Some time ago, for another publication, I was asked to review transgender poet Eli Clare's latest book for publication, which was presented to me as a great testament to my skill as a book reviewer, even though, to be honest, I've never had much of a head for poetry. But, as little magazines often do in these tough economic times, especially, the magazine changed editors and changed directions, and everyone sort of forgot about The Marrow's Telling

According to a recent survey, one in every five casual video game players has a disability of some sort. This surprised me a bit, but only because the number seemed so high. Unlike most in the press, however, I'm not shocked to find people with disabilities outside a hospital or an ADA celebration.

I wish the Able Gamers site had existed when I was a teenager, but games were also not as evolved during the '80s. AbleGamers helps disabled gamers find games that suit their interests and abilities.

On Wednesday the United States House of Representatives voted by a wide bipartisan majority to restore the full protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act overturns several Supreme Court decisions interpreting the ADA in such a way that people with obvious disabilities from epilepsy to missing limbs have nonetheless been found by a court not to be disabled.

The bill, passed 402-17, is designed to bring people back under the ADA's protection. It now goes to the Senate for consideration.

I almost smacked someone over the internet today. Luckily for him, and his wannabe waifish and soulful photograph, physics forbids such actions. I found him because I've got Google set up to round up such crip-related news as makes the world press(and, of course, with disability as a keyword, a fair amount of announcements from workers comp attorneys. Sigh.) As I skimmed through the usual mix of SSDI questions, boiler-plate features "Little Jimmy Dugan hasn't let being blind keep him from taking all the prizes in junior astrophysics."I feel like I can feel the stars," the gutsy eight-year-old replied."(If you've ever read a newspaper in the last twenty years, you know this drill, which is why I find myself picking over my own navel lint in this column with alarming frequency)

Valleyfair, an amusement park in Minnesota has decided that just because a visitor has a disability doesn’t mean that they get a free pass to the front of the line. Reading this story brought back some memories of times when well meaning and poorly educated people have suggested that my visual impairment entitled me to such special treatment. Still, the policy change has caused some to express dissatisfaction with the experience they had when visiting the park.

The settlement over wheelchair seating at the University of Michigan stadium has been one of the more significant accessibility related news stories over the past year. In the spring of 2007 the Michigan Paralyzed Veterans filed suit against the University of Michigan over the fact that few accessible seats were available. Then, earlier this year, the parties settled the case though the minimum requirements set forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act were not met.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the House Committees on Judiciary and Education and Labor acted simultaneously to move the Americans with Disabilities Restoration Act to the House floor. The legislation overturns several Supreme Court decisions interpreting the ADA in such a way that people with obvious disabilities from epilepsy to missing limbs have nonetheless been held to be not covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The ADA restoration Act is in the news this week once again. Thanks to negotiations between the disability and business communities, two committees in the US House of Representatives are acting today on the bill.

This short podcast provides you with coverage of several important news stories that made news this week in the disability community. In addition, you will hear some quick updates and quick announcements about DisabilityNation.

When I first started watching Morgan Spurlock's30 Days shortly after its 2005 premiere, I wondered if they would ever be able to capture 30 Days in a wheelchair. In the end, I decided they couldn't, because the thought brought to mind when friends and attendants had gotten in my wheelchair, fooled around in it, and from the perspective of their unmarred coordination, asked me "How hard can it be?"

If you've not seen the broadcast,on "30 days" people are taken away from what they know for thirty days and given help to assume their new role. In this case, it involved support from the Baylor rehab unit.

I'm old enough to remember when local TV stations had them on a fairly regular basis, but today the phrase is something of a euphemism for the heartstopping terror and cold sweats of being techphobic when something goes Horribly Wrong.
I don't know how I ended up a blogger afraid of computers. It's just one of the weird contradictions in a contradictory life. I suppose many writers brave all kinds of fears to express all of the thoughts that teem throughout our brains and that we have already used to bore our families and friends The blogging thing was kind of an accident, albeit a happier one than the one that left me in a position to grow up and post for Disability Nation in the first place.

Part II of Quiet Cars and the Pedestrian Problem premiers later this week featuring Everett Meyer and Lawrence Rosenblum. Also, if you've ever wondered what one of these quiet cars sounds like, we'll have a chance to listen to a Toyota Prius and compare it to other vehicles.

Everett Meyer is working with a group of graduate students at Stanford University on a sound emitting device that could be used to warn pedestrians that a quiet car is approaching. But, will people pay for it if the device isn't included in the purchase of the vehicle?

Last week we all heard the story of young Alex Barton, a five year-old boy from Florida who was voted out of his class by his fellow students. As someone who grew up in an inclusive educational setting I was very disturbed that such a thing could happen. And yet, in 2008 and a time where the disability community proudly trumpets progress and improvement on a number of fronts, Alex's story shows us how far we have to go.

When I assembled Friday's tribute, I neglected to add in the link to this website celebration of her life, in words and pictures.
http://www.cripcommentary.com/harriet