By Phil Fairbanks News Staff Reporter
Dan D'Andrea and Dave Whalen are a dangerous duo.
One, they have money, and, two, they have a passion, a righteousness if you will, that drives them.
Together, they're a recipe for success unless you're a municipality, restaurant or hotel that thumbs its nose at people with disabilities.
"There's nothing worse than traveling to some place and not being able to get inside," said D'Andrea, a former construction worker paralyzed from the chest down in a 2004 workplace accident.
With the first-ever grants awarded by D'Andrea's charitable trust, a $1 million fund formed last year, the men are out to correct a great wrong — widespread ignorance over the needs of the disabled community.
The result is two initiatives that could open doors for thousands of people with disabilities.
Our intent is to ensure that everyone is included in society," said Whalen, a disability awareness trainer and consultant. "That's not happening right now."
Their first initiative is to create a Web site — www.accessbuffalo.com — that reviews local restaurants and hotels with an eye toward rating their accessibility. The site will be up and running July 1.
The second initiative is "Town Hall Training," a new program aimed at training local government officials in what their legal responsibilities are under the Americans With Disabilities Act.
"That's the law, but most people don't know the law, or say they don't," said D'Andrea, "And if people don't know what to do, how can we hold them responsible?"
Whalen said a lack of awareness "permeates local government," and the most obvious symptom of that is the dearth of local municipal committees dedicated to addressing the needs of the disabled community.
One of the few towns with an active and effective committee is Amherst. By no strange coincidence, D'Andrea and Whalen are members.
Just this year, at the committee's urging, Amherst Council Member Mark Manna asked building inspectors to review town-owned facilities with deficiencies identified by the committee. The problems ranged from poor signs to inadequate doorknobs to doorways too narrow for wheelchairs.
"Every elected official needs to look inside himself and ask if they're committed to spending taxpayers' money on these things," said Manna, the Amherst Town Board's liaison to the committee.
Whalen thinks Amherst eventually can become a model for the rest of Western New York as he and D'Andrea push for the creation of committees for the disabled in every city, town and village.
They also plan to target Western New York's restaurants and hotels as part of a new Web site offering recommendations on where people with disabilities can eat or stay.
The local restaurant industry is cooperating.
"Bottom line, it's the right thing to do," said Robert Free, president of the local chapter of the American Restaurant Association. "It also opens the door to an expanded and largely untapped market."
In short, it's good business to be open and accessible to the disabled.
As director of food service at Coca-Cola Field, Free knows the benefits. Pettibones, the heart of his operation there, is known as a restaurant with widespread access.
And thanks to accessbuffalo.com, even more people will soon know that.
When the Web site debuts in July, people will be able to select from reviews that look at everything from a restaurant's entrances to the accessibility of its restrooms.
The reviews will be done by volunteer college students from Canisius, Niagara, Hilbert and the University at Buffalo.
"We're not coming in and saying, "You're bad because you're not accessible,' " Whalen said. "What we're saying is, "This is what you need to do to become accessible.' "
The common theme in everything Whalen and D'Andrea do is access and inclusion. Spend a few minutes with them, and you'll hear it over and over again.
Poke a little deeper, and you'll find out why.
For D'Andrea, it's a passion rooted in a December 2004 accident at the old Holling Press building, the site of one of downtown's first housing rehabilitation projects.
D'Andrea was working there when a large piece of scaffolding fell and landed on his back. The young construction worker eager to start his own business found himself in a wheelchair instead.
"My goal," he said, "is to make as many places as possible — public and private — accessible to people like me."
For Whalen, it's not so much about him as his young son, who was born with cerebral palsy. "I've worked in the field for years," he said, "but what drives me now is my son. I want to ensure that he, like everyone else, is included in every aspect of our society."
A tall order, but then again, you should never sell righteousness short.
pfairbanks@buffnews.com
31 May 2010
30 May 2010
Can and abled
Subhash Mishra
January 8, 2010
Namita Gupta, 19, from Varanasi has been suffering from cerebral palsy, a disease in which the mind and the body do not work in sync. She was a top student and her parents had wanted to send her for higher studies but failed to do so because of the hostile atmosphere at regular universities and colleges. Though Gupta comprehends well, she speaks slowly with multiple breaks and can neither write nor walk properly. But Gupta has hope now, thanks to the Dr Shakuntala Mishra Rehabilitation University (DSMRU) in Lucknow, an initiative of Chief Minister Mayawati and BSP General Secretary Satish Chandra Mishra. She is now pursuing a BEd in hearing impairment and will acquire a job soon. With the help of two assistants provided by the university, Gupta can now express herself in writing and go wherever she pleases. Her mother has also been lodged with her on the campus. For thousands like Gupta, the DSMRU is fulfiling dreams every day.
The Central Government had been promising such a university for the last 15 years. As awareness about the needs of the physically challenged grew and social attitudes to them changed, it was realised that there simply aren't enough opportunities for them, especially in higher education.
The chief minister was so committed to the cause that she did not lose time in sanctioning over Rs 398 crore for the university. Last September she inaugurated the university in the name of Satish's mother, the late Shakuntala Mishra, who worked with the physically challenged for 20 years. Satish and Shakuntala have fought long battles in the courts trying to ensure reservation for the physically challenged in educational institutions and have been instrumental in the construction of ramps on footpaths and in providing them with government jobs. Satish is now personally monitoring the development of this university spread over 130 acres.
Till now, the physically challenged were left stranded when it came to deciding where to study and where to get financial support from. "As a result, they dropped the idea of pursuing higher studies all together," says Vice-Chancellor R.P. Singh, DSMRU. Despite the fact that Uttar Pradesh alone has more than 35 lakh physically challenged persons, only a small percentage of them have access to higher education due to social and economic reasons. "Many a time the government is not even able to fulfil the 3 per cent mandatory reservation in its services," says the Principal Secretary (Disabled Welfare), Shailesh Krishna, who is also the principal secretary to the chief minister. He said this is where the DSMRU is going to provide the best trained manpower.
The DSMRU is providing special education in BEd in hearing impairment, mental retardation, visual impairment and a diploma in education in these specialised courses. The annual admission fee starts at about Rs 15,000 and varies from course to course. Speaking to INDIA TODAY, Satish explained that all the rooms and washrooms have been designed with ramps and holding bars. He said that even the study material and technology have been modified to suit the students' needs, like books in Braille for the visually challenged students. Fifty per cent of seats in each course have been reserved for normal students with an aim to integrate regular and the differently abled students. It was on Satish's petition to the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court that the state had to ensure all facilities to the visually challenged.
"In the 2001 Census, the population of the physically challenged in India was about 22 million, of whom 48 per cent were partially or completely blind and 25 per cent physically challenged," says Satish. Mayawati has set up a special committee under Satish's chairmanship to submit a report for taking welfare measures for the differently abled. "This is my small contribution to the physically challenged," said the chief minister while inaugurating the university. Apart from providing an education, the DSMRU is also assuring placements for the students pursuing courses like hearing impairment and mental retardation, says the registrar of the rehabilitation university, S.K. Srivastava. "We are already receiving requests from schools and colleges for qualified teachers," he says.
"We have no words to express our gratitude to the chief minister and Mishra who has been instrumental in setting up the rehabilitation university," says S.K. Singh, general secretary of the National Association of the Visually Handicapped. He says that not even 3,000 physically challenged persons of the 35 lakh in the state make it to colleges and universities. "The condition in the rural areas, especially that of women, is pathetic," says Singh, adding that hundreds of posts reserved for the differently abled are lying vacant and the Government should look into it.
Singh said that there are many institutions which provide such an education, but this university is one of its kind as this is where the physically challenged can receive higher education and get proper jobs as well. "We had been liabilities on our families and on society. But the DSMRU has changed our lives. It has elevated us to the status of regular human beings who can earn and feed their families also," says visually impaired student Dinesh Kumar, from Deoria district. The university is showered with calls from all over the country from students with a range of impairments and specific learning difficulties to know about the details of admission, says Srivastava. It's a start, but there's a long way to go.
January 8, 2010
Namita Gupta, 19, from Varanasi has been suffering from cerebral palsy, a disease in which the mind and the body do not work in sync. She was a top student and her parents had wanted to send her for higher studies but failed to do so because of the hostile atmosphere at regular universities and colleges. Though Gupta comprehends well, she speaks slowly with multiple breaks and can neither write nor walk properly. But Gupta has hope now, thanks to the Dr Shakuntala Mishra Rehabilitation University (DSMRU) in Lucknow, an initiative of Chief Minister Mayawati and BSP General Secretary Satish Chandra Mishra. She is now pursuing a BEd in hearing impairment and will acquire a job soon. With the help of two assistants provided by the university, Gupta can now express herself in writing and go wherever she pleases. Her mother has also been lodged with her on the campus. For thousands like Gupta, the DSMRU is fulfiling dreams every day.
The Central Government had been promising such a university for the last 15 years. As awareness about the needs of the physically challenged grew and social attitudes to them changed, it was realised that there simply aren't enough opportunities for them, especially in higher education.
The chief minister was so committed to the cause that she did not lose time in sanctioning over Rs 398 crore for the university. Last September she inaugurated the university in the name of Satish's mother, the late Shakuntala Mishra, who worked with the physically challenged for 20 years. Satish and Shakuntala have fought long battles in the courts trying to ensure reservation for the physically challenged in educational institutions and have been instrumental in the construction of ramps on footpaths and in providing them with government jobs. Satish is now personally monitoring the development of this university spread over 130 acres.
Till now, the physically challenged were left stranded when it came to deciding where to study and where to get financial support from. "As a result, they dropped the idea of pursuing higher studies all together," says Vice-Chancellor R.P. Singh, DSMRU. Despite the fact that Uttar Pradesh alone has more than 35 lakh physically challenged persons, only a small percentage of them have access to higher education due to social and economic reasons. "Many a time the government is not even able to fulfil the 3 per cent mandatory reservation in its services," says the Principal Secretary (Disabled Welfare), Shailesh Krishna, who is also the principal secretary to the chief minister. He said this is where the DSMRU is going to provide the best trained manpower.
The DSMRU is providing special education in BEd in hearing impairment, mental retardation, visual impairment and a diploma in education in these specialised courses. The annual admission fee starts at about Rs 15,000 and varies from course to course. Speaking to INDIA TODAY, Satish explained that all the rooms and washrooms have been designed with ramps and holding bars. He said that even the study material and technology have been modified to suit the students' needs, like books in Braille for the visually challenged students. Fifty per cent of seats in each course have been reserved for normal students with an aim to integrate regular and the differently abled students. It was on Satish's petition to the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court that the state had to ensure all facilities to the visually challenged.
"In the 2001 Census, the population of the physically challenged in India was about 22 million, of whom 48 per cent were partially or completely blind and 25 per cent physically challenged," says Satish. Mayawati has set up a special committee under Satish's chairmanship to submit a report for taking welfare measures for the differently abled. "This is my small contribution to the physically challenged," said the chief minister while inaugurating the university. Apart from providing an education, the DSMRU is also assuring placements for the students pursuing courses like hearing impairment and mental retardation, says the registrar of the rehabilitation university, S.K. Srivastava. "We are already receiving requests from schools and colleges for qualified teachers," he says.
"We have no words to express our gratitude to the chief minister and Mishra who has been instrumental in setting up the rehabilitation university," says S.K. Singh, general secretary of the National Association of the Visually Handicapped. He says that not even 3,000 physically challenged persons of the 35 lakh in the state make it to colleges and universities. "The condition in the rural areas, especially that of women, is pathetic," says Singh, adding that hundreds of posts reserved for the differently abled are lying vacant and the Government should look into it.
