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

I couldn't do what I do, such as it is, without the work of people like Harriet Pryde Johnson whom I was sorry to read has died at the age of 50. I never had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Johnson save through her words in articles about medical ethics or telethons. If we had met, I doubt we'd agree on everything.

Once again, those involved in planning for the Chinese Olympic Games have made controversial and baseless statements and declarations about people with disabilities and their involvement with the Olympic Games this summer.

On Monday The Beijing Olympic organizing committee released a lengthy document written in Chinese addressing a number of issues concerning foreign visitors who are planning on attending the Olympic Games. Among the declarations made in the nine page document was the statement that persons with mental disorders and or contagious diseases would be barred from the country and not be permitted to attend Olympic related events.

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and despite my best"be here now," wanna-be Buddhist intentions, I'm dreading it already.

Don't worry, I'm well enough, as well as somebody posting with Disability Nation has any right to expect.

I love movies.

I even, on occasion, watch Films, sometimes with subtitles, although I'm not one of those people that smokes clove cigarrettes and snorts "Oh, the American cinema," and insists the Bulgarian version is better.

Not being a straight-up critic means that I can occasionally embrace the kind of cheese that could send Roger Ebert to drink.Although Netflix informed me that Roger loved "Radio". I did not. Even though I sometimes watch films as distractions or to feel better, or honestly, for material for this blog.

Okay, as a podcaster its probably no surprise to you that I listen to shows done by other people. And, when people talk about disability issues on shows that aren't typically disability related, I usually find that to be a good thing.

With that in mind, and at the risk of making some of you wonder about yours truly, I want to mention Dan Savage and his show, The Savage Love Podcast.

They are touted as being good for the environment and get far better mileage than their traditional counterparts. Yet, vehicles such as the Toyota Prius and other hybrids, known as quiet cars, pose a very real danger to pedestrians. Whether you walk or roll, are blind or have vision, you should be concerned about this issue. Accidents between these quiet cars and pedestrians are on the increase across the country causing various organizations to begin pushing for auto makers and others involved in the automotive industry to begin looking at safety issues.

On Tuesday, a panel of three judges in a federal district court ruled that a lower court was right when it determined that the United States government discriminates against blind people because our currency is not accessible. The courts decision stems from a suit filed in 2002 by the American Council of the Blind based on a federal law passed in the 1970’s which requires that services and programs offered by the United States government must be accessible to everyone.

Most people who read May 19's online Washington Post probably missed this story about a cash-strapped transit system taking time and money it doesn't have to check and make sure paratransit riders haven't been cured yet.

Disabled Washingtonians are protesting this year's Status Reviews for MetroAccess paratransit, citing stable conditions,such as cerebral palsy, in which limited fluctuations can be expected.

I've never lived in the District, and have only visited twice, once as an activist, and once as a tourist, but I keep up because I'm a big George Pelecanos fan.

Parents have children thinking they will share many things with them: a love of books, perhaps. Some ethnic traditions.

What about a permanent disability? That's the question that's electrifying the the UK right now, as two Deaf parents, artist Tomato Lichy and theatre designer Paula Garfield, argue that they wish to have another Deaf child someday and a proposed ban against using any but "perfect" embryos in fertility treatments violates their rights and sends a bad message about the quality of life of Deaf Britons.

A Federal appeals court in Washington DC has ruled that the U.S. discriminates against blind people by printing paper money that makes it impossible for them to distinguish the bills' value, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

DisabilityNation featured coverage of this case following the 2006 decision. Check out DN18 to learn much more about the issue and be sure to leave comments here with your thoughts about this decision.

Business Week's Working Parents Blog features coverage of Dan Habib's film Including Samuel which was released late in 2007. Habib used his experience as a photo journalist to help in creating this documentary which focuses on his son Samuel and the family. its great to see further exposure for what appears to be a great film highlighting the challenges and successes of including kids with disabilities in school.

Several weeks ago DisabilityNation featured an interview with Democratic Senate candidate Steve Novick of Oregon. This Tuesday is the Democratic primary in that state. The Associated Press featured an article today focusing on Novick and other candidates. Unfortunately, rather than focusing on the issues brought to light by Steve, the AP chose to dwell on advertisements that joke about Steve and his disability.