From the Wall Street Journal:

Parents and therapists say the Apple iPad tablet computer is providing an important new way to help kids with speech and communication difficulties. — and one that is both less expensive and more “cool” than anything previously available.

A growing number of speech-related applications, including Proloquo2Go, are being developed for Apple gadgets. Some allow the machines to “speak” on the child’s behalf, while others are used in speech therapy. Experts say the iPad’s universal appeal helps kids with disabilities bridge social gaps that may otherwise separate them from peers.

Unlike specialized speech devices, which cost about $7,000, the iPad generally is not covered by most government and private insurers. iPads cost between $499 and $829.

Earlier posts here.

Would eliminate term ‘mentally retarded’ from federal law

Press releases from Sen. Barbara Mikulski, The ARC of the United States:

Acting unanimously, the House of Representatives last night approved a bill to remove the terms “mentally retarded” and “mental retardation” from federal education, health and labor laws. The measure, called “Rosas’ Law” in honor of a Maryland girl who has Down syndrome, has already passed the Senate and is expected to be signed into law by President Obama.

“This law is about families fighting for the respect and dignity of their loved ones,” said Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), one of the measure’s sponsors. “This change will have a positive effect on more than 6 million Americans.” She said the law will make the language of federal law consistent with that used by the Centers for Disease Control and the United Nations, and will not affect any services, rights, responsibilities or educational opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities.

Rosa’s law substitutes the terms “intellectual disability” and “individual with an intellectual disability” for the earlier terms, now considered outdated and stigmatizing by many self-advocates and their families. It does not cover entitlement programs, which include SSI, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

Peter V. Berns, CEO of The ARC of the United States, hailed the measure’s passage as “another historic milestone in our movement.”

“We understand that language plays a crucial role in how people with intellectual disabilities are perceived and treated in society,” Berns said in a statement. “Changing how we talk about people with disabilities is a critical step in promoting and protecting their basic civil and human rights.”

Ernie Hernandez Jr. died of multiple stab wounds; Police say they see no motive in ‘a very brutal, a very violent’ attack

From KTXL-TV, Sacramento, the Modesto [CA] Bee, KTXL-TV, Sacramento, KCRA-TV, Sacramento:

Police in Modesto, California, are investigating the death of  37-year-old Ernie Hernandez Jr., who was stabbed multiple times in the head and neck Saturday as he walked between a local shopping mall and  his group home. Family members say Hernandez, who had an intellectual disability, had been fearful and often talked about being teased, ridiculed, and called “retard” at the mall.

A police spokesman said Hernandez didn’t have any gang affiliation or criminal history, and said they had not identified a motive Hernandez’ slaying.  “What we can determine from the scene and from the victim; it was a very brutal, a very violent attack,” said Sgt. Rick Armendariz.

Hernandez had worked on cleaning, maintenance and landscaping tasks with the City of Ceres and California Department of Transportation for about 10 years, with the help of services provided by the Howard Training Center in Ceres. Betty Arwood, the center’s vocational director, said the program’s clients are regularly subjected to taunts and teasing from teenagers and young adults while out in public.

“We’ve had our people teased and taunted,” Arwood said. “Our population carries a stigma.”

Co-workers remembered Hernandez as a good worker who was friendly and went out of his way to help others.

Poet Jennifer Bartlett writes in the New York Times City Room blog about her experiences with rude people who feel free to comment on her disability. Bartlett has cerebral palsy. An excerpt:

Bus riders have referred to me as mentally backward (while I was reading James Joyce), and waitresses routinely ask my companion what I want to order. In a club, once, an older man asked me to dance. Upon hearing my voice, he commented to his friend, “She’s some kind of retard,” and walked off.

… The problem isn’t exactly that people have these reactions. The problem is that they have no tact. It’s as though they have some kind of disconnect and think I don’t hear, or can’t process, their comments. Sometimes I feel like screaming: “Hello! There’s a human being in here. And she’s registering your stupidity.”

Bartlett’s first collection of poetry is “Derivative of the Moving Image,” University of New Mexico Press.

By Alan Sepinwall, [Newark] Star-Ledger

NBC’s new drama “Parenthood,” premiering Tuesday night, features a family whose son is diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. It’s among an increasing number of television shows that are trying to depict characters with the disorder, and is one of the first to acknowledge the diagnosis. An excerpt:

… the storyline – a personal one for one of the show’s creators – has the potential to be a breakthrough in how television depicts characters with a condition that’s increasing in prevalence, both nationwide and in New Jersey.

“I am always happy when I see characters on TV who are portrayed with Asperger’s, when it’s done correctly,” says Lori Shery, president and co-founder of ASPEN, a national Asperger support and education group based in Edison. “We need to change the cultural perception.”

See also:

Off-kilter characters: TV shows feature kids (and adults) with what looks like Asperger’s — Ellen Gray in the Philadelphia Daily News

Site advocated using kids with Down syndrome for target practice

From Reuters, New York Time,  Agence France Press:

Italy’s equality minister threatened legal action against the “thousands of idiots” involved in an Italian Facebook group that called for children with Down syndrome to be used for target practice.

The page, which has been shut down in the wake of public outrage, proposed the activity as an “easy and amusing” solution to rid the world of “these foul creatures.” It carried a photo of a baby with Down syndrome, with the word “imbecile” written on its forehead. As of late Sunday, the page had attracted 1,700 members.

“Italy will not tolerate incidents of discrimination of any sort, let alone against the disabled,” Equality Minister Mara Carfagna told Italian television Tuesday. “Those responsible for creating this madness will be prosecuted by the law.”

The outrage over the Facebook site comes as four Google executives are on trial in Milan facing criminal charges of defamation and privacy violations in a case involving videos posted on a Google website. The videos show a boy with autism being bullied by peers. Prosecutors allege that the company should have removed the videos after it was made aware of their content.

Google representatives say a guilty verdict might require the company to review content before allowing it to be posted on YouTube.

Timothy Shriver, writing in the Washington Post, says the word “retard” masks a prejudice that is so widespread that it goes unquestioned. People with intellectual disabilities, he says, are frequently the victims of abuse, indifference and negligent death. They face crushing unemployment, poor health care, poor living conditions and social ostracism.

Changing these tragic realities won’t be possible, Shriver says, “until and unless we awaken our fellow citizens to the truth: Most of us look down on people with intellectual disabilities, and we don’t even realize it.” An excerpt:

And that’s why this word is important: “Retard” is a symbol of a pain few realize exists. Even when it’s not directed at people with intellectual disabilities, it perpetuates that pain and stigma. We hope that the discussion about ending it will awaken millions to the hope of ending the discrimination it represents.

If we’re successful, the world will discover the joy, hope and sparkling individuality of millions of people. With that, real change will come.

It can’t come soon enough.

Shriver is chairman and CEO of Special Olympics.