Tzvi Schectman
News 
This year there were several inappropriate comments made by some pretty high profile people.
Starting off at the top President Obama started his year on a bad note by stating on the Tonight Show that his bowling score was like the “Special Olympics”
Former White House Chief-of-Staff Rahm Emanuel followed up by using the R-word in a meeting.
Actress Jennifer Aniston and Talk Show Radio Host Rush Limbaugh where also heard using the R-word
On a positive note President Obama signed federal legislation replacing the terms “mental retardation” and “mentally retarded” with “intellectual disability” and “individual with an intellectual disability” throughout federal health, education and labor policy.
2010 saw great documentaries about individuals with autism and hit television shows portraying people with special needs. It is becoming clearly evident that individuals with special needs are being accepted and included in everyday and Hollywood life.
A bipartisan bill will help blind and deaf people use smart phones, the internet, television and other technologies on a daily basis. The new law will improve the quality of life for 25 million people who are blind and 35 million people who are hearing impaired. The bill will set new federal guidelines that will require:
Top Five Special Needs News Stories Of 2010
Autism Insurance Reform Battles
Nationwide, few private insurance companies or other employee benefit plans cover autism therapies. In fact, most insurance companies designate autism as a diagnostic exclusion, meaning that no autism-specific services are covered. State Legislatures all over the country have been pushing to pass Autism Insurance Reform that would create laws forcing insurance companies to cover certain therapies and treatments for autism. Currently 23 states have passed Autism Insurance Reform. 2011 will see 22 of the final 27 states debate Autism Insurance Reform . Learn more about Autism Insurance Reform
The Year of the iPad
On April 3rd Apple launched the iPad. On the first day over 300,000 iPads where sold. After nine months it is estimated that 10 million iPads have been sold. Needless to say overnight it became the must have gadget. The special needs community instantly took note of the iPad but not for its cool factor. People saw the ability of the iPad to become a communications device, a way to finally connect to their child. Instantly developers started creating iPad applications specifically designed for users with special needs. The iPad has given many children with autism and other disabilities a way to communicate their needs and wants. The iPad applications have also been able to teach life skills to children with special needs. In October the demand was so great for these applications that Apple opened up a special section in its App Store. The section titled “Special Education” includes 72 applications for the iPhone and 13 applications for the iPad in 10 categories ranging from communication to emotional development and life skills
The R-Word and More
This year there were several inappropriate comments made by some pretty high profile people.
Starting off at the top President Obama started his year on a bad note by stating on the Tonight Show that his bowling score was like the “Special Olympics”
Former White House Chief-of-Staff Rahm Emanuel followed up by using the R-word in a meeting.
Actress Jennifer Aniston and Talk Show Radio Host Rush Limbaugh where also heard using the R-word
On a positive note President Obama signed federal legislation replacing the terms “mental retardation” and “mentally retarded” with “intellectual disability” and “individual with an intellectual disability” throughout federal health, education and labor policy.
Special Needs In the media
2010 saw great documentaries about individuals with autism and hit television shows portraying people with special needs. It is becoming clearly evident that individuals with special needs are being accepted and included in everyday and Hollywood life.
- An HBO Documentary tells the story of Temple Grandin. At the age of 3 doctors told Temples mother to put her in an institution. Instead, Grandin went on to become one of the foremost livestock experts in the world. The documentary took home seven Emmys.
- Another documentary called A Mother’s Courage tells the tale of a mother’s global search for help for her severely autistic son. Narrated by Kate Winslet the documentary has won awards at several international film festivals including Toronto, Goteborg, and Thessaloniki Greece.
- The hit series Glee on Fox included actors who have disabilities themselves — Lauren Potter and Robin Trocki both have Down syndrome. And on NBC’s Parenthood actor Max Burkholder portrays a boy with Asperger’s Syndrome.
President Obama Expands Technology Access For Disabled
A bipartisan bill will help blind and deaf people use smart phones, the internet, television and other technologies on a daily basis. The new law will improve the quality of life for 25 million people who are blind and 35 million people who are hearing impaired. The bill will set new federal guidelines that will require:
- Making smartphone interfaces easier to use
- Provide audible descriptions of on-screen action, making it easier for blind people to enjoy television
- Making captions mandatory for online tv programs to help the hearing impaired
- Ensuring that VOIP (internet phone calls) calls and equipment will be compatible with hearing aids
- Provide a dedicated button on remote controls that enable one touch access to closed captioning
- $10 million annually for low-income Americans who are both deaf and blind to use for purchasing accessible internet access
