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While shopping at Sprouts today, I had a guy in the next checkout lane actually whistle at Frankie. WHAT?! He whistled to him like he was calling the hounds back from the barn. Then he went to reach for him. I actually placed my hand on this guys chest and said: "He's not a ranch dog, you shouldn't be distracting him, he's working." Mr. Cowboy didn't even apologize... but he got schooled! Oy.

When his chief told him there was no money for a new narcotics dog, Polk County Sheriff's Deputy John Maney went to the pound, adopted and trained a dog himself. Maney, who has previously worked as a handler for five canines, turned down several dogs. He focused on ones that showed alertness, lack of fear and an eagerness to learn. He adopted an eleven-month-old black lab mix in March and named him Rezadu. They trained in abandoned phosphate mine property and open fields for 12 weeks, detecting illegal narcotics. Rezadu did so well that he was nationally certified in August.

Leukaemia drug can halt, reverse MS Thu Oct 23, 5:26 am ET LONDON (AFP) – Researchers at the University of Cambridge said Thursday they have found that a drug originally developed to treat leukaemia can halt and even reverse the debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis (MS). In trials, alemtuzumab reduced the number of attacks in sufferers and also helped them recover lost functions, apparently allowing damaged brain tissue to repair so that individuals were less disabled than at the start of the study. "The ability of an MS drug to promote brain repair is unprecedented," said Dr Alasdair Coles, a lecturer at Cambridge university's department of clinical neurosciences, who coordinated many aspects of the study. "We are witnessing a drug which, if given early enough, might effectively stop the advancement of the disease and also restore lost function by promoting repair of the damaged brain tissue." The MS Society, Britain's largest support charity for thos...

Well folks, it's time to simmer down. Without going into any detail so as to retain Bobby's well-deserved privacy, suffice it to say that the saga ends here. Over the last week or so, I've been "talking" (internet-wise) to Bobby. I now know the entire story behind Fake Service Dog Gate and it is completely a non-issue that was borne from an off-hand conversation Bobby had with Rosie O'Donnell. It was that conversation that elicited Rosie's comment on HSN. Bobby did NOT try to sneak his dog onto a flight (recent or otherwise) by lying that it was a Service Dog. Bobby has NEVER claimed his dog was a Service Dog. Not only did Bobby explain the whole story, he provided me with definitive proof: the receipt he received after purchasing an extra airline seat for his dog. So it all needs to stop. I do fault myself for going off the deep-end with this story. I realize now that I was being overly sensitive due to my own personal experiences with coming into contact...

Great article from blog " Service Dogs: A Way of Life " Everyday in the service dog community there are discussions of what to do about people who do not have disabilities passing their pets off as Service Dogs. Furthermore, just because a person happens to have a dog, does not automatically make the animal a service dog [See my previous post What is a Service Dog ]. The combination of the presence of a disability, the fact that a dog can be trained to mitigate the effects of that disability, and the facts the animal has been individually trained to performs tasks that mitigate that disability are the key elements to defining whether or not a person and animal comprise a working service dog and are protected under the ADA. People buying service dog gear and passing off themselves and their pets as service animals are not only possibly committing federal fraud, they may also be breaking state and local laws. The definition of fraud according to Free Dictionary.com is : fraud n...

Starting around 8:44, Rosie mentions that her friend, Bobby, tells the airlines that his pet dog is his "service dog" so he can have it fly with him in the cabin. I wrote and asked her to PLEASE inform people not to follow his lead. I love Rosie, but this is such a bad example of someone misusing the system to get their pet dog on a plane. Imagine if her friend's dog, not being trained as an actual Service Dog, were to interfere with an actual Service Dog on it's flight. A bad experience with a pet dog passed off as a Service Dog could ruin it for those of us who REALLY NEED THEM and who struggled for so long for access rights. For non-disabled folks with dogs, instead of lying, please follow these guidelines (from Airfare WatchDog ): In order to bring your dog into the main cabin, the kennel must be able to fit in the area under the seat in front of you. The maximum dimensions for the kennel is 17 inches x 12 inches x 8 inches, but keep in mind that it varies, depen...