Singh said that there are many institutions which provide such an education, but this university is one of its kind as this is where the physically challenged can receive higher education and get proper jobs as well. "We had been liabilities on our families and on society. But the DSMRU has changed our lives. It has elevated us to the status of regular human beings who can earn and feed their families also," says visually impaired student Dinesh Kumar, from Deoria district. The university is showered with calls from all over the country from students with a range of impairments and specific learning difficulties to know about the details of admission, says Srivastava. It's a start, but there's a long way to go.
One small step for Connor, one big step to help others
TEARS streamed down Wendy Jones's face as she watched her little boy take his very first steps.
Courageous Connor Lamb has learned how to walk – at the age of five.
"I counted as he went," said 30-year-old Wendy. "He managed 19 steps. How fantastic was that? We are really proud of him.
"It has taken him a long time to learn how to walk."
Connor was born with a life-threatening brain defect which delayed his development and movement. Following brain surgery, he was still unable to crawl at the age of three and was forced to spend his early years sitting on the floor.
Before his first birthday, Connor had endured two operations to treat his hydrocephalus, which is also known as fluid on the brain.
"He had a rough time after he was born," explains Wendy, who works as a teacher. "He spent his first Christmas in hospital after developing an infection and that set his development back even further.
"The first operation failed so he had to have another one. Surgery controls the conditions and allows people with hydrocephalus to lead a normal life.
"Surgeons fitted a shunt which drains the fluid from the brain. It was absolutely vital."
Connor, a pupil at Hilton Primary School, can now walk with the help of specialist splints which support his legs.
But Wendy, from Foston, believes Connor's success is all thanks to an independent therapy unit in Shropshire.
"Connor started going to the centre in 2008 and the changes in his development have been amazing," she said.
"We managed to secure funding from our local NHS trust and these sessions at the centre changed Connor's life. We can't thank enough the team who have worked with our son and helped him get on his feet.
"It has been an emotional journey but one which has a happy ending."
As a way of thanking The Movement Centre and highlighting its work, Connor asked his mum if he could raise money for the clinic.
On Sunday, he will set off on a sponsored walk around Branston Water Park.
With the help of his walking frame, and perhaps a hand from his mum and grandmother Daphne Broomfield, Connor plans to complete a short walk along the footpath.
"I don't know how far Connor will be able to go," said Wendy. "It's quite a walk. I think it would probably take me half an hour so Connor is going to need a little bit of help.
"But it's the taking part that counts and walking is his biggest achievement."
It is Connor's wish to raise enough money to pay for another child's treatment who might not be eligible for NHS funding. Each block of therapy, which can last a number of months, costs around £2,000. Connor needed two.
"It's very expensive," said Wendy. "But when you see how much it has helped Connor, you can't fail to want it for your child."
The Movement Centre, near Wales, is an independent, not-for-profit therapy centre dedicated to helping children with problems of movement control. It mainly deals with children with cerebral palsy and other severe conditions which affect mobility.
Wendy contacted the centre in July 2008 and asked if Connor could be assessed. After their first consultation, staff agreed to work with Connor.
"We were thrilled to get a place," said Wendy, who has another son, 22-month-old Reece. It was brilliant. I'd been told how wonderful it was and I really wanted Connor to go.
"I was desperate to help my son, that's why I got in touch.''
Connor started the programme only being able to sit on his bottom. He couldn't stand or walk or crawl.
Staff devised Connor his personal physiotherapy programme and made unique pieces of equipment to help him get around.
Between sessions at the unit, Wendy was shown how to help her son progress.
"I had to strap Connor into his frame for 30 minutes every day," said Wendy. "It supported him whilst he stood upright.
"The equipment helped to strengthen muscles and get him used to being in a vertical position. We also had lots of physiotherapy to do. We had targets to achieve.
"We went back to the unit every two months so the frame could be altered and his development assessed.
"We had two frames, together with physiotherapy and it really helped Connor find his feet. We had to do all kinds of exercises but the hard work paid off.
"In the beginning Connor learned how to pull himself up on things and then he was able to take his own weight.
"Within no time at all, he showed some positive results. I was thrilled. We all were. When we actually took his first steps I was totally overwhelmed. We all cried. It was so emotional."
Wendy and her partner, Stephen Lamb, 29, a duty manager for rail firm Stagecoach, believes life has never been better for Connor.
He loves school, has made some firm friends and is able to walk around like other five-year-old children. Specialist splints still aid his mobility, but they're not visible.
"He just wants to be like every other little boy," said Wendy. "And now he is. He's such a determined child. I'm so glad that he's done so well."
Wendy knew Connor had problems with his brain even before he was born. At her 20-week scan she was told that something was wrong with her unborn baby.
"I was totally devastated to hear that," said Wendy. "Connor was my first baby so it was just awful news to receive.
"I was transferred to Birmingham Women's Hospital where I had more tests.
"It was a worrying time because at first we didn't know exactly what would be wrong with Connor. Pregnancy defect – that's what medics banded about and that worried me even more."
After Connor was born he was transferred to Birmingham Children's Hospital where he was assessed. A scan confirmed he had hydrocephalus.
"It was exhausting," said Wendy. "We didn't know much about the condition and that worried us more.
"He had to have two operations on his brain and as a new mum I was petrified. We were in and out of hospital because he kept getting ill and developing infections."
Wendy has battled every step of the way to get the right treatment for her son and her hard work has paid off. Now she's enjoying a more laid back life with her two, very happy and very mobile children.
"I can't thank everyone enough for what they have done for Connor and me and my family," she said.
"Dig deep and help raise some money for Connor's walk – that's all I ask."
Penny Butler, lead physiotherapist at The Movement Centre, said: "We are thrilled to hear about Connor's sponsored walk. He has made such huge progress since he started coming to us.
"His efforts to raise money for us are much appreciated. Around 40% of the children we treat here do not secure NHS funding. This money could make such a difference to people's lives."
For ways to donate, e-mail Wendy at wendy19804@yahoo.co.uk
Courageous Connor Lamb has learned how to walk – at the age of five.
"I counted as he went," said 30-year-old Wendy. "He managed 19 steps. How fantastic was that? We are really proud of him.
"It has taken him a long time to learn how to walk."
Connor was born with a life-threatening brain defect which delayed his development and movement. Following brain surgery, he was still unable to crawl at the age of three and was forced to spend his early years sitting on the floor.
Before his first birthday, Connor had endured two operations to treat his hydrocephalus, which is also known as fluid on the brain.
"He had a rough time after he was born," explains Wendy, who works as a teacher. "He spent his first Christmas in hospital after developing an infection and that set his development back even further.
"The first operation failed so he had to have another one. Surgery controls the conditions and allows people with hydrocephalus to lead a normal life.
"Surgeons fitted a shunt which drains the fluid from the brain. It was absolutely vital."
Connor, a pupil at Hilton Primary School, can now walk with the help of specialist splints which support his legs.
But Wendy, from Foston, believes Connor's success is all thanks to an independent therapy unit in Shropshire.
"Connor started going to the centre in 2008 and the changes in his development have been amazing," she said.
"We managed to secure funding from our local NHS trust and these sessions at the centre changed Connor's life. We can't thank enough the team who have worked with our son and helped him get on his feet.
"It has been an emotional journey but one which has a happy ending."
As a way of thanking The Movement Centre and highlighting its work, Connor asked his mum if he could raise money for the clinic.
On Sunday, he will set off on a sponsored walk around Branston Water Park.
With the help of his walking frame, and perhaps a hand from his mum and grandmother Daphne Broomfield, Connor plans to complete a short walk along the footpath.
"I don't know how far Connor will be able to go," said Wendy. "It's quite a walk. I think it would probably take me half an hour so Connor is going to need a little bit of help.
"But it's the taking part that counts and walking is his biggest achievement."
It is Connor's wish to raise enough money to pay for another child's treatment who might not be eligible for NHS funding. Each block of therapy, which can last a number of months, costs around £2,000. Connor needed two.
"It's very expensive," said Wendy. "But when you see how much it has helped Connor, you can't fail to want it for your child."
The Movement Centre, near Wales, is an independent, not-for-profit therapy centre dedicated to helping children with problems of movement control. It mainly deals with children with cerebral palsy and other severe conditions which affect mobility.
Wendy contacted the centre in July 2008 and asked if Connor could be assessed. After their first consultation, staff agreed to work with Connor.
"We were thrilled to get a place," said Wendy, who has another son, 22-month-old Reece. It was brilliant. I'd been told how wonderful it was and I really wanted Connor to go.
"I was desperate to help my son, that's why I got in touch.''
Connor started the programme only being able to sit on his bottom. He couldn't stand or walk or crawl.
Staff devised Connor his personal physiotherapy programme and made unique pieces of equipment to help him get around.
Between sessions at the unit, Wendy was shown how to help her son progress.
"I had to strap Connor into his frame for 30 minutes every day," said Wendy. "It supported him whilst he stood upright.
"The equipment helped to strengthen muscles and get him used to being in a vertical position. We also had lots of physiotherapy to do. We had targets to achieve.
"We went back to the unit every two months so the frame could be altered and his development assessed.
"We had two frames, together with physiotherapy and it really helped Connor find his feet. We had to do all kinds of exercises but the hard work paid off.
"In the beginning Connor learned how to pull himself up on things and then he was able to take his own weight.
"Within no time at all, he showed some positive results. I was thrilled. We all were. When we actually took his first steps I was totally overwhelmed. We all cried. It was so emotional."
Wendy and her partner, Stephen Lamb, 29, a duty manager for rail firm Stagecoach, believes life has never been better for Connor.
He loves school, has made some firm friends and is able to walk around like other five-year-old children. Specialist splints still aid his mobility, but they're not visible.
"He just wants to be like every other little boy," said Wendy. "And now he is. He's such a determined child. I'm so glad that he's done so well."
Wendy knew Connor had problems with his brain even before he was born. At her 20-week scan she was told that something was wrong with her unborn baby.
"I was totally devastated to hear that," said Wendy. "Connor was my first baby so it was just awful news to receive.
"I was transferred to Birmingham Women's Hospital where I had more tests.
"It was a worrying time because at first we didn't know exactly what would be wrong with Connor. Pregnancy defect – that's what medics banded about and that worried me even more."
After Connor was born he was transferred to Birmingham Children's Hospital where he was assessed. A scan confirmed he had hydrocephalus.
"It was exhausting," said Wendy. "We didn't know much about the condition and that worried us more.
"He had to have two operations on his brain and as a new mum I was petrified. We were in and out of hospital because he kept getting ill and developing infections."
Wendy has battled every step of the way to get the right treatment for her son and her hard work has paid off. Now she's enjoying a more laid back life with her two, very happy and very mobile children.
"I can't thank everyone enough for what they have done for Connor and me and my family," she said.
"Dig deep and help raise some money for Connor's walk – that's all I ask."
Penny Butler, lead physiotherapist at The Movement Centre, said: "We are thrilled to hear about Connor's sponsored walk. He has made such huge progress since he started coming to us.
"His efforts to raise money for us are much appreciated. Around 40% of the children we treat here do not secure NHS funding. This money could make such a difference to people's lives."
For ways to donate, e-mail Wendy at wendy19804@yahoo.co.uk
02 May 2010
Fire and Water
Hey Guys,
I have returned from my vacation in Portland, it was awesome. I visited my friend Garret, slept in a room full of books and movies. Slept on a Memory Foam Mattress, which was pretty comfy. For the first time I learned how to cut things with a knife, make rice and a whole bunch of other stuff. Also I did a whole bunch of dishes, which is some what of a therapy for me. Weird huh? Portland is a very beautiful place, it thrives with artists of all kinds, the trees are massive and very green.
I miss it so much, it was cool waking up to community everyday. People who do life together everyday, share struggles, food and laughs together. I’ve made some really awesome new friends while being there, I’d share a lot of the beautiful moments that I had there. However they will be saved for the new book, which is going very well. Wrapping up chapter one sometime this week.
