News stories of interest

Last night Ben and I went swimming in the heated pool at Bloorview -- the first time in months since before his surgery. He has a knee contracture because his leg was held in a bent position for so long in the cast -- which means that he can't straighten his leg, and until he can straighten his leg, he can't walk. However, the buoyancy and warmth of the water was incredibly relaxing. So for 1.5 hours we could float around and forget all about stretching out his tight, painful leg and the fact that he can't stand on it the way he used to.

Here are some recent news stories of note. Cheers, Louise

A struggle to educate the severely disabled
A feature in the New York Times spurred numerous comments from readers who felt education dollars were wasted on students with multiple disabilities. "We're polishing stones and dulling diamonds," one reader wrote.

Bill passed in Albany to make insurers pay for autism care
State lawmakers passed legislation this week that would require insurers to cover autism-related screenings, diagnoses and treatments.

Swedish theatre includes actors with intellectual disabilities
A groundbreaking theatre in Malmö, Sweden, makes people with intellectual disabilities equal partners in the creative process.

My disabled son's first time at camp
The decision was made. Part of me was terrified.

NIH awards $2.5 million to study osteoporosis in youth with Spina Bifida
"We don't know whether or not adolescents with spina bifida have differences in bone development resulting from their disease or if they're developing less bone mass because they're spending less time doing weight-bearing activities."

Gizmo enables woman with CP to run her own flower shop
An engineer designs a device that allows a woman to strip leaves and cut stems with one hand.

Pilot school for Asperger's hopes to open in fall
A mother hopes to open the first private school for children with Asperger's in Canada.