Farm animals, especially horses, are widely acknowledged to have therapeutic effects on people with autism and other disabilities. Read about a farm for autistic adults. Photo: dlberek, all rights reserved; used with permission
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
Advancing Opportunities has an immediate opening for a Coordinator of Quality & Compliance to provide a system of continuing quality improvement for the agency’s programs and employees. The Coordinator will also ensure the agency’s compliance with its accrediting bodies and funding sources.
Disability in the News (Mostly in New Jersey, the Population We Serve)
Nearby, in Princeton, Blue Bears is a restaurant that brings French food and jobs for adults with Down syndrome and intellectual disabilities.
Most New Jersey residents know someone with autism, according to a Rutgers University study.
Informative, Positive, Noteworthy (or All Three!)
Greta Thunberg says that her “gift” of Asperger’s inspired her climate-change activism. “It also makes me see things from outside the box. I don’t easily fall for lies, I can see through things,” she adds.
From Vox: “Greta Thunberg became a climate activist not in spite of her autism, but because of it” The article discusses “the 16-year-old climate activist’s radical approach to autism.”
High-school and college students used their knowledge of technology and technical skills to build charming miniature electric vehicles for children with physical disabilities.
Advocacy and Self-Advocacy
Jean Vanier, a pioneering disability advocate who gave homes and dignity to the intellectually disabled, died at age 90.
Remembering sweet Sophia: Natalie Weaver, a strong advocate for children with disabilities, announced death of her daughter, Sophia. Ms. Weaver gained fame when she urged Twitter to include disabilities as an option when reporting hate and discrimination.
“Being open about my multiple sclerosis helps me be a better advocate.”
For Parents of a Child with a Disability (Parenting)
“Raising a Child with Special Needs: A Different Perspective”
“This Is What Being a Mom with a #Disability—Who Still ‘Does it All’—Actually Looks Like”
Fashion, Beauty, and Glamour: Inclusion of People with Disabilities
From the New Yorker: “Adaptive Fashion on the Red Carpet”
Notable Research on Disability
A team of New Jersey scientists at Rutgers University are pioneering genetic research to reverse some of the physical effects of Down syndrome.
Research: Mutations between genes, long overlooked, may be key in diagnosing autism.
People with a Disability in the Community (Disability Rights and Acceptance; Inclusion)
This article discusses ways in which people with a physical disability navigate sex and dating. The piece also covers inter-abled relationships.
Disability in the Arts
First, there was the Lost Voice Guy. This year, on “America’s Got Talent” Kodi Lee, a blind, autistic singer got the “Golden Buzzer.”
Animals and People with Disabilities: A Perfect Match
Read about Oasis, a working farm for adults with autism. It’s in Middletown, New Jersey.