Counseling is going well, though I’ve only just started , it’s cool to have a safe place to go to. Being in Portland lit a fire in my heart. I have an ache in my heart for the outcasts in this world, ones that have fallen through the cracks in life.
I’m tired of seeing life being wasted, people going through life without passion. To some people life is just life, a event in which we live, do are thing and that’s the end of it. And if I may say so, that is very sad. It breaks my heart. For me, in my understanding, once your dead, your dead. You cannot have a repeat.
In the movie brave heart, there’s a line that goes like this: I DON’T WANT TO LOOSE HEART, I want to believe as he did.”
I want to live my life, knowing that when that last breath leaves my body, I will know that I poured myself out like a drink offering. For the last handful of years I’ve had a vision of teens and young adults throwing notebooks on the ground one by one. In each of these notebook was the story of each young life. I’d love to give every young person a chance to share their story with the world, not in terms of publication. But as a way to leave something beautiful behind. I’m not sure how this would happen, however it is something I’m willing to give my time too.
I LOVE you guys, take it easy and live wide awake.
-Brandon
I have returned from my vacation in Portland, it was awesome. I visited my friend Garret, slept in a room full of books and movies. Slept on a Memory Foam Mattress, which was pretty comfy. For the first time I learned how to cut things with a knife, make rice and a whole bunch of other stuff. Also I did a whole bunch of dishes, which is some what of a therapy for me. Weird huh? Portland is a very beautiful place, it thrives with artists of all kinds, the trees are massive and very green.
I miss it so much, it was cool waking up to community everyday. People who do life together everyday, share struggles, food and laughs together. I’ve made some really awesome new friends while being there, I’d share a lot of the beautiful moments that I had there. However they will be saved for the new book, which is going very well. Wrapping up chapter one sometime this week.
Counseling is going well, though I’ve only just started , it’s cool to have a safe place to go to. Being in Portland lit a fire in my heart. I have an ache in my heart for the outcasts in this world, ones that have fallen through the cracks in life.
I’m tired of seeing life being wasted, people going through life without passion. To some people life is just life, a event in which we live, do are thing and that’s the end of it. And if I may say so, that is very sad. It breaks my heart. For me, in my understanding, once your dead, your dead. You cannot have a repeat.
In the movie brave heart, there’s a line that goes like this: I DON’T WANT TO LOOSE HEART, I want to believe as he did.”
I want to live my life, knowing that when that last breath leaves my body, I will know that I poured myself out like a drink offering. For the last handful of years I’ve had a vision of teens and young adults throwing notebooks on the ground one by one. In each of these notebook was the story of each young life. I’d love to give every young person a chance to share their story with the world, not in terms of publication. But as a way to leave something beautiful behind. I’m not sure how this would happen, however it is something I’m willing to give my time too.
I LOVE you guys, take it easy and live wide awake.
-Brandon
01 May 2010
Informal Carers, Who Takes Care Of Them?
Until recently, informal care (provided by relatives and friends) has been overlooked by policy-makers in the context of long-term care for dependent older people. Driven by concerns about the fiscal sustainability of long-term care services and by more self-conscious and demanding carers' movements across countries, informal care has been brought into the limelight. Data on carers is still relatively scarce due in part to the nature of the care itself as it is often provided informally at home. In view of this, what do we know about informal carers and who benefits from them? Which country differences exist? Which policies are set in place to support them? This Policy Brief tries to shed light on these issues by using available data from (inter)national sources as well as qualitative information gathered in our recent publication "Facts and Figures on Long-term Care - Europe and North America". It seeks to increase knowledge on informal carers and discuss some of the implications surrounding social policies that impact them. The analysis is very much policy-oriented and takes a comparative view, focusing mostly on the wider Europe.
Informal care-giving provided by relatives and friends remains the backbone of care provision for the elderly and until recently it has been overlooked by policy-makers in the context of long-term care for dependent older people. Concerns about the fiscal sustainability of long-term care services and more self-conscious and demanding carers' movements across countries have pushed informal care into the limelight.
This Policy Brief highlights a series of societal, demographic and policy developments that are likely to change informal care in its current form (i.e. mostly female relatives of working age). This should not necessarily be perceived as a potentially harmful evolution as the current arrangement probably does not suit many of today's carers who are overburdened with demanding care tasks.
The key issue that public policies should address is not to try to crystallise the current informal care arrangements, but rather to adapt to the changing conditions. Data on carers is still relatively scarce due in part to the nature of the care itself as it is often provided informally at home. In view of this, what do we know about informal carers and who benefits from them? Which country differences exist? Which policies are in place to support them? This Policy Brief sheds some light on these issues by using available data from (inter)national sources as well as qualitative information gathered in our recent publication "Facts and Figures on Long-term Care - Europe and North America".
The analysis is very much policy-oriented and takes a comparative view, focusing mostly on the wider Europe. It seeks to increase knowledge on informal carers and discuss some of the implications surrounding social policies that impact them. Policy-makers should ensure that the carers' own needs as much as those of the care recipients are taken into consideration and met. As this Policy Brief shows, certain policies aimed at supporting carers come with trade-offs (such as balancing employment goals with financial support for carers) and these should be borne in mind when setting-up those measures
Source: European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research
Informal care-giving provided by relatives and friends remains the backbone of care provision for the elderly and until recently it has been overlooked by policy-makers in the context of long-term care for dependent older people. Concerns about the fiscal sustainability of long-term care services and more self-conscious and demanding carers' movements across countries have pushed informal care into the limelight.
This Policy Brief highlights a series of societal, demographic and policy developments that are likely to change informal care in its current form (i.e. mostly female relatives of working age). This should not necessarily be perceived as a potentially harmful evolution as the current arrangement probably does not suit many of today's carers who are overburdened with demanding care tasks.
The key issue that public policies should address is not to try to crystallise the current informal care arrangements, but rather to adapt to the changing conditions. Data on carers is still relatively scarce due in part to the nature of the care itself as it is often provided informally at home. In view of this, what do we know about informal carers and who benefits from them? Which country differences exist? Which policies are in place to support them? This Policy Brief sheds some light on these issues by using available data from (inter)national sources as well as qualitative information gathered in our recent publication "Facts and Figures on Long-term Care - Europe and North America".
The analysis is very much policy-oriented and takes a comparative view, focusing mostly on the wider Europe. It seeks to increase knowledge on informal carers and discuss some of the implications surrounding social policies that impact them. Policy-makers should ensure that the carers' own needs as much as those of the care recipients are taken into consideration and met. As this Policy Brief shows, certain policies aimed at supporting carers come with trade-offs (such as balancing employment goals with financial support for carers) and these should be borne in mind when setting-up those measures
Source: European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research
30 April 2010
3-D 'Occupational Therapy' For Children
It was her love of ballet that led her to work with children who have motor disabilities. The retired dancer, now an occupational therapist, is pioneering a new "virtual" method to analyze movement patterns in children - and more effectively treat those with debilitating motor disorders.
Dr. Dido Green of Tel Aviv University's Department of Occupational Therapy in the School of Health Professionals is using a "virtual tabletop" called the ELEMENTS SYSTEM, developed by her partners at Australia's Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, to "move" kids with disabilities and provide home-based treatments using virtual reality tools. Combining new three-dimensional exercises with two-dimensional graphical movement games already programmed into the tabletop (which resembles an early video game), she reports not only success but also enthusiasm among her young patients.
"I've been working with children with movement disorders for the last 20 years," says Dr. Green. "By the time I meet these children, they're sick of us. They've been 'over-therapied,' and it's difficult to get them to practice their exercises and prescribed treatment regimes."
Fun for kids from three to fifteen
"The virtual tabletop appealed to children as young as three and as old as 15," Dr. Green reports. "The movement-oriented games allowed them to 'make music' and reach targets in ways that are normally neither comfortable nor fun in the therapeutic setting," she explains.
Dr. Green determined that children with partial paralysis and motor dysfunction resulting from disorders such as cerebral palsy may be helped by giving them a new interface to explore. Building upon earlier research she conducted at the Evelina Children's Hospital in London, Dr. Green found that virtual reality applications enhance the skill sets learned by her patients.
Coupled with new technology involving 3D Movement Analysis, a technique she is now integrating into research at Tel Aviv University, Dr. Green hopes to develop this virtual tabletop - type game into new and effective therapy treatment regimes.
"Traditional approaches are labor-intensive and their results limited," Dr. Green says. "Our research aims to create a complete system for therapist, parent and child. It could bring daily treatments into the home and provides therapists with a complete solution to track and analyze improvements or setbacks in the most accurate way to date."
From the virtual to the real world
In children who attended sessions with her interface for three days a week over a period of about one month, Dr. Green found some impressive results. One child with a paralyzed hand was able to perform more complicated movements, culminating in a "eureka!" moment when she opened a door for the first time in her life. The girl was also able to gain control over some motor movements essential for basic life tasks, such as buttoning sweaters, opening doors, or going to the washroom. These are skills some children never develop with current therapy regimes.
In the near future, Dr. Green hopes to develop the technique for remote rehabilitation, enabling children to practice movements at home with parental supervision. Therapists located elsewhere could "log in" with a webcam and computer to coach the students or monitor their progress.
The researcher also plans to analyze brain function using trans-cranial magnetic brain stimulation. Currently, brain function relating to motor activities is analyzed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). But many children are too impatient to sit in an MRI machine, so clinicians need a more accurate means of analyzing movement in children with disabilities to develop individualized therapy regimes.
Source:
George Hunka
American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Dr. Dido Green of Tel Aviv University's Department of Occupational Therapy in the School of Health Professionals is using a "virtual tabletop" called the ELEMENTS SYSTEM, developed by her partners at Australia's Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, to "move" kids with disabilities and provide home-based treatments using virtual reality tools. Combining new three-dimensional exercises with two-dimensional graphical movement games already programmed into the tabletop (which resembles an early video game), she reports not only success but also enthusiasm among her young patients.
"I've been working with children with movement disorders for the last 20 years," says Dr. Green. "By the time I meet these children, they're sick of us. They've been 'over-therapied,' and it's difficult to get them to practice their exercises and prescribed treatment regimes."
Fun for kids from three to fifteen
"The virtual tabletop appealed to children as young as three and as old as 15," Dr. Green reports. "The movement-oriented games allowed them to 'make music' and reach targets in ways that are normally neither comfortable nor fun in the therapeutic setting," she explains.
Dr. Green determined that children with partial paralysis and motor dysfunction resulting from disorders such as cerebral palsy may be helped by giving them a new interface to explore. Building upon earlier research she conducted at the Evelina Children's Hospital in London, Dr. Green found that virtual reality applications enhance the skill sets learned by her patients.
Coupled with new technology involving 3D Movement Analysis, a technique she is now integrating into research at Tel Aviv University, Dr. Green hopes to develop this virtual tabletop - type game into new and effective therapy treatment regimes.
"Traditional approaches are labor-intensive and their results limited," Dr. Green says. "Our research aims to create a complete system for therapist, parent and child. It could bring daily treatments into the home and provides therapists with a complete solution to track and analyze improvements or setbacks in the most accurate way to date."
From the virtual to the real world
In children who attended sessions with her interface for three days a week over a period of about one month, Dr. Green found some impressive results. One child with a paralyzed hand was able to perform more complicated movements, culminating in a "eureka!" moment when she opened a door for the first time in her life. The girl was also able to gain control over some motor movements essential for basic life tasks, such as buttoning sweaters, opening doors, or going to the washroom. These are skills some children never develop with current therapy regimes.
In the near future, Dr. Green hopes to develop the technique for remote rehabilitation, enabling children to practice movements at home with parental supervision. Therapists located elsewhere could "log in" with a webcam and computer to coach the students or monitor their progress.
The researcher also plans to analyze brain function using trans-cranial magnetic brain stimulation. Currently, brain function relating to motor activities is analyzed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). But many children are too impatient to sit in an MRI machine, so clinicians need a more accurate means of analyzing movement in children with disabilities to develop individualized therapy regimes.
