Corporations Find Untapped Resource

Something curious is happening in Corporate America. Business leaders are discovering a whole new source of talent they never realized existed: people with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Of course, this population has been there all along. But now that their bottom-line value is beginning to be understood, best of breed companies are competing to capitalize on the myriad opportunities presented by hiring people who, until now, have been roundly ignored

Advocates Say Thousands Banned From Voting Based on Cognitive Disabilities

LOS ANGELES — At a time when election officials are struggling to convince more Americans to vote, advocates for the disabled say thousands of people with autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy and other intellectual or developmental disabilities have been systematically denied that basic right in the nation’s largest county.A Voting Rights Act complaint to be filed Thursday with the U.S. Justice Department goes to a politically delicate subject that states have grappled with over the years: Where is the line to disqualify someone from the voting booth because of a cognitive or developmental impairment?

Down Syndrome: A Year of Grief and Joy From ABC NEWS

In one week from today it will be one year since I decided to become the mother of a child with Down syndrome.

It was March 21, 2013 –- World Down Syndrome Awareness Day. But I didn't know that. All I knew was I was 15 weeks pregnant, lying on a table, having an ultrasound and waiting for the tech to tell me what else was “wrong” with my baby.

700,000 children have cerebral palsy in Nigeria

No fewer than 700,000 children are living with cerebral palsy, consultant pediatrician, Prof Afolabi Lesi has said.
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a physical disability that affects movement and posture. It is an umbrella term that refers to a group of disorders affecting a person’s ability to move. CP is a permanent life-long condition, but generally does not worsen over time. It is due to damage to the developing brain either during pregnancy or shortly after birth.

Study: 1 In 4 With Cerebral Palsy In Pain

Many children and teens with cerebral palsy are struggling with chronic pain, researchers say, but it often goes unrecognized and untreated.

Variety Provides Opportunites for Adults with Developmental Disabilities

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- Variety has teamed with Pasadena-based Foothill Vocational Opportunities and other partners for an internship program designed to create job opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities.
Coinciding with Autism Awareness Month, six interns recently began a nine-month immersion course that will give them hands-on experience working in Variety's marketing, sales, administrative and editorial departments. Participants will also spend part of each day learning about showbiz in a classroom-like setting.

Studying Music's Impact on Anxiety

Seth Link has been drumming since he was a toddler. Like many with Williams Syndrome he uses music for expression.
"You have all this energy and stuff, and you want to be able to experience it, you know, and to share it with other people," Link said.
The condition affects an estimated one in 7,500 babies. For people with Williams Syndrome, a missing part on the seventh chromosome can lead to learning disabilities and heart trouble. They have another trait, extreme friendliness and empathy, to the point of being less able to detect risky situations or ill intentions in others.

More than one hundred contestants attended The Arkansas Angels Pageant

More than 100 were contestants in the event, several from Faulkner County. However, five states had contestants. One family, the Phillip Ventura family, said they drove 300 miles from Texas allowing their 5 year old daughter Audrey Rose to participate. Two set of grandparents also drove—one driving more than 400 miles.
“We just wanted Audrey Rose to be able to do this,” Phillip Ventura said. “This is the first pageant that we have found for her. She’s loved it.  It has just been wonderful.”
Contestants walked on stage, they rode in wheelchairs and they were carried. They smiled, they cried tears of joy and so did the audience. Boxes of tissue were available on every isle.

Bellingham music program an outlet for creativity

BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- Jim Monroe sits at Three Trees Coffeehouse, microphone in hand as he waits for cues from singer and guitarist Jon Dalgarn.

At his urging, Monroe and two others on stage sing, croon or hum along to upbeat favorites, sending strains of "Stir it Up," by Bob Marley, and "The Tide is High" by Blondie, among other songs, floating out of the space in downtown Bellingham.

Monroe, of Bellingham, is among the local members of Out of the Ashes, a music program for people with developmental disabilities that Dalgarn started in Bellingham this spring.

The idea is to give those with developmental disabilities an outlet for creativity, a way out of their shells, a voice they didn't have before.

He's a different guy up there," said his mother, Maureen Monroe, 53. "He's been through so much with medical stuff. He's on a lot of medication that makes him rather fatigued. But when he's on the stage, you would not know that."