Welcome to The Spark, where we showcase some of the more interesting and inspiring stories in the disability communities. Have you seen any stories worth highlighting? Drop us a line!
- Autism Speaks, Special Olympics and Best Buddies are joining together to create one million jobs by 2025 for people with developmental disabilities. In touting the benefits of having employees with developmental disabilities, the CEO of Autism Speaks mentions that “these job candidates and employees can add tremendous value to any workplace, tackling problems with unique perspective and tenacity.” Job seekers can find out more on Delivering Jobs’ website and by watching a PSA it debuted recently. We’re hoping the trio is successful in its endeavor.
- We loved this story about Abby McDaniels, a Seattle teen who, despite a neurological disorder that makes walking and speaking difficult, has joined her school’s swim team. In fact, she continues to improve each week, constantly pushing herself to achieve personal best times.
- Jill Alexandra writes in The Mighty about how her doctor was quick to dismiss her seizures as being caused by “anxiety,” and she nearly lost her life over the misdiagnosis. “Mental illness is not an excuse to write off a patient,” she writes. We couldn’t agree more.
- High school teacher Stacey Rochan has an interesting piece for MindShift about how she implements tech in her classroom to better teach her students, particularly those who struggle with anxiety. It’s a fascinating story about using new methods to deal with timeless issues.
- South Burlington, Scottsdale, St. Louis, and San Francisco top a list of the best cities to live for people with disabilities, according to a recent survey conducted by Wallethub. Also included in there? The worst cities for people with disabilities. Providence, RI has some work to do…
That’s it for today. If you think there’s something we should highlight in The Spark or on Glimmer, we’d love to hear about it.
Also, head over to Glimmer to discuss this and anything else with fellow Glimmer members.
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— Geoff Anderson
Co-founder of Glimmer