Source:
George Hunka
American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Therapeutic Uses of a Nintendo Wii
By Bryan Cohen, eHow Contributing Writer
The Nintendo Wii brings physical activity to gaming.The Nintendo Wii gaming system was released in late 2006. With the creation of the WiiFit companion and the balance board, Nintendo has embraced the public's use of the console for weight management and exercise. The Wii has found its way into retirement homes, hospitals and physical training offices throughout the world as a new way to meld entertainment and therapy.
For Seniors
In Anaheim, the VIP Adult Day Health Care Center holds Wii gaming sessions twice a month. After just three months, the employees noticed that the seniors who attended had improved their motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Feedback from the patients was so positive that Dennis Miyadi, the occupational therapist in charge of the center has continued the Wii use and expanded it to their sister center in Santa Ana. The patients enjoy the games, cheer each other on and have the opportunity to play sports like table tennis or bowling which they gave up due to injury, age or poor health. The use of the Wii encourages older adults to be active and may improve their overall health.
Physical Therapy
Using the balance board, the wheel and the regular Wii controllers, physical therapists are incorporating game playing into their therapy sessions. Certain games synced up with the balance board can track the progress of a patient in a fun way that a chart, pencil and paper could not. Keeping the therapy entertaining and engaging is a must for a center that has many child or teenage patients. An article in Personal Training Magazine cites that introducing the Wii to patients has lead to a big jump in positive attitude about therapy and an increase in treatment compliance.
Surgery Recovery
The Wii has been used to help patients recover muscle after having had surgeries like back surgery or knee replacement. The fitness package of the Wii helps these patients to improve their weight bearing and balance. The modifications available on the Wii allow patients who are still very weak after surgery to accomplish the motions to play the games. This type of therapy can be used after surgery, accidents or anything else that requires a long road back to recovery. When the road is paved with cute characters and bright colors, it may not seem as long or tough for the patients.
Brain Damage Recovery
The University Medical Center at Ohio State University in Columbus has begun using the Wii as therapy for patients who have recently had strokes, traumatic brain injuries or spinal cord damage. One patient used the Wii fitness games to rebuild the muscles in his right side that had been immobilized post-stroke. Other aspects of the Wii, such as the news and weather channels may also be able to improve brain function due to its simple interface.
Other Recovery Benefits
Many therapy sessions tend to be one-on-one sessions, but with a Wii, multiple people can be involved at once. This adds a social aspect to therapy that can help recovery in a more indirect way: with friendship. By socializing, patients can have an improvement in self-esteem, which can help future training and the patient's attitude. In patients engaging in therapy who are overweight, the Wii tracks Body Mass Index (BMI) and weight. These tracking functions can help patients to set weight loss goals during their training as well.
The Nintendo Wii brings physical activity to gaming.The Nintendo Wii gaming system was released in late 2006. With the creation of the WiiFit companion and the balance board, Nintendo has embraced the public's use of the console for weight management and exercise. The Wii has found its way into retirement homes, hospitals and physical training offices throughout the world as a new way to meld entertainment and therapy.
For Seniors
In Anaheim, the VIP Adult Day Health Care Center holds Wii gaming sessions twice a month. After just three months, the employees noticed that the seniors who attended had improved their motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Feedback from the patients was so positive that Dennis Miyadi, the occupational therapist in charge of the center has continued the Wii use and expanded it to their sister center in Santa Ana. The patients enjoy the games, cheer each other on and have the opportunity to play sports like table tennis or bowling which they gave up due to injury, age or poor health. The use of the Wii encourages older adults to be active and may improve their overall health.
Physical Therapy
Using the balance board, the wheel and the regular Wii controllers, physical therapists are incorporating game playing into their therapy sessions. Certain games synced up with the balance board can track the progress of a patient in a fun way that a chart, pencil and paper could not. Keeping the therapy entertaining and engaging is a must for a center that has many child or teenage patients. An article in Personal Training Magazine cites that introducing the Wii to patients has lead to a big jump in positive attitude about therapy and an increase in treatment compliance.
Surgery Recovery
The Wii has been used to help patients recover muscle after having had surgeries like back surgery or knee replacement. The fitness package of the Wii helps these patients to improve their weight bearing and balance. The modifications available on the Wii allow patients who are still very weak after surgery to accomplish the motions to play the games. This type of therapy can be used after surgery, accidents or anything else that requires a long road back to recovery. When the road is paved with cute characters and bright colors, it may not seem as long or tough for the patients.
Brain Damage Recovery
The University Medical Center at Ohio State University in Columbus has begun using the Wii as therapy for patients who have recently had strokes, traumatic brain injuries or spinal cord damage. One patient used the Wii fitness games to rebuild the muscles in his right side that had been immobilized post-stroke. Other aspects of the Wii, such as the news and weather channels may also be able to improve brain function due to its simple interface.
Other Recovery Benefits
Many therapy sessions tend to be one-on-one sessions, but with a Wii, multiple people can be involved at once. This adds a social aspect to therapy that can help recovery in a more indirect way: with friendship. By socializing, patients can have an improvement in self-esteem, which can help future training and the patient's attitude. In patients engaging in therapy who are overweight, the Wii tracks Body Mass Index (BMI) and weight. These tracking functions can help patients to set weight loss goals during their training as well.
25 April 2010
Neurorrobots to enhance quality of life of persons with motor disabilities
IK4 is taking part in the HYPER Project to develop “bio-inspired” development systems for replicating the natural movements of the human body. Medullar injuries caused by traffic accidents, cerebrovascular accidents or cerebral palsy are the most frequent causes of motor disability, a deficiency that seriously limits the quality of life of a significant number of people. The latest technological advances in neurorobotics and neuroprothesis could be a revolution for improving the processes of rehabilitation and for compensating the limitations that these people suffer in their daily lives.
This is the line of research of the HYPER project, in which the IK4 Technological Alliance is contributing their skills in advanced technology through their CIDETEC-IK4 and VICOMTECH-IK4 centres. Led by the Bioengineering Group of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientÃficas (CSIC), the project also enjoys the collaboration of other bodies given over to scientific-technological and medical research, amongst which are the National Paraplegics Hospital in Toledo, Fatronik-Tecnalia, the universities of Zaragoza, Rey Juan Carlos and Carlos III, and the Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC). Projected to last for four years and with a budget of 5 million euros, this project is financed under the latest call within the Consolider-Ingenio programme launched by the Ministry of Science and Innovation.
The ambitious aim of the project is to develop “bio-inspired” systems for replicating the natural movements of the human body in the most exact possible manner, thus representing a significant advance both in rehabilitation and in compensation for facilitating the everyday activities of people with motor disabilities. Through the combined action of neurorobotics and neuroprothesis, the goal is to restore the motor function of patients with medullar injuries by means of the functional compensation for the disabilities and to promote the relearning of motor control in patients affected by cerebrovascular accidents and cerebral palsy.
The main novelty of HYPER lies in the fact that, for the first time, the combined and integrated use of neurorrobots and neuroprothesis will be investigated to develop hybrid systems, and which will enable a more natural interaction between human systems and machines for rehabilitation and compensation of motor disability. This combination of technologies is a giant leap compared to current devices (exoeskeletons, prothesis, functional electro-stimulation, etc).
Brain-machine interaction and virtual reality
To this end, research will be undertaken into four main technologies: the direct interaction between the brain and the machine (reading thought and transforming it into movement), neurorobotics (exoeskeletons that adhere to the human body), neuroprothesis (the stimulation of muscles with low currents) and virtual reality (to facilitate learning when using new devices).
To achieve this adaptation to the real needs of persons, the project will place the patients in the research centre itself, through working jointly with clinics and expert users throughout all the stages of the project (design, development and trials).
Cerebrovascular accidents and medullar injuries are the most common causes of paralysis, with an incidence of12,000 and 800 cases per million inhabitants, respectively. Both conditions, together with cerebral palsy, are responsible for the majority of cases of haemiplegia, paraplegia and tetraplegia, all of which cause considerable limitation of mobility. This is why HYPER aims to help improve the quality of life of those affected by these disabilities. It is hoped, moreover, that the knowledge thus developed will subsequently be applied to the treatment of other conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.
The contribution of IK4
To achieve this ambitious objective, the nine participating centres will contribute advanced knowledge, each in their own discipline. In the case of IK4, VICOMTECH-IK4 will be responsible for adapting the technology to the needs of the potential users of these devices and for exploiting the potential of virtual reality in the project, which will involve a complete simulation of the human body. CIDETEC-IK4 will develop the sensors inserted in the protheses and measure the pressure to respond with naturalness and comfort to the movement ordered by the patient, and find energy solutions adapted to the devices.
This is the line of research of the HYPER project, in which the IK4 Technological Alliance is contributing their skills in advanced technology through their CIDETEC-IK4 and VICOMTECH-IK4 centres. Led by the Bioengineering Group of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientÃficas (CSIC), the project also enjoys the collaboration of other bodies given over to scientific-technological and medical research, amongst which are the National Paraplegics Hospital in Toledo, Fatronik-Tecnalia, the universities of Zaragoza, Rey Juan Carlos and Carlos III, and the Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC). Projected to last for four years and with a budget of 5 million euros, this project is financed under the latest call within the Consolider-Ingenio programme launched by the Ministry of Science and Innovation.
The ambitious aim of the project is to develop “bio-inspired” systems for replicating the natural movements of the human body in the most exact possible manner, thus representing a significant advance both in rehabilitation and in compensation for facilitating the everyday activities of people with motor disabilities. Through the combined action of neurorobotics and neuroprothesis, the goal is to restore the motor function of patients with medullar injuries by means of the functional compensation for the disabilities and to promote the relearning of motor control in patients affected by cerebrovascular accidents and cerebral palsy.
The main novelty of HYPER lies in the fact that, for the first time, the combined and integrated use of neurorrobots and neuroprothesis will be investigated to develop hybrid systems, and which will enable a more natural interaction between human systems and machines for rehabilitation and compensation of motor disability. This combination of technologies is a giant leap compared to current devices (exoeskeletons, prothesis, functional electro-stimulation, etc).
Brain-machine interaction and virtual reality
To this end, research will be undertaken into four main technologies: the direct interaction between the brain and the machine (reading thought and transforming it into movement), neurorobotics (exoeskeletons that adhere to the human body), neuroprothesis (the stimulation of muscles with low currents) and virtual reality (to facilitate learning when using new devices).
To achieve this adaptation to the real needs of persons, the project will place the patients in the research centre itself, through working jointly with clinics and expert users throughout all the stages of the project (design, development and trials).
Cerebrovascular accidents and medullar injuries are the most common causes of paralysis, with an incidence of12,000 and 800 cases per million inhabitants, respectively. Both conditions, together with cerebral palsy, are responsible for the majority of cases of haemiplegia, paraplegia and tetraplegia, all of which cause considerable limitation of mobility. This is why HYPER aims to help improve the quality of life of those affected by these disabilities. It is hoped, moreover, that the knowledge thus developed will subsequently be applied to the treatment of other conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.
The contribution of IK4
To achieve this ambitious objective, the nine participating centres will contribute advanced knowledge, each in their own discipline. In the case of IK4, VICOMTECH-IK4 will be responsible for adapting the technology to the needs of the potential users of these devices and for exploiting the potential of virtual reality in the project, which will involve a complete simulation of the human body. CIDETEC-IK4 will develop the sensors inserted in the protheses and measure the pressure to respond with naturalness and comfort to the movement ordered by the patient, and find energy solutions adapted to the devices.
23 April 2010
Brain-Recording Device Could Herald Future Development For Monitoring And Controlling Seizures
19 Apr 2010
Scientists have developed a brain implant that essentially melts into place, snugly fitting to the brain's surface. The technology could pave the way for better devices to monitor and control seizures, and to transmit signals from the brain past damaged parts of the spinal cord.
