosted the Global Compact on Inclusive and Accessible Cities. This Global Compact gathered city leaders and mayors from Berlin, New York, Chicago and Amman for a signing ceremony signifying their commitment towards inclusive and accessible cities for persons with disabilities and older persons. This ... Read more
A More Accessible Instagram
Instagram has introduced two new improvements to make it easier for people with visual impairments. There are more than 285 million people in the world who have visual impairments will benefit. First, is an automatic alternative text so you can hear descriptions of photos through your screen reader when you use Feed, Explore and ... Read more
Florence Haseltine, MD, PhD, Health Researcher and Wheelchair Protection Inventor
Florence Haseltine, MD and PhD, has more accomplishments than most of us could hope for in several lifetimes. She’s an inventor who designed the Haseltine Flyer, a protective container for wheelchairs that is used on airplanes to help people with disabilities travel more easily. She’s also a biophysicist, a reproductive endocrinologist, and a women’s ... Read more
