The Front Page Blog

As a student at Loyola University, I was l lucky enough to call New Orleans home from 2001 to 2005. During that time, I became well acquainted with the vibrancy of the city, the kindness of its residents, and the cultural, political, socioeconomic and geographic traits that make it unlike any other place in the world. Two months after I moved to Northern Virginia, Hurricane Katrina hit the…

Parents who are gathering backpacks and supplies for the start of the school year, may want to add one more item to that back to school list—an appropriate assistive technology (AT) product. AT can help with many types of learning challenges: listening, speaking, math, organization and memory, reading and writing.

According to the latest reports from the National Center for…

I was optimistic about the direction the field of disability was taking when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed. I had spent a year arguing with my brother-in-law who belonged to an organization that was actively lobbying against the ADA. He was convinced that the ADA would be the death of the small business that employed him. Our arguments were heated and often led to me saying…

July 2015 is bookended by two celebrations of independence in America – the Fourth of July holiday and the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). At New Editions we consult on disability research and policy, we actively recruit and hire individuals with disabilities, and we promote diversity, so issues of civil rights, equal opportunity and freedom of choice are always…

Our lives have become dependent on instant communication. We spend every waking hour talking and texting, so it is hard to imagine a scenario in which you suddenly lose the ability to speak, write, and comprehend what you hear and read. This is called “aphasia” – the loss of language – and most often it is a result of a stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), or other neurological condition.…

A recent Washington Post article by Richard A. Lovett has the cautionary title “Desk jobs can be killers, literally.” Since most of America's jobs are sedentary, ergonomics is becoming a necessity. 

Ergonomics is the study of people in the workplace, with a focus on designing the workplace to best fit the employee. Ergonomics often centers on reducing repetitive motions that…

New Editions has been recognized with three awards for our diversity and inclusion. As a government contractor specializing in health, disability and historically marginalized populations, we work side-by-side with our government partners to create a more inclusive environment – through information technology and systems that are accessible, programs that are inclusive, training managers and…

In a recent industry show-and-tell, Paul Schroeder of the American Foundation of the Blind gave us all a good chuckle when he said “I didn’t realize 508 referred to the number of weeks it would take to get the standards updated!”

February 2015 saw the publication of the (third) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking by the Access Board. The document updates Section 508 standards that…

As we celebrate National Minority Health and Health Disparities month, it is important to reflect on the events that shaped the movement and the potential for new initiatives to influence serious change. While significant progress has been made in some areas; in others, it has remained stagnant.

Efforts to address health disparities can be…

What is public health? Not getting polio. Buckling your seat belt. Not inhaling secondhand smoke. Laying your sleeping infant on her back. Getting a glass of water without worrying it will make you sick. Putting on a bike helmet. Decreased infant mortality rates. Increased safety in the workplace. The past contributions and ongoing work of the public health community touch our lives every day…

There is an abundance of global evidence demonstrating the serious harm associated with the placement of children in residential care institutions, such as orphanages. Residential institutions consistently fail to meet children’s developmental needs for attachment, acculturation and social integration. Extended periods of time in residential care, particularly for younger children, may…

Because my son has a disability and works, he also must file a tax return. Last year I helped him file his returns for the first time. We began by using the IRS Free File option for people earning less than $60,000. By selecting the “Help me find Free File software” I was able to find a “name-brand” software that we used to auto-file his Federal return and his state return. Although…

Accessibility is a required and important part of every meeting planning process. Our population is growing older and attendees may have limitations due to aging. Individuals with disabilities are increasingly part of every community and organization. By making meetings accessible, you help create an inclusive environment and provide a greater opportunity for all attendees to participate and…

The human heart, the size of a fist and the strongest muscle in the human body, beats about 100,000 times a day or about 2.5 billion times over a 70 year lifetime. With each beat, blood is pumped from the left chambers of the heart throughout the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients, and collecting waste products, then returning to the right chambers of the heart. Waste products are removed…

Get Ready, Set, Snow! Winter sports enthusiasts embrace all that Mother Nature has to offer, whether a snow capped mountain, a frozen ice rink, or the backyard. Snow skiing, ice skating and sledding are winter activities enjoyed by many, including people with disabilities. Good equipment and smart preparation help ensure safe winter fun.

There are many adaptive equipment options…

So it’s the beginning of the New Year, now what? Like many other people, you may have made the resolution to get healthy by improving your diet and increasing the amount you exercise. Transitioning into a healthier lifestyle is not easy.

If you have a disability or chronic condition, it may be even more challenging to live a healthier lifestyle. New Editions’ work on two contracts--…

Retiring Senator Tom Harkin and I have common interests. We share a passion for improving the quality of life for people with disabilities and we both support the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We have both been to Cuba twice and we have both been criticized for our comments about Cuba’s healthcare system. 

Neither Senator…

When I think about American cities that can best illustrate the complex relationship between health and environment there is no more interesting picture than the one painted by New Orleans, the venue for the November 2014 American Public Health Association (APHA) 142nd annual meeting. The theme of the meeting was “Healthography: How Where You Live Affects Your Health and Well-…

December 3, 2014 is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The goal of this observance is to foster understanding of disability issues and encourage support for disability rights as well as dignity and inclusion for people with disabilities in all aspects of life. Worldwide, there are 1 billion people with disabilities. The disadvantages they face—limited access to health…

November is National Caregiver Month, a time to pay tribute to the 44 million individuals caring for older adults and people with disabilities in the United States. Family caregivers have an increased risk of negative health outcomes, including the erosion of physical, emotional and financial health. What can we do to ease their burden? In addition to an array of aging support services…

October 29, 2014 is World Stroke Day and the launch of I am woman: Stroke affects me, a two-year, world-wide campaign sponsored by the World Stroke Organization (WSO) and supported by national organizations like the American Stroke Association (ASA). According to the WSO, women have a higher risk of stroke than men, a higher mortality rate from stroke than men, have…

As supervisors and managers, often we think of our responsibilities as meeting deadlines, managing costs and budgets, hitting our sales or profit goals and keeping our bosses and customers happy. And it does mean all of that, but there is also a responsibility to the people who help us make all these things happen – our employees.

When I was in school, learning about management and…

As population demographics continue to shift, long term services and supports are increasingly important to improve health and quality of life for individuals of all ages and abilities. A key component of long term services and supports are home and community-based services (HCBS), which provide opportunities for individuals, including people with disabilities and chronic conditions, to…

September is College Savings Month—a month to remind and encourage people to start a 529 Plan.  Section 529 plans make it easy and affordable for the average family to plan ahead for the cost of college attendance and are available in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Across the nation, many activities are held during September to recognize the importance of …

September is National Guide Dog Month and celebrates the work of guide dogs in the United States, raising awareness, appreciation, support and money for guide dog schools and organizations.

In 1929, The Seeing Eye (www.seeingeye.org) became the first organization in the U.S. to breed, raise and train guide dogs. Today blind citizens and their guide dogs form…