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Siblings of family members with disabilities meet network of support

About 65 people gathered at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh, Downtown, for a daylong conference of the Sibling Leadership Network, a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Chicago. It was founded in 2007 as a way to bring together siblings of people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. "There's so much focus on people with disabilities and parents in terms of providing information and services and support, and we realized that often siblings were being overlooked," said Katie Arnold, the network's executive director. Posted: 6/18/2013

National Council on Disability Statement in Support of LGBT Pride

This June, the National Council on Disability joins the world in celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month by celebrating our commitment to advancing the rights for all Americans, including LGBT Americans, and LGBT Americans with Disabilities. Posted: 6/17/2013

Roll the Credits: My Favorite Disability-Themed Films

It’s summer blockbuster season, and I’m ready to go to the theater! Fast & Furious 6 ... The Great Gatsby ... Star Trek (or, more precisely, Zachary Quinto) ... But, if you’re waiting to rent them, I have a few Netflix selections to tide you over. Allow me to present my favorite disability-themed films: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. As there are subtitles, I recommend this one to the foreign film fans. It tells the true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who is coping with locked-in syndrome after suffering a stroke.

You ARE an Inspiration

Ya’ know, sometimes being a young man with muscular dystrophy is just not very easy to live with. That’s not something that I like to admit very often. I grew up with people (strangers most often) feeling it necessary to tell me what an inspiration I am. That it is amazing how well I am doing and how much I can do for myself independently shows just how strong of a person I am.

Special Education Could Face $2 Billion In Cuts

As a new round of budget talks gets underway in Congress, special education advocates are sounding the alarm about big cuts that may be on the horizon. Preliminary figures from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations indicate that education programs could be slashed by nearly 20 percent for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, partly as a result of the sequester, the across-the-board spending cuts that took effect in March. Posted: 6/06/2013