"These implants have the potential to maximize the contact between electrodes and brain tissue, while minimizing damage to the brain. They could provide a platform for a range of devices with applications in epilepsy, spinal cord injuries and other neurological disorders," said Walter Koroshetz, M.D., deputy director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health.
The study, published in Nature Materials, shows that the ultrathin flexible implants, made partly from silk, can record brain activity more faithfully than thicker implants embedded with similar electronics.
The simplest devices for recording from the brain are needle-like electrodes that can penetrate deep into brain tissue. More state-of-the-art devices, called micro-electrode arrays, consist of dozens of semi-flexible wire electrodes, usually fixed to rigid silicon grids that do not conform to the brain's shape.
In people with epilepsy, the arrays could be used to detect when seizures first begin, and deliver pulses to shut the seizures down. In people with spinal cord injuries, the technology has promise for reading complex signals in the brain that direct movement, and routing those signals to healthy muscles or prosthetic devices.
"The focus of our study was to make ultrathin arrays that conform to the complex shape of the brain, and limit the amount of tissue damage and inflammation," said Brian Litt, M.D., an author on the study and an associate professor of neurology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. The silk-based implants developed by Dr. Litt and his colleagues can hug the brain like shrink wrap, collapsing into its grooves and stretching over its rounded surfaces.
The implants contain metal electrodes that are 500 microns thick, or about five times the thickness of a human hair. The absence of sharp electrodes and rigid surfaces should improve safety, with less damage to brain tissue. Also, the implants' ability to mold to the brain's surface could provide better stability; the brain sometimes shifts in the skull and the implant could move with it. Finally, by spreading across the brain, the implants have the potential to capture the activity of large networks of brain cells, Dr. Litt said.
Besides its flexibility, silk was chosen as the base material because it is durable enough to undergo patterning of thin metal traces for electrodes and other electronics. It can also be engineered to avoid inflammatory reactions, and to dissolve at controlled time points, from almost immediately after implantation to years later. The electrode arrays can be printed onto layers of polyimide (a type of plastic) and silk, which can then be positioned on the brain.
To make and test the silk-based implants, Dr. Litt collaborated with scientists at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and at Tufts University outside Boston. John Rogers, Ph.D., a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois, invented the flexible electronics. David Kaplan, Ph.D., and Fiorenzo Omenetto, Ph.D., professors of biomedical engineering at Tufts, engineered the tissue-compatible silk. Dr. Litt used the electronics and silk technology to design the implants, which were fabricated at the University of Illinois.
Recently, the team described a flexible silicon device for recording from the heart and detecting an abnormal heartbeat.
In the current study, the researchers approached the design of a brain implant by first optimizing the mechanics of silk films and their ability to hug the brain. They tested electrode arrays of varying thickness on complex objects, brain models and ultimately in the brains of living, anesthetized animals.
The arrays consisted of 30 electrodes in a 5x6 pattern on an ultrathin layer of polyimide - with or without a silk base. These experiments led to the development of an array with a mesh base of polyimide and silk that dissolves once it makes contact with the brain - so that the array ends up tightly hugging the brain.
Next, they tested the ability of these implants to record the animals' brain activity. By recording signals from the brain's visual center in response to visual stimulation, they found that the ultrathin polyimide-silk arrays captured more robust signals compared to thicker implants.
In the future, the researchers hope to design implants that are more densely packed with electrodes to achieve higher resolution recordings.
"It may also be possible to compress the silk-based implants and deliver them to the brain, through a catheter, in forms that are instrumented with a range of high performance, active electronic components," Dr. Rogers said.
The study received support from NINDS, NIH's National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), the U.S. Department of Energy's Division of Materials Sciences, the U.S. Army, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and the Klingenstein Foundation.
Source:
NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Scientists have developed a brain implant that essentially melts into place, snugly fitting to the brain's surface. The technology could pave the way for better devices to monitor and control seizures, and to transmit signals from the brain past damaged parts of the spinal cord.
"These implants have the potential to maximize the contact between electrodes and brain tissue, while minimizing damage to the brain. They could provide a platform for a range of devices with applications in epilepsy, spinal cord injuries and other neurological disorders," said Walter Koroshetz, M.D., deputy director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health.
The study, published in Nature Materials, shows that the ultrathin flexible implants, made partly from silk, can record brain activity more faithfully than thicker implants embedded with similar electronics.
The simplest devices for recording from the brain are needle-like electrodes that can penetrate deep into brain tissue. More state-of-the-art devices, called micro-electrode arrays, consist of dozens of semi-flexible wire electrodes, usually fixed to rigid silicon grids that do not conform to the brain's shape.
In people with epilepsy, the arrays could be used to detect when seizures first begin, and deliver pulses to shut the seizures down. In people with spinal cord injuries, the technology has promise for reading complex signals in the brain that direct movement, and routing those signals to healthy muscles or prosthetic devices.
"The focus of our study was to make ultrathin arrays that conform to the complex shape of the brain, and limit the amount of tissue damage and inflammation," said Brian Litt, M.D., an author on the study and an associate professor of neurology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. The silk-based implants developed by Dr. Litt and his colleagues can hug the brain like shrink wrap, collapsing into its grooves and stretching over its rounded surfaces.
The implants contain metal electrodes that are 500 microns thick, or about five times the thickness of a human hair. The absence of sharp electrodes and rigid surfaces should improve safety, with less damage to brain tissue. Also, the implants' ability to mold to the brain's surface could provide better stability; the brain sometimes shifts in the skull and the implant could move with it. Finally, by spreading across the brain, the implants have the potential to capture the activity of large networks of brain cells, Dr. Litt said.
Besides its flexibility, silk was chosen as the base material because it is durable enough to undergo patterning of thin metal traces for electrodes and other electronics. It can also be engineered to avoid inflammatory reactions, and to dissolve at controlled time points, from almost immediately after implantation to years later. The electrode arrays can be printed onto layers of polyimide (a type of plastic) and silk, which can then be positioned on the brain.
To make and test the silk-based implants, Dr. Litt collaborated with scientists at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and at Tufts University outside Boston. John Rogers, Ph.D., a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois, invented the flexible electronics. David Kaplan, Ph.D., and Fiorenzo Omenetto, Ph.D., professors of biomedical engineering at Tufts, engineered the tissue-compatible silk. Dr. Litt used the electronics and silk technology to design the implants, which were fabricated at the University of Illinois.
Recently, the team described a flexible silicon device for recording from the heart and detecting an abnormal heartbeat.
In the current study, the researchers approached the design of a brain implant by first optimizing the mechanics of silk films and their ability to hug the brain. They tested electrode arrays of varying thickness on complex objects, brain models and ultimately in the brains of living, anesthetized animals.
The arrays consisted of 30 electrodes in a 5x6 pattern on an ultrathin layer of polyimide - with or without a silk base. These experiments led to the development of an array with a mesh base of polyimide and silk that dissolves once it makes contact with the brain - so that the array ends up tightly hugging the brain.
Next, they tested the ability of these implants to record the animals' brain activity. By recording signals from the brain's visual center in response to visual stimulation, they found that the ultrathin polyimide-silk arrays captured more robust signals compared to thicker implants.
In the future, the researchers hope to design implants that are more densely packed with electrodes to achieve higher resolution recordings.
"It may also be possible to compress the silk-based implants and deliver them to the brain, through a catheter, in forms that are instrumented with a range of high performance, active electronic components," Dr. Rogers said.
The study received support from NINDS, NIH's National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), the U.S. Department of Energy's Division of Materials Sciences, the U.S. Army, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and the Klingenstein Foundation.
Source:
NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
14 April 2010
21st century treatment proves successful for adults living with cerebral palsy
ANN ARBOR, Mich.—The simplest tasks in life, like putting on clothing or tying gym shoes, can be extremely difficult for an adult living with cerebral palsy (CP).
Researchers at the University of Michigan are finding ways to provide easier access to care using home-based programs that use the Internet to monitor changes in performance.
U-M School of Kinesiology professor Susan Brown and colleague Dr. Edward Hurvitz, the chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the U-M Medical School, have completed a study that looked at the effectiveness of a home and internet-based upper limb training program for adults with CP. Their research effort, "Upper Limb Training and Assessment Program," or ULTrA program, was designed to aid adults with cerebral palsy who have upper limb and hand impairments. Until now, no study has ever looked at changes in upper limb coordination and the potential impact on everyday tasks in adults with CP.
The concept was simple: Allow patients to complete regular therapy exercises from the comfort of their home using the Internet, an at-home computer interface, and trainers on the other end of the computer. The goal was also simple: Make movement-based training more convenient and accessible for adults with cerebral palsy. This particular intervention was unique because it used low-cost technology to monitor participants while collecting invaluable, movement-related home training data.
The study tested 12 adults with CP who had pronounced arm and hand mobility issues. Participants completed a series of arm reaching and hand manipulation tasks in their homes for 40 minutes a day, five days a week for a period of eight weeks. Using the Internet and streaming video, the ULTrA program allowed participants to interact with research personnel at the School of Kinesiology's Motor Control Laboratory. Each participant's home was equipped with a computer-based upper limb training unit, a high-speed Internet connection, and a training guide.
"One of our major goals of the study was to incorporate a variety of arm reaching and hand movements exercises that we hoped would improve mobility and do it at a time that was convenient for them," Brown said.
In one of the most notable training sessions, a participant was asked to slide, or turn, as many playing cards (from a casino-style card slider/holder) as possible in 30 seconds. The number of cards a person was able to turn was recorded—part of the larger data collection effort that would help determine how well the in-home therapy was working. The data showed a 64 percent improvement in task performance by the affected hand, and a 41 percent improvement in the less affected hand. Significant improvement in the ability to grasp and manipulate common objects was also seen, providing evidence that training led to improved hand and arm function.
Participants were able to receive coaching and encouragement via web cameras—which also allowed the staff to modify programs as needed without having participants coming into the research lab or clinic.
"We believe home-based therapy shows great promise for patients who otherwise have limited access to interventions due to insurance coverage, travel barriers and time constraints," Hurvitz said.
Apart from rehabilitation, the researchers said, there is real potential to use this technology beyond adults with CP. A variety of populations with neurological problems could benefit from this type of therapy including stroke, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury. These populations could potentially improve movement speed and hand manipulation skills similar to the gains seen in the participants in this study. Brown and Jeanne Langan, a research fellow at the Motor Control Laboratory, have recently begun studies examining the effectiveness of the home and Internet-based training in individuals with stroke.
The study will appear in an upcoming issue of Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, the leading journal in the field of rehabilitation.
The University of Michigan School of Kinesiology continues to be a leader in the areas of prevention and rehabilitation, the business of sport, understanding lifelong health and mobility, and achieving health across the lifespan through physical activity. The School of Kinesiology is home to the Athletic Training, Movement Science, Physical Education, and Sport Management academic programs—bringing together leaders in physiology, biomechanics, public health, urban planning, economics, marketing, public policy, and education and behavioral science since 1894. For more information, visit www.kines.umich.edu
Contact: Christina Camilli-Whisenhunt
Phone: (734) 647-3079
Researchers at the University of Michigan are finding ways to provide easier access to care using home-based programs that use the Internet to monitor changes in performance.
U-M School of Kinesiology professor Susan Brown and colleague Dr. Edward Hurvitz, the chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the U-M Medical School, have completed a study that looked at the effectiveness of a home and internet-based upper limb training program for adults with CP. Their research effort, "Upper Limb Training and Assessment Program," or ULTrA program, was designed to aid adults with cerebral palsy who have upper limb and hand impairments. Until now, no study has ever looked at changes in upper limb coordination and the potential impact on everyday tasks in adults with CP.
