Presidential Politics

..Tis the season, presidential politics is upon us. The campaign season is racing up to go in full force. Last week the Democrartic candidates had there first televised debates and this weeks the Rebulicans will do the same. The question remains which candidate will have a disability policy that looks at not just healthcare issues - but how people with disabilities can gain greater access to society & more importantly what as President will each candidate do to benefit this large community. What is often lost amongst candidates is the power that the disability community has a as a voting block. Unfortunatley, this has been over looked in the past several election. However, organizations like AARP and NOD have begun to make some headway into utilizing thet power that the disability voting block possess I do feel that it is underserved.

A suggestion I have is to take a page from the playbook of AARP to show that the disperate voices of the disability community CAN have one voice & one common agenda. This will in turn create a power surge never seen in Presidential politics.

Some Musings about Universal Design

I have been thinking a lot lately about the future and the concept of universal design and livable communities. While the first thing I believe people think of are physical devices and architecture I have been prone to thinking about something different. These days I have been thinking about the philosophy of universal design should be seen beyond the physical design BUT rather as a social design model. The question has been that universal design allows for an accessible lifestyle - the question that comes to mind is what does that exactly mean? How do these physical adaptations provide a greater conduit to a social design model and create a new paradigm of disability and aging. Are they one in the same OR are they different. These are questions that I am currently exploring & will discuss later...

Oprah and Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness Month. With the new study in 2007 from the CDC stating that 1 out 150 children will be diagnosed with some form autism this is certainly something that needs more attention. Today Oprah Winfery spent the hour discussing autism and the complexities of this type of disability. Having parents of young children, doctors and segments from a new documentary produced by Autism Speaks.

What she has done is fantastic, yet the mistake that has been made by her and many others is again doomed to repeat itself. While it is critica to look at young children, autism spectrum disorder as a disability is something that lasts throughout the lifespan. It is hard for me to continually see talk shows like Oprah and Larry King discussing autism without really delving into the 'lifespan question'. Now, what is the lifespan question you may ask. It is ostensibly stating that while early intervention is a MUST - how can we as a society (i.e those in the medical field, therapists, parents, educators and many others) look at focusing on lifecycle needs? What are the tools that we must be equipped to handle areas like being a teenager, young adulthood into older adulthood. There are many hurdles that need be tackled. It is time for major media outlets to broaden its focus and show this type of disability on a broader palette.