This article presents the story of Wesley Brooks, a freshman at Middlesex County College and someone who will not let his disability impede him from what he sets out to achieve in life. Brooks was born 24 weeks early and weighed just under one pound. This resulted in him having cerebral palsy, which impacts his motor movement. He also had to…

This article is the third of a 4-part series on "Health Promotion and Wellness" from the American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD). It focuses on health disparities and people with disabilities. Health disparities are differences in health outcomes between groups that reflect social inequalities. Disability rates vary by ethnicity, age,…

Today, exceptional dogs that have been specially bred and socialized are paired with children who are blind or visually impaired. These dogs, called "K9 Buddies," are from Guide Dogs for the Blind, a national nonprofit organization with a mission to offer skilled mobility dogs and training free-of-charge to adults with visual impairments…

Madison is a four-year-old child who was born with cerebral palsy and cortical vision impairment. As a result, she has limited use of her extremities and is just starting to walk with assistance. She is predominately non-verbal, with the exception of a few words. This article describes how Island Dolphin Care (IDC), a nonprofit agency in Key…

In this article, the author describes the Sports, Habilitation, and Recreation Program (SHARP), a program of the Foundation for Blind Children in Phoenix, Arizona. The SHARP program aims to help children, who have visual impairments, achieve goals, develop independence, and make friends. One of the unique features of the SHARP program is that it…

This article profiles Mark Jerome Sherron, inventor of the ALLIES Line of electronic sensors for blind and visually-impaired people. Featuring the American Liquid Level Indicator electronic sensor (ALLI), Sherron's ALLIES product line also includes the Light Intensity Level Indicator (LILI), a multi-function electronic light sensor for electronic…

Visual impairment and blindness are issues facing the veteran and non-veteran populations in a variety of ways. Currently, the number of veterans in the U.S. diagnosed with low vision is estimated to be more than one million. The number of veterans diagnosed with legal blindness is estimated to be more than 160,000. Over 45,000 veterans diagnosed…

This article describes how the quilts fashioned by Joanne Marian of Boswell have helped children with exceptional needs. Marian's quilts, which are freely given, are created using donated scraps of texture-rich fabrics, patterns, and embellishments to heighten the intensity of tactile detail for exceptional children who may be visually impaired or…