Visit CDC’s New Disability and Health Website

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a new Disabilities and Health website.   The site offers much information about disabilities, resources, and health data.  You can visit the wibsite at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/index.html

Jacquelyn’s Story: Caterpillar to Butterfly

Take a few minutes to read this letter from Bradley Lum President & Chief Operating Officer, Special Olympics International

Dear Friend of Special Olympics, Jacquelyn Mason Slideshow
I want to share an amazing story with you about the power of Special Olympics to change lives. It’s about a 21-year-old Special Olympics athlete named Jacquelyn Mason.
In elementary school, Jacquelyn was known as “slow.” But as a preteen she was finally diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).
Family friend Mary Jane Welton explains, “FAS results when an expectant mom drinks alcohol during her pregnancy. It causes brain damage to the developing fetus. Jacquelyn has cognitive impairment, a very short attention span and lots of memory problems. It really impacts every part of her life.”
Mary Jane remembers when they first met: “She was 12 years old, too shy to speak and kept her eyes looking down at the ground. She could barely balance on a bike. Then she started with Special Olympics. She began to blossom.”
Her first sport was skiing and she loved it. At first, she needed extra encouragement but she practiced and practiced. Skiing was followed by golf. Then she began to make friends as her confidence started to grow.
Mary Jane says, “It’s just amazing that Special Olympics has given her this opportunity to flourish. With each success, her self-esteem and self-confidence increase. Now, she goes to school, works and competes in two sports. The change is dazzling. It’s really a caterpillar turned into a butterfly.”
See Jacquelyn in action in this photo slideshow.
Jacquelyn is one of nearly 3.5 million athletes around the world who are learning and growing from the life-changing power of Special Olympics sports training and competitions.
Thank you for being part of the Special Olympics family. Special Olympics couldn’t accomplish nearly as much without the valuable support and involvement of people like you!
Brady Lum
J. Brady Lum
President & Chief Operating Officer, Special Olympics International
P.S. Please help us with a gift today so more athletes like Jacquelyn have a chance to compete and train.
Thank you.
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Amputee Coalition of America Task Force Develops Roadmap for Progress

On average, 507 people lose a limb every day in the United States. This number is expected to almost double by 2050 unless a major public awareness campaign is launched and key prevention initiatives put in place, according to an expert task force convened by the Amputee Coalition of America. The Limb Loss Task Force met in Washington, D.C. April 16-18 to develop a series of recommendations that will serve as the roadmap to limb loss prevention and improved care for amputees across the country.

Among the findings of the Task Force:

• 185,000 amputations occur each year.
• 60 percent of all amputations are preventable.
• Diabetes and vascular disease are the leading causes of limb loss and major drivers of increased limb loss incidence in the U.S.
• Minorities are at higher risk for limb loss – African Americans are four times more likely to lose a lower limb than Caucasians of similar age and gender.
• As you age, your risk increases for limb loss, especially if you are an African American over the age of 35.
• Amputee care is not consistent throughout the U.S. Studies show inpatient rehabilitation care following amputation significantly reduces re-amputation and mortality, but not all healthcare systems include inpatient rehab care for amputees.

Learn more at the Amputee Coalition’s website or by calling

888-267-5669.

SOURCE: Friends of NCBDDD Online in support of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities- June 2010 Subscribe TODAY!

Are Children Hurt By the Term “Retarded?”

Study Looks at Stigma Among School-Age Youth An article presenting data on the awareness, use, and response to the term “retard” or “retarded” by school-age youth by Siperstein, et al was published in the April 2010 issue of the journal Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. “Sticks, Stones, and Stigma: A Study of Students’ Use of the Derogatory Term ‘Retard”‘ also made the journal edition’s cover. The abstract is available

eBriefing of Cooley’s Anemia Symposium Available Online

The Cooley’s Anemia Foundation, battling the genetic blood disorder thalassemia, has made the eBriefing of the recent 9th Cooley’s Anemia Symposium, sponsored by the Cooley’s Anemia Foundation and the New York Academy of Sciences, available online. The eBriefing features an overview, abstracts, and selected multimedia presentations from this important international meeting that focused on the current state of thalassemia treatment and research, as well as crucial future directions. Access the eBriefing at the NYAS website. For more information, contact Craig Butler at c.butler@cooleysanemia.org or 212-279-8090.

SOURCE: Friends of NCBDDD Online in support of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities- June 2010 Subscribe TODAY!

May 15-June 15 is National Tourette Syndrome Awareness Month

From May 15 to June 15, the Tourette Syndrome Association (TSA) – the only national, voluntary health organization for people with Tourette Syndrome (TS) – joins the hundreds of thousands of families affected by TS to help raise awareness of this baffling disorder during National Tourette Syndrome Awareness Month.

National Tourette Syndrome Awareness Month, which was first established by TSA in 1997, provides an opportunity for the TSA, its chapters and others in the TS community to educate the public about this much misunderstood and misdiagnosed neurological condition. Throughout the month, local TSA chapters across the country, work to raise awareness, increase education, and reduce stigma associated with TS. To learn more, visit TSA’s website.

SOURCE:Friends of NCBDDD Online in support of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities- June 2010 Subscribe TODAY!

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