Inspiring! See photos here

University of Texas at Austin alumnus, Chris Stanford (MSEE '91), and Electrical & Computer Engineering undergraduates are working on making exercise fun for wheelchair users. For the last year, Stanford has been partnering with engineering seniors to test his idea for a virtual reality treadmill for the disabled. "Not many people realize," says Stanford who has been confined to a wheelchair since 1988, "the special health risks faced by wheelchair users. Everything is more difficult, including eating right and getting enough exercise. Because of this, the incidence of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease is several times the rate of the general population." Stanford's solution, called TrekEase, approximates an arcade driving game. Users back a manual wheelchair into a frame, engage the flywheel for resistance, and start the driving software. "When Chris approached me last year about using [TrekEase] as one of our senior design projects,...

A $20,000 grant will benefit a program created to serve veterans with disabilities. Paws for Purple Hearts, a project that uses service dog training as therapy for soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder, was recently awarded with a $20,000 grant. The donation supports the Bonnie Bergin Assistance Dog Institute in Santa Rosa, Calif., to help fund its Paws for Purple Hearts program. The goal of the project is to create a national network to serve veterans with disabilities across the United States. Soldiers with PTSD train service dogs, who are then placed with other returned military men and women who have mobility issues sustained from injuries during the war. A $10,000 grant from Planet Dog Foundation, which backs programs in which dogs serve and support people, matches a $10,000 grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation for a total of $20,000 to the dog institute. President and CEO of the Reeve Foundation, Peter Wilderotter, said the two groups share a mission to en...

Original article Aug 25, 10:13 AM EDT ATLANTA (AP) -- The tireless tongue already controls taste and speech, helps kiss and swallow and fights germs. Now scientists hope to add one more ability to the mouthy muscle, and turn it into a computer control pad. Georgia Tech researchers believe a magnetic, tongue-powered system could transform a disabled person's mouth into a virtual computer, teeth into a keyboard - and tongue into the key that manipulates it all. "You could have full control over your environment by just being able to move your tongue," said Maysam Ghovanloo, a Georgia Tech assistant professor who leads the team's research. The group's Tongue Drive System turns the tongue into a joystick of sorts, allowing the disabled to manipulate wheelchairs, manage home appliances and control computers. The work still has a ways to go - one potential user called the design "grotesque" - but early tests are encouraging. The system is far from the first t...

Original article There were the fireworks and the 'not-cute-enough' scandals, and the still brewing underage Chinese gymnasts scandal. And now, there's paralysis-gate. According to the New York Times, a talented, 26-year-old Chinese dancer was seriously injured during a rehearsal for the opening ceremonies 12 days before the show and is now facing the prospect of being paralyzed for the rest of her life. But, organizers seemed intent on keeping the injury from taking away from the pageantry of the event. They reportedly asked witnesses and friends not to disclose the tragedy ahead of the production last Friday. However, after an inquiry from the Times about the injury and rumors about it on the Internet, members of the Olympic Committee visited the dancer in the hospital with a television crew and said they would do everything possible to help her. They also announced that they would soon hold a press conference to offer more details about her condition, according to famil...

Original story Sandy Allen , the tallest woman in the word at 7 feet 7 inches, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 53. A friend of the family, Rita Rose, confirmed that Allen died at a nursing home in her hometown of Shelbyville, Indiana. Allen had been hospitalized in recent months as she was suffering from a recurring blood infection - not to mention diabetes, kidney failure, and breathing problems. However, the cause of death is not yet known. Allen's height is attributed to a tumor which caused her pituitary gland to produce way too much growth hormone. Luckily she underwent surgey in 1977 to remove the tumor and prevent further growth. Rose said Allen later learned to be proud of her height. She says Allen "embraced it. She used it as a tool to educate people." Back in 1974 Allen even wrote to the Guinness World Records in 1974, saying she'd like to get to know someone her own height. She wrote, "It is needless to say my social life is practicall...

Why? Because of this... and this...

