From the Des Moines Register:

Cy Arnett and three other men with intellectual disabilities rock out at a karaoke bar in Des Moines each week. Between performances, they live in a group home.

Bar owner Billy Bryant said at first some of the regulars at Billy Joe’s Pitcher Show didn’t understand the “Greased Lightning boys,” as they’re called. “To be honest, it was a little disturbing for them,” he said.

He moved the crew to Sundays, where there were fewer customers, and thought he’d only  let them stay until the big audiences came back for football season. But then … an excerpt:

… Bryant watched as the boys and their followers grew. He soon realized what the day means to them. They dress up, celebrate birthdays, and look forward to Sunday all week.

… He decided the boys could stay.

“I didn’t have the heart to turn them down,” he said. “There’s no place else for these kids to go.”

(Travis Leach, left, Cyron Arnett and Steven Jenkins rock out during karaoke at Billy Joe’s Pitcher Show in West Des Moines; Des Moines Register photo)

From the New York Times:

Families that include people with autism are determined to enjoy family vacations, and a small but growing number of tour operators, travel agents and resorts are offering getaways that are specially geared to their needs.

Opportunities include an “Autism on the Seas” package on a Royal Caribbean liner, a Colorado ranch, and various resorts and hotels. The 300-hotel chain Microtel Inns & Suites, known for welcoming guests with physical differences, also trains staff in hidden disabilities like autism.

A recent Harris poll showed that Americans with disabilities spent $13.6 billion annually on travel in the United States, not including the caregivers and family members who often accompany them.

From the Chicago Tribune and The Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

Cities around the country are retooling their playgrounds to accommodate children with special needs. In Evanston, Illinois, parents raised money to build a special public playground on the lakefront in which virtually every piece of equipment is wheelchair accessible. In Seattle, the nonprofit Children’s PlayGarden is working with the city and Seattle Parks Foundation to add adaptive playground swings that are easier for children with disabilities to use.

The efforts are part of a national trend that has seen the number of accessible playgrounds rise in recent years as conditions such as autism garner awareness. Communications director Dina Morris at Boundless Playgrounds, a Connecticut-based nonprofit that builds accessible playgrounds, says the ten-year-old organization initially built about 10 playgrounds a year, but the number has risen to 25 annually in the last two years.

Earlier post here.

(Photo from Boundless Playgrounds)

From Fox Channel 5 in Atlanta:

For the next two weeks, more than 400 kids with cancer from all over Georgia will enjoy just being kids at Camp Sunshine outside Atlanta.

The camp provides all the typical camp delights — swimming, fishing, boating, archery, crafts and more — as well as giving kids safe place to be together among others who understand their experiences. Some of the campers get their chemotherapy at camp, scheduled during rest periods so they won’t have to miss any of the fun. With video. (Image: screen capture from Fox website.)

Related story: Cancer survivor becomes cancer nurse

From the Washington Post:

Some 100 students with disabilities danced the night away in a donated ballroom at Washington’s historic Willard Hotel at their prom, the “Cinderella Ball.” The students raised about $100,000 to stage the annual event, which was launched just three years ago in a warehouse in Woodbridge, Virginia.

No one noticed the occasional meltdown, when the loud music or crowd became a little too much. It didn’t matter that some students needed help feeding themselves. Couples held hands. Wheelchairs twirled. “I think the disabilities disappear when they are all together,” said Kim Cockrell, whose daughter Cari has Down syndrome.

From ESPN:

Dale Davis of Alta, Iowa, bowled a perfect game this month. The 78-year-old Davis is blind.

According to James Benton, president of the American Blind Bowling Association, a 300 game is a rarity for someone with impaired vision. In the association’s 60-year history, Benton said, his organization is aware of only four perfect games thrown by someone who is legally blind. And no one with complete loss of vision is known to have bowled a 300.

“It is extremely rare,” Benton said.

From macworld.com:

AssistiveWare, makers of assistive technologies for Mac OS X, has announced the launch of a new Web site called AssistiveGaming.com. The new site offers game-related information for Mac users who have physical disabilities.