From the Washington Post: a feature on College Living Experience, a structured program that helps students with learning disabilities make the transition to college.

The demand for such transitional programs has grown as students with disabilities, who gained access in large numbers to regular classes in the 1980s, expect to follow their peers to college, said Meg Grigal, who leads a research team that studies higher-education programs for students with learning disabilities.

“It’s very clear that students who have the opportunities to do this in a program that does it well come out with better employment opportunities and a better ability to advocate for their own needs,” Grigal said. “Anecdotally, we know that providing support for these transition projects really works. We just need to document it.”

See earlier stories here and here.

From the (UK) Daily Mail:

The law governing the abortion of “seriously handicapped” babies should be made clearer, an influential committee of MPs [members of Parliament] is to say.

An inquiry will call for a clearer definition of disability, amid claims that growing numbers of fetuses are being aborted for conditions that can be cured.

The [House of] Commons science and technology committee is investigating whether the legal limit for abortion should be cut from 24 weeks of pregnancy, and whether a medical definition of disability is needed for late terminations.

(more…)

Seattle Times editorial columnist Kate Riley reverses her earlier opinion, and assails her state’s testing standards after her son passes with flying colors.

Here’s the punchline to my son’s letter. He is autistic in a self-contained special-education classroom with limited mainstreaming, can read some words, can add a little and can barely draw a straight line.

She says her son’s portfolio showed progress, but in no way demonstrated mastery of the fourth grade curriculum. The state assessments are designed to implement the No Child Left Behind law.

OK. Let’s get this straight. This stupid assessment doesn’t change the worth of my kid, or any kid. He’s still the nicest, most fun member of the family to be around and he’s got great taste in music.

But what these tests should tell us honestly is whether a student meets one reasonable minimum standard of academic achievement – for all kids. (more…)

Companies can save money, and possibly lives, through treatment and prevention of mental illness

From Hemispheres Magazine, an extended feature encouraging companies to address mental illness in the workplace early and appropriately. Tom Johnson, a former chairman and CEO of CNN Newsgroup, has publicly acknowledged his experiences with depression and says it can be treated, often with dramatic positive results. He says stigma should not prevent people from getting the treatment they need to improve their lives.

Johnson offers these suggestions for employers:

First, make sure your insurance programs cover mental health and encourage open discussion of mental health issues. Mandate that staffers take vacations; too much stress for too long can trigger problems. Ignorance of mental health problems does not make profitable bliss, so ask employees how to make the workplace more pleasant and productive.

If an employee needs help, Johnson would urge that person to consult a professional for an accurate diagnosis, and if medication is prescribed, to take it. Consider “talk therapy” (also called cognitive behavioral therapy) to “clean out the toxic stuff in almost all of us-the guilt, fears, insecurities, anger, hurts, bad interpersonal relationships.” Take personal responsibility: Incorporate exercise and some quiet time into your routine. Cultivate good, trusted friends and family, remove every stressor possible, and stay away from harmful substances. “Find joys in your life,” Johnson says, “old joys and new joys. And have fun. Do not become a workaholic, as I did.”

Sick Girl, by Amy Silverstein

Review by the Los Angeles Times

Feature in the Sydney Morning Herald

Blog posts on the website of U.S. News & World Reports can be found here and here.

Amy Silverstein’s new book is a memoir of her journey as a heart transplant patient, and she makes it quite clear that she is not grateful for the whole experience. She has been struggling for the past 19 years with a heart that sometimes seems to do its own bidding, and says she feels exhausted, angry and sometimes suicidal.

Silverstein has masked her unhappiness for years, but is at the same time angry that people don’t understand just how sick she is. Her book is described as a frank and honest account that has attracted the ire of other patients and their families.

From the New York Times: a feature about ABC correspondent Bob Woodruff, who was wounded in Iraq in January 2006. Woodruff sustained brain damage and was in a coma for 36 days, and is now back to work full time. He has also embarked on an unofficial second career, as a voice and fund-raiser for wounded soldiers. He’s hinting at going back to an anchor job some day.

“The good news is that I’m getting my ability to do journalism again,” he said. “It’s probably not going to be 100 percent in the same way it was before. But in some ways I’m 120 percent better than I was before. My wife has even said I was kind of a jerk sometimes, and now I’m not.”

From the San Antonio Express-News, an extended feature about 18-year-old Alex Ritter, a gifted pianist who has scored at the highest possible level in state competition. Alex has autism and is minimally verbal, but expresses himself through a musical repertoire that includes Bach, Mozart and Brahms. He plays with the orchestra in his public high school.

Teachers say his presence in the orchestra benefits the other students in unexpected ways.

“It’s taught my kids to be compassionate and understanding,” said one. “I don’t even have to talk to the new kids about how to treat Alex. The older kids teach the new ones.”

The story is accompanied by a video that shows Alex in action.