Not only do I feel pretty good today, not only has my itchy skin not flared up too bad (so far... allergies suk!), but to top it all off I FINALLY GOT ONE!! Got what, you ask? Got a freakin' deadbeat, low-life, holier-than-thou, I can park anywhere I want, parking on the handicap hash marks like a jerk, IDIOT!!! Today I went to the doctor's office to have my itch fixed. I pulled into the parking garage only to find that there was one handicapped spot left (there are only two available). BUT, between the two crip spots there was a jerk parked on the hash marks. You know, the hash marks that designate "no parking". "No parking" because us crips need room to maneuver our wheelchairs next to our cars. Those hash marks. So I couldn't get my wheelchair next to my car and I had to finagle and adjust my routine for exiting the car. Pain in my ass. Time to take action. I used my handy-dandy Blackberry to record the make/model and license of the shithead'...

By Barry Yeoman As more troops than ever are surviving the fearsome injuries of war, parents are increasingly being thrust into the role of long-term caregivers. Read full article

TALK TO A CRIP* TUESDAY! The first Tuesday of every month is hereby proclaimed as Talk To A Crip Tuesday . NOW, THEREFORE, I, The WillaWoman, do hereby proclaim the First Tuesday of every Month as TALK TO A CRIP TUESDAY . I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, parents, and all the people of the World to observe this day with the appropriate actions outlined below. Pretty official sounding, eh?! Goals : Raise awareness of the Disabled's plight of feeling invisible or feeling like a circus freak. Demonstrate to the abled-bodied that The Disabled are just like everyone else. Cause a generational avalanche of knowledge to the abled-bodied 's children. Make the day of a lonely, ostracized Disabled Person . Actions : Say "Hello" to a Disabled Person . Nod and smile to a Disabled Person . Strike up a conversation with a Disabled Person . Have your child say "Hello" to a Disabled Person . Look a Disabled Person in the eye and acknowledge them. ...

In the '50s, disabled children often disappeared into state institutions. Now, one family seeks its lost son. PORTLAND, Ore. -- Tom and Betty West committed their mentally disabled son to a state institution. His name was Richard, and he was three years old. It was 1959. The massive complex was remote and family ties not encouraged. The state eventually moved Richard to a different facility without informing the Wests of the location. Four decades passed without a family member laying eyes on Richard. As they entered their 80s, the Wests thought increasingly about Richard, the fifth of their eight children. How was he? Where did he live? Mr. West wanted to make sure that, following his death, some of his pension flowed to Richard. State officials rejected Mr. West's request for information, calling Richard's whereabouts private. The Wests hired an attorney who ran into the same roadblocks. "At that point, I thought there is nothing more I could do," says Mr. West,...

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Paper money unfair to blind - court Federal appeals court says Treasury Department is violating the law by keeping dollars the same size and feel. NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the U.S. Treasury Department is violating the law by failing to design and issue currency that is readily distinguishable to blind and visually impaired people. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a 2006 district court ruling that could force the United States to redesign its money so blind people can distinguish between values. Suggested solutions include making bills different sizes, including raised markings or using foil printing which is a method of hot stamping that is tactically discernable. Judge Judith Rogers, in a ruling on a suit by the American Council of the Blind, wrote that the Treasury Department's failure to design and issue paper currency that is readily distinguishable to the visually impaired violates the Rehabilita...

Number of disabled veterans rising WASHINGTON (AP) -- Increasing numbers of U.S. troops have left the military with damaged bodies and minds, an ever-larger pool of disabled veterans that will cost the nation billions for decades to come - even as the total population of America's vets shrinks. Despite the decline in total vets - as soldiers from World War II and Korea die - the government expects to be spending $59 billion a year to compensate injured warriors in 25 years, up from today's $29 billion, according to internal documents obtained by The Associated Press. And the Veterans Affairs Department concedes the bill could be much higher. Why? Worse wounds. More disabilities. More vets aware of the benefits and quicker to file for them. Also, ironically, advanced medical care. Troops come home with devastating injuries that might well have killed them in earlier wars. Time is also a factor when it comes to disability compensation costs. Payments tend to go up as veterans age...