The [UK] Independent:

Visionary British engineer Mike Spindle spent six years working alone, developing a high-performance wheelchair that would also look fabulous. The result is the Trekinetic, an all-terrain vehicle which sports a molded carbon fiber seat, three wheels, drum brakes and a simplified folding mechanism.

In the process of developing his design, Spindle has completely transformed an established, mature product, and, by extension, the market for that product. The Trekinetic is now being sold in in the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands and Australia, and Spindle is pursuing his ambition of being “a major player in the global mobility scene.”

(Photo from the Independent)

From the Riverside [California] Press-Enterprise:

Students with disabilities are paired with psychology students in the Peer Buddy Program at Elsinore High School. Among their activities: an annual prom. The program is an eye-opener for the nondisabled teens, who say it makes them re-examine their own values.

“I didn’t realize how pessimistic I was about life,” said one. “You spend time with these kids and you realize that their parents are doing everything they can to give their children an education and that they love them unconditionally.”

Above, peer buddies help Stephanie Ahlgrim prepare for the prom. Stephanie has Down syndrome. Press-Enterprise photo.

With podcast.

From the Boston Globe:

An exhibit of photographs by students with special needs demonstrates “striking range.” The collection of 16 images by students in the LABBB Collaborative Program is on view at the Lexington High School Gallery in Lexington, Mass.

… each reveals a unique point of view from a group of young people who may look at the world a bit differently.

… Photo instructors Theresa LeBlanc, a vocational counselor and transition specialist, and Betsy Kidder, an occupational therapist, helped the students learn to use the cameras and encouraged them to use their imagination in snapping pictures.

Teachers say photography provides a good educational tool, spurring students to express their creativity and providing opportunities for making connections with others.

The students’ website is here.

(Above, photo of seats at Fenway Park by student Gregory Begin.)

From The Associated Press:

Patient websites enable those with a range of critical and chronic illnesses to provide progress reports and receive support — all without having to repeat details in exhausting phone calls. Medical professionals praise the online tools for addressing the “emotional needs” of patients.

Free online services like CaringBridge and Carepages offer user-friendly formats that allow people to quickly set up sites to share medical and personal news. CaringBridge is supported primarily by donations from users, as well as sponsor fees from hospitals. CarePages also has arrangements with hospitals and sells advertisements.

On both sites, patients and family members share information about treatment and recovery from illnesses, accidents, or other medical crises. “We just think it’s made a huge difference for families,” Alan Goldbloom, president and CEO of Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, says of CaringBridge.

On ABC Good Morning America, video of an extended interview with Dan Habib, director/producer of ‘Including Samuel.’ The recently released documentary chronicles his son’s journey through elementary school in New Hampshire. Habib explains the philosophy behind the decision to include Samuel in general education classes (he has cerebral palsy), and shares footage of him interacting successfully with classmates.

Interviewer Marysol Castro poses some skeptical questions, which Habib handles with ease.

An excerpt:

Habib: … Disability is part of diversity, just like ethnic diversity and racial diversity. You create a society where that’s accepted as the real world. And kids need to understand this is the real world. Kids with disabilities and adults with disabilities will be living and working alongside them.

… [We want people] to see disability part as an enrichment of our culture — not something we that need to fix. For a while, we always focused on ‘we need to fix Daniel’. Now we realize we just need to accept him as our son, for who he is, and his disability is just part of who he is.

Earlier posts here.

About two-thirds of pediatric cancer survivors experience at least one late health effect of treatment, and for more than one-quarter of survivors it is severe or life-threatening.

From the Los Angeles Times, an extended feature about young adults who have survived childhood cancer only to find that their health is now threatened by the very treatments that once saved their lives

Cancer therapies injure, starve or kill healthy cells along with malignant ones, and as a consequence, survivors have a heightened risk of health problems, including early heart attacks, second cancers, stunted growth and infertility.

… The developing brain — and psyche — can be affected as well. Radiation to the brain can result in a drop of 20 or more IQ points, causing learning disabilities for some. And while some cured youngsters enter adulthood feeling a renewed sense of purpose, others must deal with lingering bitterness and trauma from their treatment, which can emerge as depression or anxiety when they become adults.

… Only recently is the medical community understanding the importance of lifelong health monitoring to help them avoid, or detect early, the host of medical risks that could lie in their path.

Related links:

• Programs for childhood cancer survivors
• Survivors tell of their experiences with childhood cancer

From the Kansas City Star:

An estimated one in 26 American families is raising children with disabilities, yet more than 80 percent of parents of these children have not established a special-needs trust.

A special-needs trust provides financial protection to those with disabilities, and also preserves their eligibility for Medicaid, Social Security income and other need-based benefit programs.

Experts say such a trust could preserve medical benefits worth hundreds of thousands of dollars over the life of the individual. The trusts help people get services they are entitled to receive through government programs.

The story contains tips for doing financial planning for children with disabilities, as well as resources for more information.