The concept was simple: Allow patients to complete regular therapy exercises from the comfort of their home using the Internet, an at-home computer interface, and trainers on the other end of the computer. The goal was also simple: Make movement-based training more convenient and accessible for adults with cerebral palsy. This particular intervention was unique because it used low-cost technology to monitor participants while collecting invaluable, movement-related home training data.
The study tested 12 adults with CP who had pronounced arm and hand mobility issues. Participants completed a series of arm reaching and hand manipulation tasks in their homes for 40 minutes a day, five days a week for a period of eight weeks. Using the Internet and streaming video, the ULTrA program allowed participants to interact with research personnel at the School of Kinesiology's Motor Control Laboratory. Each participant's home was equipped with a computer-based upper limb training unit, a high-speed Internet connection, and a training guide.
"One of our major goals of the study was to incorporate a variety of arm reaching and hand movements exercises that we hoped would improve mobility and do it at a time that was convenient for them," Brown said.
In one of the most notable training sessions, a participant was asked to slide, or turn, as many playing cards (from a casino-style card slider/holder) as possible in 30 seconds. The number of cards a person was able to turn was recorded—part of the larger data collection effort that would help determine how well the in-home therapy was working. The data showed a 64 percent improvement in task performance by the affected hand, and a 41 percent improvement in the less affected hand. Significant improvement in the ability to grasp and manipulate common objects was also seen, providing evidence that training led to improved hand and arm function.
Participants were able to receive coaching and encouragement via web cameras—which also allowed the staff to modify programs as needed without having participants coming into the research lab or clinic.
"We believe home-based therapy shows great promise for patients who otherwise have limited access to interventions due to insurance coverage, travel barriers and time constraints," Hurvitz said.
Apart from rehabilitation, the researchers said, there is real potential to use this technology beyond adults with CP. A variety of populations with neurological problems could benefit from this type of therapy including stroke, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury. These populations could potentially improve movement speed and hand manipulation skills similar to the gains seen in the participants in this study. Brown and Jeanne Langan, a research fellow at the Motor Control Laboratory, have recently begun studies examining the effectiveness of the home and Internet-based training in individuals with stroke.
The study will appear in an upcoming issue of Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, the leading journal in the field of rehabilitation.
The University of Michigan School of Kinesiology continues to be a leader in the areas of prevention and rehabilitation, the business of sport, understanding lifelong health and mobility, and achieving health across the lifespan through physical activity. The School of Kinesiology is home to the Athletic Training, Movement Science, Physical Education, and Sport Management academic programs—bringing together leaders in physiology, biomechanics, public health, urban planning, economics, marketing, public policy, and education and behavioral science since 1894. For more information, visit www.kines.umich.edu
Contact: Christina Camilli-Whisenhunt
Phone: (734) 647-3079
08 April 2010
I am a disabled woman and a wheelchair user. I started my home business for FREE and help global charities. How cool is that?
http://ping.fm/hSUW1
http://ping.fm/hSUW1
31 March 2010
Children's writer Roald Dahl's contributions to neurology
By Susan Perry
Published Thu, Mar 18 2010 9:24 am
Although I’ve never read the late Roald Dahl’s ghost stories and other works of adult fiction, nor his autobiographical volumes, I’m a huge fan of his children’s books (such classics as “James and the Giant Peach,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and the pull-the-covers-up-over-your-head-scary “The Witches”). Best read-aloud-to-kids books ever.
So, when British psychologist Vaughan Bell blogged in MindHacks earlier this week about an article that focused on Dahl’s contributions to neurology, I immediately read it.
The 2008 article [PDF], which appeared in the journal Advances in Clinical Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, begins by describing how Dahl experienced a World War II head injury (he was a pilot) that temporarily left him blind. The article’s author, British neurologist Andrew Larner, also suggests that Dahl later exhibited what may have been symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
“[F]or example,” notes Larner, “when writing in his famous shed, he had to have a particular type of paper (yellow American Legal), and both a particular brand and a specific number (6) of pencils.”
But Dahl’s real interest in — and contributions to — clinical neurology stemmed from two personal tragedies. The first occurred in New York in 1960, when Dahl’s infant son, Theo, was injured in a car accident. The boy developed some brain damage and secondary hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid inside the skull that can damage the brain if not drained, or shunted, away.
Dahl took a very active role in his son’s neurological care. Writes Larner:
The family returned to England and Theo came under the care of Kenneth Till, a neurosurgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital (1956-80). Prompted by Dahl, and in collaboration with Stanley Wade, an hydraulic engineer, a new type of shunt valve was designed. Reported in the Lancet by Kenneth Till, under the rubric of “New Inventions,” the special characteristics were reported to be “low resistance, ease of sterilization, no reflux, robust construction, and negligible risk of blockage.” The author acknowledged that the valve was “designed by Mr. Stanley C. Wade…with the assistance of Mr. Roald Dahl and myself.” The Wade-Dahl-Till (or WDT) valve became widely used.
The second tragedy that linked Dahl to the world of neurology occurred a few years later:
In 1965, Dahl’s first wife, the American actress Patricia Neal, suffered a stroke due to a ruptured intracranial aneurysm, one of the consequences of which was marked aphasia [an inability to communicate through spoken and/or written words], a potential career-ending misfortune for an actress. … Dahl appealed to Valerie Eaton Griffith, who lived in the same village, for help. With Dahl, she devised a rota of volunteer carers to engage the patient in conversation and hence to stimulate language recovery. This approach, different from formal speech therapy, was documented in Griffith’s [1970] book. … It earned the approbation, as “treatment of a surreptitious character,” of no less a neurological figure than Macdonald Critchely, and still has advocates today.
Dahl, who died in 1990, left behind, in addition to his wonderful writings, the Roald Dahl Foundation, which continues to fund research into neurological conditions affecting children.
Published Thu, Mar 18 2010 9:24 am
Although I’ve never read the late Roald Dahl’s ghost stories and other works of adult fiction, nor his autobiographical volumes, I’m a huge fan of his children’s books (such classics as “James and the Giant Peach,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and the pull-the-covers-up-over-your-head-scary “The Witches”). Best read-aloud-to-kids books ever.
So, when British psychologist Vaughan Bell blogged in MindHacks earlier this week about an article that focused on Dahl’s contributions to neurology, I immediately read it.
The 2008 article [PDF], which appeared in the journal Advances in Clinical Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, begins by describing how Dahl experienced a World War II head injury (he was a pilot) that temporarily left him blind. The article’s author, British neurologist Andrew Larner, also suggests that Dahl later exhibited what may have been symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
“[F]or example,” notes Larner, “when writing in his famous shed, he had to have a particular type of paper (yellow American Legal), and both a particular brand and a specific number (6) of pencils.”
But Dahl’s real interest in — and contributions to — clinical neurology stemmed from two personal tragedies. The first occurred in New York in 1960, when Dahl’s infant son, Theo, was injured in a car accident. The boy developed some brain damage and secondary hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid inside the skull that can damage the brain if not drained, or shunted, away.
Dahl took a very active role in his son’s neurological care. Writes Larner:
The family returned to England and Theo came under the care of Kenneth Till, a neurosurgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital (1956-80). Prompted by Dahl, and in collaboration with Stanley Wade, an hydraulic engineer, a new type of shunt valve was designed. Reported in the Lancet by Kenneth Till, under the rubric of “New Inventions,” the special characteristics were reported to be “low resistance, ease of sterilization, no reflux, robust construction, and negligible risk of blockage.” The author acknowledged that the valve was “designed by Mr. Stanley C. Wade…with the assistance of Mr. Roald Dahl and myself.” The Wade-Dahl-Till (or WDT) valve became widely used.
The second tragedy that linked Dahl to the world of neurology occurred a few years later:
In 1965, Dahl’s first wife, the American actress Patricia Neal, suffered a stroke due to a ruptured intracranial aneurysm, one of the consequences of which was marked aphasia [an inability to communicate through spoken and/or written words], a potential career-ending misfortune for an actress. … Dahl appealed to Valerie Eaton Griffith, who lived in the same village, for help. With Dahl, she devised a rota of volunteer carers to engage the patient in conversation and hence to stimulate language recovery. This approach, different from formal speech therapy, was documented in Griffith’s [1970] book. … It earned the approbation, as “treatment of a surreptitious character,” of no less a neurological figure than Macdonald Critchely, and still has advocates today.
Dahl, who died in 1990, left behind, in addition to his wonderful writings, the Roald Dahl Foundation, which continues to fund research into neurological conditions affecting children.
4 Paws For Ability
Nampa, Idaho -- Man's best friend could give a 2 year old his independence.
One Nampa boy is hoping for the dog that can make that wish come true. Christian Westby, according to his mother, is a wonderful, almost typical, 2 year old except for being able to get around. His cerebral palsy slows his muscles down, but not his spirit.
"He's a spectacular little boy. I wouldn't change anything about him," Kristina Westby said about her son.
"The physical therapist looked at him and said, ‘You know what? If he had a mobility dog, he could get out of his walker and walk,' and said ‘That's it, we have to do it,'" said Kristina.
The dog will be trained specifically for Christian, but costs $13,000 dollars. It would come from, and get the special training from, 4 Paws For Ability.
"There's just penny jars everywhere and we've put out fliers," said Kristina.
A few Karcher Mall shops are pitching in. Some store owners thought that "nickel and diming" their way to $13,000 wasn't going to get there fast enough.
"I went around and asked people to volunteer and I got quite a few other people in the mall to participate," said Rochelle Weller of The Candy Stand.
"Most of the guys in the RC community, I think are pretty giving and they're always up for a good cause so I thought it would be a lot quicker way in trying to raise some money for them," said Troy Dewey from Dewey's Hobbies.
Saturday's fundraiser should help out. With games, raffles, racing, and junk food.
"All of the proceeds are going to go directly to Christian's fund for the dog," said Dewey.
All to get Christian a helpful friend so that his mom can keep chasing after him.
"For him to be able to go out in the yard and play, and me to just be able to leave the door open," said Kristina. "He's so bright, and he has so much to accomplish, and we want to see him do it as soon as possible."
Christian's friends and family will rally at the Northwest end of Karcher Mall Saturday, March 20, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The racing is at Dewey's Toys and Hobbies, with The Candy Stand right across the way offering baked goods and the raffle.
Many shops in the mall have donated gifts and gift certificates for the raffle.
For more information about 4 Paws For Mobility and how you can help Christian, visit http://www.4pawsforability.com/.
One Nampa boy is hoping for the dog that can make that wish come true. Christian Westby, according to his mother, is a wonderful, almost typical, 2 year old except for being able to get around. His cerebral palsy slows his muscles down, but not his spirit.
"He's a spectacular little boy. I wouldn't change anything about him," Kristina Westby said about her son.
"The physical therapist looked at him and said, ‘You know what? If he had a mobility dog, he could get out of his walker and walk,' and said ‘That's it, we have to do it,'" said Kristina.
The dog will be trained specifically for Christian, but costs $13,000 dollars. It would come from, and get the special training from, 4 Paws For Ability.
"There's just penny jars everywhere and we've put out fliers," said Kristina.
A few Karcher Mall shops are pitching in. Some store owners thought that "nickel and diming" their way to $13,000 wasn't going to get there fast enough.
"I went around and asked people to volunteer and I got quite a few other people in the mall to participate," said Rochelle Weller of The Candy Stand.
"Most of the guys in the RC community, I think are pretty giving and they're always up for a good cause so I thought it would be a lot quicker way in trying to raise some money for them," said Troy Dewey from Dewey's Hobbies.
Saturday's fundraiser should help out. With games, raffles, racing, and junk food.
"All of the proceeds are going to go directly to Christian's fund for the dog," said Dewey.
All to get Christian a helpful friend so that his mom can keep chasing after him.
"For him to be able to go out in the yard and play, and me to just be able to leave the door open," said Kristina. "He's so bright, and he has so much to accomplish, and we want to see him do it as soon as possible."
