Fall and Thanksgiving crafts are always a favorite among our Weekend Recreation family. Wearing red is Billy; with a maroon T-shirt is Julian.
Welcome to our latest installment of noteworthy disability-themed articles! In addition, as a leader in the field, we are pleased to share our experience, knowledge, and expertise with the disability community through our social media outlets: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest.
In addition, we are specialists in the area of assistive technology and offer an array of services. The Assistive Technology Center is New Jersey’s premier source of information and equipment.
Featured Advancing Opportunities Job
We have several immediate full- and part-time openings for Residential Support Specialists to provide care to men and women with disabilities who are living in group homes and supported apartment settings. This rewarding role includes teaching and/or assisting with personal care and daily-living activities; accompanying residents on recreational pursuits, medical appointments, or shopping; and helping integrate the residents into their communities.
Disability in the News (Mostly in New Jersey, the Population We Serve)
Rutgers University creates nation’s first peer helpline for people going blind.
A restaurant with an autism-friendly sensory room is opening in Tom’s River, N.J.
The crisis of global warming is in the news every day. Those who will be most affected are the vulnerable: children and the elderly, in addition to people with disabilities. Therefore, the disability community has been increasingly at the forefront of the awareness effort to alert the public about what this means. The World Institute on Disability’s groundbreaking New Earth Disability initiative aims to understand the connections between climate change and disability and address them head-on. Hannah Dines, a Paralympian, says that green activism belongs to disabled people, too. And a noteworthy article in Forbes refers to this issue as “climate Darwinism.”
Informative, Positive, Noteworthy (or All Three!)
The style manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) officially endorses the singular, non-binary pronoun. Other respected manuals, such as Chicago, have already done so.
A six-year-old taught himself to play piano. The young prodigy plays and performs for hundreds. And, oh yes, he is blind. “Music Is in His Body”
For Parents of a Child with a Disability (Parenting)
Bullying and teasing are not alike. The difference between the two is explained.
Brandeis University published an important paper: “Adaptive Parenting Strategies Used by Mothers with Physical Disabilities Caring for Infants and Toddlers.”
Advocacy and Self-advocacy
Disability advocate Maysoon Zayid advises, “If Your Dreams Turn Into a Nightmare Don’t Give Up; Find Another Dream.”
Disability Awareness
This article describes how the Robbinsville School District is responding to New Jersey’s New LGBTQIA curriculum mandate.
Employment for People with Disabilities
The Monmouth County prosecutor started the first N.J. program to train people with autism and other disabilities to work in law enforcement. We believe that having meaningful work is an integral part of participating fully in society.
Notable Research on Disability
A massive research project doubles the list of genes tied to autism.
In brain imaging studies of autism, the study location may alter results.
A recent analysis found little evidence to support dietary interventions for autism.
New Jersey researchers at Children’s Specialized Hospital and the Kessler Foundation studied social communication in pediatric traumatic brain injury. The article is available for free in PDF.
From two major studies: A long-awaited cystic fibrosis drug could turn the deadly disease into a manageable condition. The news was also featured on NPR.
“Getting at the heart of autism”: Cardiac activity could reveal autism’s physiology and confirm a hunch many clinicians share: that people with autism experience great stress.
Motor problems in autistic people may be grossly underestimated. In fact, at least one in three autistic children has significant movement difficulties, according to a study of more than 2,000 children.
People with a Disability in the Community (Disability Rights and Acceptance; Inclusion)
Michelle Reyna discusses her new book, Ableism: The Causes and Consequences of Disability Prejudice.
People with disabilities are increasing their ranks in elected office. But they’re still underrepresented. These are the findings of a Rutgers University study.
The way we talk about disabilities is evolving. Is it evolving fast enough?
