Arthur Boorman was a disabled veteran of the Gulf War for 15 years, and was told by his doctors that he would never be able to walk on his own, ever again. His story is proof, that we cannot place limits on what we are capable of doing, because we often do not know our [...]
A few months ago we shared Liliya’s Story with you. In short, Liliya Bromberg is a 21 year old girl with Cerebral Palsy. Liliya lives in a small one-bedroom apartment with her parents. As any young woman would want, Liliya desperately needs friends and independence. Providing Friendships For years Friendship Circle had been providing friends for individuals [...]
Lee Ridley is a unique talent. He is a stand up comic with no voice. That’s right he can’t talk. So how does he perform? Watch this video below to see how Lee otherwise known as Lost Voice Guy works the crowd (can’t see the video? click here). As you saw in the video Lee has [...]
A family is hoping for a quiet, casual lunch outing at a local restaurant, not such an easy task when one of their children has autism. This is the scene set by ABC’s What would you do?. ABC brings in an actor who simulates a boy who has autism and the cameras wait to see [...]
This past Wednesday, March 21 was World Down Syndrome Day. Down syndrome organizations throughout the world organized and participated in events to raise public awareness of Down syndrome. This year was the 7th annual World Down Syndrome day and for the first time the U.N participated with a commerative event called “Building our Future.” Many people took [...]
TED is a global set of conferences formed to disseminate “ideas worth spreading.” Originally TED’s emphasis was on technology and design. The conferences now address an increasingly wide range of topics within the practice of science and culture. Past presenters include Bill Clinton, Malcolm Gladwell, Al Gore, Gordon Brown, Richard Dawkins, Bill Gates, Google founders [...]
One of my all-time favorite TED talks is Approaching Autism Theatrically in which the totally brilliant Stephen Volan discusses how his experiences in an improv theatre troop helped him to learn the social language of neurotypicals. While Volan discuss the productive uncertainty of improv, theater (as a more general framework) has all the necessary components to [...]
There is a misconception that individuals with cerebral palsy do not have the skills to compete in the workplace without support or accommodations. It’s time to take a look around you and realize that among the special needs community you have some amazingly talented people in the workforce. Whether it’s in technology, education, the arts or another [...]
Recently the movie A Mile In His Shoes was released. A Mile In His Shoes is the story of Mickey Tussler, a young man with Asperger’s Syndrome and a golden arm. The manager for a local baseball team convinces Mickey to join the team. For the first time in his life Mickey is forced to interact with others [...]
On February 22nd HBO will be airing another Special Needs documentary. Raising Renee tells the story of Beverly Mciver and her sister Renee who is cognitively impaired. Before their mother Ethel passes away Beverly makes a promise to take care of Renee after her mothers passing. Reality hits and Beverly realizes that being a caretaker is no easy [...]
