Incredibly, summer 2026 is nearing its end, and kids are heading back to school. Time to check out back-to-school recommendations for parents of wheelchair riders, posted by two national providers. Rehab Medical’s suggestions include giving power wheelchair riders an extra charger; mapping out accessible entrances, hallways, elevators, restrooms and parking/drop-off locations ahead of time; and…
Take 5 Coffee Break: Back to School!
Advocacy Organizations Decry DOJ Notice Calling Olmstead Decision ‘Not Enforceable’
The 1999 Supreme Court ruling is the foundation of providing healthcare at home to people with disabilities.
Organizations that support people living with disabilities are denouncing a Department of Justice (DOJ) notice that called the landmark Supreme Court Olmstead v. L.C. decision “unenforceable” — while also expressing concern over an erosion of inclusion-related rights. The DOJ published the notice in the Federal Register on July 20, saying it “is issuing this document…
Commentary: Everyone Wins When People with Disabilities Are Accurately Represented in Media
Getty Images grants affirm the need to portray people with disabilities in professional settings.
In late March, a TikTok video by @ezbruhhspinz showed a small boy in his ultralightweight wheelchair pointing to a poster in a Target store. “There’s a girl in a wheelchair, just like me!” he says of the poster’s artwork. The video racked up 26.7 million views. Maybe it also sparked conversations on how important it…
United Spinal Announces Advocacy Partnership with M.A.R.C. Network
The M.A.R.C. Network includes an app for members to share resources, experiences, and news.
United Spinal Association is partnering with the M.A.R.C. (Mobility Awareness Resource Community) Network “to celebrate collaboration, inclusion and the power of storytelling.” The new partnership will include a disability-focused podcast called Stronger Together, United Spinal said in an April 24 announcement. “This is more than just a podcast launch,” the association said. “It’s a movement…
Jean L. Minkel to Deliver 2025 Colin McLaurin Distinguished Lecture in May
The lecture on mobility equity will be presented as part of RESNA’s conference at RehabWeek.
This year’s Colin McLaurin Distinguished Lecture, presented by the Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA), will be delivered by industry legend Jean L. Minkel, PT, ATP, as part of RehabWeek in May. Minkel, senior vice president of rehab and mobility services for Independence Care System in New York City, will be…
Defying Gravity: Wheelchair skills can enhance riders’ opportunities
Clinicians examine the abilities that can make environments more accessible for power and manual wheelchair riders.
Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) is defined by individualized configuration: Every seating and wheeled mobility system fits one person only. The owner of that system is also unique — not just in personal goals and function, but also in how well and how fully that person uses that device. For every rider who casually pops wheelies…
Pride Mobility Launches Jazzy Ultra Light Folding Power Wheelchair
The new power chair was designed to be easily transportable.
Pride Mobility’s newest transportable power wheelchair weighs just 33 lbs. without its battery. The foldable Jazzy Ultra Light has an all carbon-fiber frame “durable enough to withstand all your customers’ travels, but light enough to make every trip a cool breeze, whether through airports, on cruise ships, or just around the block,” Pride said in…
Commentary: Will New ‘Wicked’ Movie Defy Wheelchair Stereotypes?
For the first time, Nessarose, aka the Wicked Witch of the East, is portrayed by a real-life wheelchair rider.
I’ve always loved The Wizard of Oz movie (flying monkeys notwithstanding), and I’ve seen Wicked, the musical prequel about the unlikely friendship between Glinda/Galinda the Good Witch and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, several times on stage. But I’ve always felt conflicted about Wicked because of how Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose, is portrayed. She’s…
Abilities Expo Announces 2025 Dates, Venues
The first 2025 show will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in March.
As the final 2024 stop on the national Abilities Expo tour approaches — Dec. 6-8 in Dallas — the consumer show series has released its 2025 schedule of dates and venues. The 2025 schedule kicks off at the Los Angeles Convention Center on March 7-9. That event is followed by the New York Metro Abilities…
Briefly: CMS Adds Inclusion Body Myositis to Seating Consideration List; Nonprofit Debuts Caregiver Website
Featuring NCART, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and I AM ALS.
CMS Adds Inclusion Body Myositis ICD-10 Code for Seating Considerations The National Coalition for Assistive & Rehab Technology (NCART) has reported that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has added the ICD-10 code for inclusion body myositis (G72.41) to the Group 2 and Group 4 lists for consideration for a skin protection and/or…