Christian's friends and family will rally at the Northwest end of Karcher Mall Saturday, March 20, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The racing is at Dewey's Toys and Hobbies, with The Candy Stand right across the way offering baked goods and the raffle.
Many shops in the mall have donated gifts and gift certificates for the raffle.
For more information about 4 Paws For Mobility and how you can help Christian, visit http://www.4pawsforability.com/.
27 March 2010
Stretching the Mind and Body: The Benefits of Yoga for Children with Special Needs
NEW YORK, March 25, 2010 — In 2007, when Kami Evans’ daughter was diagnosed with hemi paresis, which is a mild case of cerebral palsy, she wondered: What can she do to help her? How active should she be? And how can she not be overprotective of her, especially when she goes off to school?
“The answer seemed to be involving my daughter in as many activities as I could. As a result, she was signed up for swimming, gym and music classes all by her first birthday. My daughter also had eight hours of physical and occupational therapy each week,” said Mrs. Evans.
As many doctors have stated to Mr. and Mrs. Evans, “The brain is so plastic.” Mrs. Evans continued, “And how active we remained with her treatment before she turned 24 months would impact how successful her recovery would be. We were on a mission.”
Then they found yoga. When a class with a few participants got cancelled, they hired the instructor to lead the lessons out of their home. At 15 months, she started to crawl by incorporating the rocking table and downward dog poses in her movements. At 20 months, she progressed to trying poses such as mountain, squats and elevator. Every day she would get the movements more and more.
Mr. and Mrs. Evans saw such a difference in their daughter’s development that they asked the instructor to come over three times per week. Meanwhile, they continued to take her to her usual classes and have her weekly eight hours of therapy sessions. But the yoga instruction was unique in that it was playful and enjoyable for her, prompting her to consider her time with the instructor as a play date.
When the instructor chose to pursue other interests, it encouraged Mrs. Evans to become certified. She first took a teacher training course at a Manhattan studio for children’s yoga, followed by training and certification working with children with special needs.
“Not only did I learn more about her yoga practice and how it enabled her to become increasingly aware of her body and personal space, but I was able to share this with other families as well. Inspired by this journey, I opened a yoga studio for children in Manhattan. This led me to share the benefits of yoga for children in more locations throughout New York City,” said Mrs. Evans.
Contact:
Kami Evans
Elahi Children’s Yoga
130 East 65th Street
New York, NY 10065
http://www.elahiyoga.com
212-249-0607
“The answer seemed to be involving my daughter in as many activities as I could. As a result, she was signed up for swimming, gym and music classes all by her first birthday. My daughter also had eight hours of physical and occupational therapy each week,” said Mrs. Evans.
As many doctors have stated to Mr. and Mrs. Evans, “The brain is so plastic.” Mrs. Evans continued, “And how active we remained with her treatment before she turned 24 months would impact how successful her recovery would be. We were on a mission.”
Then they found yoga. When a class with a few participants got cancelled, they hired the instructor to lead the lessons out of their home. At 15 months, she started to crawl by incorporating the rocking table and downward dog poses in her movements. At 20 months, she progressed to trying poses such as mountain, squats and elevator. Every day she would get the movements more and more.
Mr. and Mrs. Evans saw such a difference in their daughter’s development that they asked the instructor to come over three times per week. Meanwhile, they continued to take her to her usual classes and have her weekly eight hours of therapy sessions. But the yoga instruction was unique in that it was playful and enjoyable for her, prompting her to consider her time with the instructor as a play date.
When the instructor chose to pursue other interests, it encouraged Mrs. Evans to become certified. She first took a teacher training course at a Manhattan studio for children’s yoga, followed by training and certification working with children with special needs.
“Not only did I learn more about her yoga practice and how it enabled her to become increasingly aware of her body and personal space, but I was able to share this with other families as well. Inspired by this journey, I opened a yoga studio for children in Manhattan. This led me to share the benefits of yoga for children in more locations throughout New York City,” said Mrs. Evans.
Contact:
Kami Evans
Elahi Children’s Yoga
130 East 65th Street
New York, NY 10065
http://www.elahiyoga.com
212-249-0607
Boat for wheelchair users launched on lake in Cornwall
The vessel is aimed at anglers but can also be used for trips
A special boat which gives disabled people access to the water has been launched on a lake in Cornwall.
The new Wheelyboat, on Stithians Lake, near Redruth, has cost £16,000 and has a ramp allowing access for wheelchair users so they can go sailing.
The outboard motor-powered vessel is mainly aimed at anglers but can also be used for trips.
It is the third in the county. The other two sail on Siblyback Lake and on the River Fowey.
The Environment Agency has also been involved in the project.
KENNY’S KIDS, INC.
Dear Friend,
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Kenny’s Kids has been accepted to participate in a Pepsi Grant Contest.. You can also visit our website at http://www.kennyskids.org/ for additional information.
Starting April 1st, we are competing in the Pepsi Grant contest to win $250,000. This should complete the construction and help us help the Kids. The winner is determined by YOU, the voting public. You can go online and vote once a day every day in April. It does not cost anything to vote and you do not have to receive any type of spam by voting. You should be able to go directly online and vote at this link http://www.refresheverything.com/kennyskids. We also have a link you can click on at the Kenny’s web site to go directly to vote. We are concentrating on getting help from new friends, our old friends, family, churches and schools. Any other good ideas will be greatly appreciated. With your help, and your friends, we can all make a difference in these Kids lives. Please spread this around as far as you can, every vote counts. Please help us help others.
Channel 11, CBS recently did a news story on us. You can go on and view it or tell others to at http://cbs11tv.com/local/kennys.kids.muscular.2.1557516.html. You can also see us on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcdSZ041E6U (just cut and paste this link and you should go directly to our videos or search www.youtube.com for “Soaring Eagle Ranch”). We will be putting new video up as construction progresses and events for the Kids commence.
Best regards,
Gary Gresham
Executive Director
Kenny’s Kids, Inc.
(817) 917-9114
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Kenny’s Kids has been accepted to participate in a Pepsi Grant Contest.. You can also visit our website at http://www.kennyskids.org/ for additional information.
Starting April 1st, we are competing in the Pepsi Grant contest to win $250,000. This should complete the construction and help us help the Kids. The winner is determined by YOU, the voting public. You can go online and vote once a day every day in April. It does not cost anything to vote and you do not have to receive any type of spam by voting. You should be able to go directly online and vote at this link http://www.refresheverything.com/kennyskids. We also have a link you can click on at the Kenny’s web site to go directly to vote. We are concentrating on getting help from new friends, our old friends, family, churches and schools. Any other good ideas will be greatly appreciated. With your help, and your friends, we can all make a difference in these Kids lives. Please spread this around as far as you can, every vote counts. Please help us help others.
Channel 11, CBS recently did a news story on us. You can go on and view it or tell others to at http://cbs11tv.com/local/kennys.kids.muscular.2.1557516.html. You can also see us on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcdSZ041E6U (just cut and paste this link and you should go directly to our videos or search www.youtube.com for “Soaring Eagle Ranch”). We will be putting new video up as construction progresses and events for the Kids commence.
Best regards,
Gary Gresham
Executive Director
Kenny’s Kids, Inc.
(817) 917-9114
26 March 2010
Hell Yeah!! The Scott Weir story
"This is a tribute documentary I made for my brother, Scott Weir. He was born with severe Cerebral Palsy in 1961, but that did not stop him from living his dreams. He was happiest whenever those dreams put a steering wheel in his hand, whether it be driving an airboat thru the Everglades, a go-cart with his friends or driving his truck a little to fast on his way home, this is what made him smile. NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt was Scott's life long hero, and after my brother's passing in 2007, I decided to fulfill his dream of getting him to victory lane. So put on your seat belts & Enjoy the ride!!"
Rob weir...
Bolt productions
Hell Yeah!! The Scott Weir story from Rob Weir on Vimeo.
Rob weir...
Bolt productions
Hell Yeah!! The Scott Weir story from Rob Weir on Vimeo.
BBC - Disability barrier for jobseekers in Somerset
A man from Weston claims more barriers need to be removed in order to help disabled people find jobs. Stephen Ledbrook is working with the charity Trailblazers, which claims there are 1.3m disabled people in the UK who want work but can't get it. He says he's dealt with advisors before who "don't understand disability and put them all under one umbrella". Local job centre managers say advisors are specially trained and everyone is dealt with on a case by case basis.
BBC - Disability barrier for jobseekers in Somerset
BBC - Disability barrier for jobseekers in Somerset
20 March 2010
Promise For Improving Hand Function In Teens With Cerebral Palsy: Modified Home Video Game
Engineers at Rutgers University have modified a popular home video game system to help teenagers with cerebral palsy improve hand functions. In a pilot trial with three participants, the system improved the teens' abilities to perform a range of daily personal and household activities.
The modified system combined a Sony PlayStation 3 console and a commercial gaming glove with custom-developed software and games to provide exercise routines aimed at improving hand speed and range of finger motion.
The Rutgers engineers, who are members of the university's Tele-Rehabilitation Institute, worked with clinicians at the Indiana University School of Medicine to deploy systems in participants' homes for up to 10 months. A description of the modified system and its use in the pilot trial appeared this week in the journal, IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine.
"Based on early experience, the system engages the interest of teens with cerebral palsy and makes it convenient for them to perform the exercises they need to achieve results," said Grigore Burdea, professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the Rutgers Tele-Rehabilitation Institute.
Each system communicated via the Internet to allow the Indiana and Rutgers researchers to oversee participants' exercise routines and evaluate the effectiveness of the systems. The system is an example of both virtual rehabilitation, where patients interact with computer-generated visual environments to perform exercises, and tele-rehabilitation, where patients perform exercises under remote supervision by physical or occupational therapists.
"All three teens were more than a decade out from their perinatal strokes, yet we showed that improvement was still possible ," said Meredith Golomb, associate professor of neurology at the Indiana University School of Medicine and Riley Hospital for Children pediatric neurologist in this study. "The virtual reality telerehabiltiaiton system kept them exercising by rewarding whatever movements they could make, and all three showed significant progress in hand function."
Golomb oversaw the pilot study where participants were asked to exercise their affected hand 30 minutes a day, five days a week, using games custom developed by the Rutgers engineers. The games were calibrated to the individual teen's hand functionality. An on-screen image of a hand showing normal movements guided the participants in their exercises.
After three months of therapy, two participants progressed from being unable to lift large, heavy objects to being able to do so. Participants showed varying improvement in such activities as brushing teeth, shampooing, dressing, and using a spoon. At 10 months, one participant was able to open a heavy door.
The modified PlayStation 3 is the second system based on commercial video gaming technology that Burdea and his institute have developed to investigate economical and engaging rehabilitation therapy tools. Earlier work involved modifying an older model Microsoft Xbox to help stroke victims recover hand functions.
"Systems like this have the potential for widespread deployment in outpatient clinics or the homes of people needing rehabilitation services for any number of illnesses or injuries," said Burdea, a noted inventor of virtual rehabilitation technology. "Well-designed custom games are likely to hold patients' attention and motivate them to complete their exercises, versus conventional therapy regimens, which patients may find boring or tedious."
Burdea acknowledged the popularity of gaming platforms and many newer games that physically engage their players, but noted that they generally are not suitable off-the-shelf for rehabilitation needs. Games for rehabilitation need to focus on the specific impairment, and they require professional oversight to ensure that patients exercise within therapeutic bounds while not over-exercising and risking stress or injury.
The systems that Burdea and his colleagues built combined a PlayStation 3 console with a Fifth Dimension Technologies 5 Ultra sensing glove, a flat-panel television, mouse, keyboard and digital subscriber line modem for Internet communication. They reprogrammed the game console using the open-source Linux operating system and developed games written in Java3D.
One game promoted range of finger motion by asking participants to clean up bars of "dirty" pixels on the screen to reveal an image. Another promoted finger movement speed by asking participants to flick away an on-screen butterfly. A third promoted hand opening and closing speed by asking participants to manipulate an on-screen unidentified flying object.
The developers also wrote software to manage participant scheduling and performance data and to administer subjective evaluation questionnaires.
In addition to Burdea and Golomb, the article's co-authors are Meghan Huber and Bryan Rabin, both Rutgers undergraduates during the study, and Ciprian Docan and Moustafa AbdelBaky, Rutgers graduate students. The study was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health and the Clarian Foundation.
Source:
Carl Blesch
Rutgers University
The modified system combined a Sony PlayStation 3 console and a commercial gaming glove with custom-developed software and games to provide exercise routines aimed at improving hand speed and range of finger motion.
The Rutgers engineers, who are members of the university's Tele-Rehabilitation Institute, worked with clinicians at the Indiana University School of Medicine to deploy systems in participants' homes for up to 10 months. A description of the modified system and its use in the pilot trial appeared this week in the journal, IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine.
"Based on early experience, the system engages the interest of teens with cerebral palsy and makes it convenient for them to perform the exercises they need to achieve results," said Grigore Burdea, professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the Rutgers Tele-Rehabilitation Institute.
Each system communicated via the Internet to allow the Indiana and Rutgers researchers to oversee participants' exercise routines and evaluate the effectiveness of the systems. The system is an example of both virtual rehabilitation, where patients interact with computer-generated visual environments to perform exercises, and tele-rehabilitation, where patients perform exercises under remote supervision by physical or occupational therapists.
"All three teens were more than a decade out from their perinatal strokes, yet we showed that improvement was still possible ," said Meredith Golomb, associate professor of neurology at the Indiana University School of Medicine and Riley Hospital for Children pediatric neurologist in this study. "The virtual reality telerehabiltiaiton system kept them exercising by rewarding whatever movements they could make, and all three showed significant progress in hand function."
Golomb oversaw the pilot study where participants were asked to exercise their affected hand 30 minutes a day, five days a week, using games custom developed by the Rutgers engineers. The games were calibrated to the individual teen's hand functionality. An on-screen image of a hand showing normal movements guided the participants in their exercises.
After three months of therapy, two participants progressed from being unable to lift large, heavy objects to being able to do so. Participants showed varying improvement in such activities as brushing teeth, shampooing, dressing, and using a spoon. At 10 months, one participant was able to open a heavy door.
The modified PlayStation 3 is the second system based on commercial video gaming technology that Burdea and his institute have developed to investigate economical and engaging rehabilitation therapy tools. Earlier work involved modifying an older model Microsoft Xbox to help stroke victims recover hand functions.
"Systems like this have the potential for widespread deployment in outpatient clinics or the homes of people needing rehabilitation services for any number of illnesses or injuries," said Burdea, a noted inventor of virtual rehabilitation technology. "Well-designed custom games are likely to hold patients' attention and motivate them to complete their exercises, versus conventional therapy regimens, which patients may find boring or tedious."
Burdea acknowledged the popularity of gaming platforms and many newer games that physically engage their players, but noted that they generally are not suitable off-the-shelf for rehabilitation needs. Games for rehabilitation need to focus on the specific impairment, and they require professional oversight to ensure that patients exercise within therapeutic bounds while not over-exercising and risking stress or injury.
The systems that Burdea and his colleagues built combined a PlayStation 3 console with a Fifth Dimension Technologies 5 Ultra sensing glove, a flat-panel television, mouse, keyboard and digital subscriber line modem for Internet communication. They reprogrammed the game console using the open-source Linux operating system and developed games written in Java3D.
One game promoted range of finger motion by asking participants to clean up bars of "dirty" pixels on the screen to reveal an image. Another promoted finger movement speed by asking participants to flick away an on-screen butterfly. A third promoted hand opening and closing speed by asking participants to manipulate an on-screen unidentified flying object.
The developers also wrote software to manage participant scheduling and performance data and to administer subjective evaluation questionnaires.
In addition to Burdea and Golomb, the article's co-authors are Meghan Huber and Bryan Rabin, both Rutgers undergraduates during the study, and Ciprian Docan and Moustafa AbdelBaky, Rutgers graduate students. The study was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health and the Clarian Foundation.
Source:
Carl Blesch
Rutgers University
Just dance! Local dance studio offers adaptive dance
For Sophie White, Saturdays are truly something to look forward to.
The pint-sized pixie wakes up early to pull together her ensemble for the day – a black leotard, pink skirt, leggings and a pair of black ballet shoes.
With her short dark hair pulled back into a barrette, Sophie is anxious to leave her Chaska home and head to dance class. But this isn’t any old dance class she’s off to. Sophie’s dance class is for children with special needs. She is one of 20 students that cheerfully fill the bright studio space at River Valley Dance Academy each Saturday afternoon.
Sophie’s mom Tracy White said that the adaptive dance class has made a big difference for her daughter, who lives with autism.
“She didn’t used to be able to cross mid-line,” said White. “She used to fall down all the time.”
After seven years in various classes at River Valley Dance Academy, White said Sophie’s coordination and mobility is much improved. In class, she can pirouette with the best of them.
Dreams
The success of the adaptive dance class is a dream come true for studio owner and instructor Jocelyn Braudt.
“I always wanted to open up a school for the arts for children with special needs,” she said.
But Braudt, who majored in therapeutic recreation in college and taught dance classes for students with spina bifida and osteogenesis imperfecta, realized upon moving to Minnesota that a special needs school couldn’t support itself. So instead, she opened a dance studio in Chaska and incorporated programming for special needs within the school.
Braudt was intimately familiar with the power of dance for those with physical challenges. As a “very pigeon-toed” 4-year-old, Braudt’s mother had once asked her pediatrician how to resolve her condition. The doctor advised signing her up for ballet. It worked like a charm and Braudt has been dancing ever since.
Eleven years ago, Braudt started her Chaska program with a single special needs dancer. Michaela Powers was a girl in a wheelchair that wasn’t about to let cerebral palsy keep her from dancing. “She took in a typical dance class and we adapted the moves,” said Braudt.
The next year, Braudt expanded to offer the first dedicated adaptive dance class for those with physical disabilities. At the time, she had two students with cerebral palsy. The second year, Braudt had three students in wheelchairs. When year three rolled around, Braudt had expanded the program to offer a creative movement class for those with developmental disabilities like autism.
“Then I decided to have all the kids in one class,” she said.
Braudt said that ultimately she wanted to offer a class that would help to “build confidence, provide recreation and socialization.”
“We’re creating the same experience any other kid can have,” she said.
White said that one of the reasons Sophie loves the class is that it allows her to dance, just like her big sister.
Meaningful
Today, Braudt’s Saturday afternoon class has 20 students – including veterans like Sophie and Powers. They come to Chaska from all around the metro – places like Blaine, Delano, Shakopee, and Minnetonka.
The class also features 21 peer helpers – students from her other dance classes that have volunteered their help.
Braudt loves to see the interaction between the students and the peer helpers – many of which have known each other since they were little.
“They develop this great friendship,” she said.
The class is so popular that there is a waiting list of people who want to volunteer as peer helpers, Braudt said. “There is a huge desire to be a part of something more meaningful.”
“It’s just rewarding,” said Sara O’Konek, 17, of Carver. O’Konek is a graduate of the adaptive dance class who now serves as a peer helper.
“It’s my favorite part of the week,” said Ali Witte, 17, of Chaska. “I’m just beaming when I leave here.”
Seventeen-year-old Taylor Troyak, of Minnetrista, said that working with special needs “might even be something I want to do in college.”
That’s music to Braudt’s ears. “We try hard for the studio to not be about the trophy and the princess thing,” she said. “We try to educate the whole person.”
“Each of us has weaknesses,” she continued. “Each of us has abilities and disabilities.”
The differences seem to disappear when the music cues up, however. Whether they are practicing ballet positions to classical music, shaking purple pom poms to RuPaul, or twirling to Miley Cyrus’s “The Climb,” the shared smiles are hard to miss.
“The program runs itself,” said Braudt. “I just push play.”
-Mollee Francisco, staff writer
The pint-sized pixie wakes up early to pull together her ensemble for the day – a black leotard, pink skirt, leggings and a pair of black ballet shoes.
With her short dark hair pulled back into a barrette, Sophie is anxious to leave her Chaska home and head to dance class. But this isn’t any old dance class she’s off to. Sophie’s dance class is for children with special needs. She is one of 20 students that cheerfully fill the bright studio space at River Valley Dance Academy each Saturday afternoon.
Sophie’s mom Tracy White said that the adaptive dance class has made a big difference for her daughter, who lives with autism.
“She didn’t used to be able to cross mid-line,” said White. “She used to fall down all the time.”
After seven years in various classes at River Valley Dance Academy, White said Sophie’s coordination and mobility is much improved. In class, she can pirouette with the best of them.
Dreams
The success of the adaptive dance class is a dream come true for studio owner and instructor Jocelyn Braudt.
“I always wanted to open up a school for the arts for children with special needs,” she said.
But Braudt, who majored in therapeutic recreation in college and taught dance classes for students with spina bifida and osteogenesis imperfecta, realized upon moving to Minnesota that a special needs school couldn’t support itself. So instead, she opened a dance studio in Chaska and incorporated programming for special needs within the school.
Braudt was intimately familiar with the power of dance for those with physical challenges. As a “very pigeon-toed” 4-year-old, Braudt’s mother had once asked her pediatrician how to resolve her condition. The doctor advised signing her up for ballet. It worked like a charm and Braudt has been dancing ever since.
Eleven years ago, Braudt started her Chaska program with a single special needs dancer. Michaela Powers was a girl in a wheelchair that wasn’t about to let cerebral palsy keep her from dancing. “She took in a typical dance class and we adapted the moves,” said Braudt.
The next year, Braudt expanded to offer the first dedicated adaptive dance class for those with physical disabilities. At the time, she had two students with cerebral palsy. The second year, Braudt had three students in wheelchairs. When year three rolled around, Braudt had expanded the program to offer a creative movement class for those with developmental disabilities like autism.
“Then I decided to have all the kids in one class,” she said.
Braudt said that ultimately she wanted to offer a class that would help to “build confidence, provide recreation and socialization.”
“We’re creating the same experience any other kid can have,” she said.
White said that one of the reasons Sophie loves the class is that it allows her to dance, just like her big sister.
Meaningful
Today, Braudt’s Saturday afternoon class has 20 students – including veterans like Sophie and Powers. They come to Chaska from all around the metro – places like Blaine, Delano, Shakopee, and Minnetonka.
The class also features 21 peer helpers – students from her other dance classes that have volunteered their help.
Braudt loves to see the interaction between the students and the peer helpers – many of which have known each other since they were little.
“They develop this great friendship,” she said.
The class is so popular that there is a waiting list of people who want to volunteer as peer helpers, Braudt said. “There is a huge desire to be a part of something more meaningful.”
“It’s just rewarding,” said Sara O’Konek, 17, of Carver. O’Konek is a graduate of the adaptive dance class who now serves as a peer helper.
“It’s my favorite part of the week,” said Ali Witte, 17, of Chaska. “I’m just beaming when I leave here.”
Seventeen-year-old Taylor Troyak, of Minnetrista, said that working with special needs “might even be something I want to do in college.”
That’s music to Braudt’s ears. “We try hard for the studio to not be about the trophy and the princess thing,” she said. “We try to educate the whole person.”
“Each of us has weaknesses,” she continued. “Each of us has abilities and disabilities.”
The differences seem to disappear when the music cues up, however. Whether they are practicing ballet positions to classical music, shaking purple pom poms to RuPaul, or twirling to Miley Cyrus’s “The Climb,” the shared smiles are hard to miss.
“The program runs itself,” said Braudt. “I just push play.”
-Mollee Francisco, staff writer
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