In the Media
A growing number of Utah seniors suffer abuse
Salt Lake Tribune - March 7, 2010
The 22-year-old aide who helped the elderly woman with dinner and errands always seemed so nice, the kind of person who thoughtfully wiped eyeglasses clean for the woman's aging husband. To read more click here.
Deaf and blind school is forced to make cuts
ABC 4 News - March 5, 2010
OGDEN (ABC 4 News) - Utah's School for the Deaf and Blind is making cuts to meet a budget reduction of $670,000. To read more click here.
One Revolution with Chris Waddell
Salt Lake Community College Globe - March 3, 2010
"[The disabled community] is, in a lot of ways, the final minority," said Chris Waddell, the most decorated male skier in Paralympic history. Last Wednesday, Waddell came to the Salt Lake Community College Taylorsville Redwood campus to educate students about 15 percent of the world's most invisible population - those with disabilities. To read more click here.
Parents of the disabled want a say
The Salt Lake Tribune - February 25, 2010
In one group home, Philip Paulsen was left unattended and was seriously burned in a cooking accident. While playing with water -- a habit when he's anxious -- the severely autistic adult caused $5,000 in damage to a supervised apartment. He was evicted for assaulting a caregiver. To read more click here.
Talent, not disability, comes first at 'real inclusion' Art Access
Deseret News - February 27, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY - John Hess is a premier fiber artist. Peter Scott Stone never erases anything. He is the perfect draftsman, and Jose Hernandez Lopez is an artist of spectacular talent, says Ruth Lubbers, executive director of Art Access since 1993. To read more click here.
Advocates for poor: We need to educate lawmakers
The Salt Lake Tribune - February 26, 2010
A simple "thank you for your comment" might have sufficed. But Rep. John Dougall, R-Highland, felt compelled to say a bit more in response to the retired professor and midwife who asked him to "work hard" to preserve Medicaid coverage for thousands of pregnant women. To read more click here.
Special Scouts bring a special joy
Salt Lake Tribune - February 25, 2010
It's time to choose up sides for the dodge-ball game at Salt Lake City's Garden Park LDS Ward, where several dozen special-needs Scouts gather. To read more click here.
More kids have chronic diseases
Deseret News - February 23, 2010
The rate of chronic disease among children has doubled in the past two decades More than half of children ages 8 to 14 have had a long-term health problem at some point, such as obesit, asthma, a learning disability or other ailment, a study shows. To read more click here.
New Utah County shuttle service to help seniors
Deseret News - February 22, 2010
OREM - Getting senior citizens from point A to point B easily and independently is the intent of Seniors Out & About, a new door-to-door shuttle service in Utah County. To read more click here.
Advocates Warn of Impact Medicaid Cuts Will Have
KCPW - February 18, 2010
(KCPW News) Advocates are speaking out about steep cuts state legislators are making to Utah's Medicaid program as they try to balance the budget. To read more click here.
Program gives seniors with vision loss a brighter outlook
Deseret News - February 15, 2010
DELTONA, Fla. - Over the years, Diana Dawson gradually lost the ability to see the details in the wedding dresses she had been sewing her whole life. To read more click here.
Disabled get their guns - and outdoors
Deseret News- February 20, 2010
There is no "disabled accessible" placard anywhere visible on Mark Robison's pickup truck. Which is odd. Because there may not be another human on planet Earth who gets the disabled more access than he does. To read more click here.
Parade of Homes Features an Accessible Designed Home For the Disabled
KCSG.com - February 12, 2010
(St. George, UT) - The St. George Area Parade of Homes is celebrating its 20th anniversary with 25 homes located in a variety of communities set among breathtaking landscapes throughout Washington County, Utah. To read more click here.
High-achieving disabled teens shatter stereotypes
The Salt Lake Tribune - February 15, 2010
It would be easy to define 18-year-olds TJ Hancock and Elise Thomas by their Down syndrome -- or by their enviable accomplishments . To read more click here.
Changes proposed in how psychiatrists diagnose patients
The Associated Press - February 9, 2010
Washington - Don't say "mental retardation" -- the new term is "intellectual disability." No more diagnoses of Asperger's syndrome -- call it a mild version of autism instead. And while "behavioral addictions" will be new to doctors' dictionaries, "Internet addiction" didn't make the cut. To read more click here.
Catholic schools help students with learning disabilities
Intermountain Catholic - February 11, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY - Catholic schools in Utah, in the last 10 year, have made significant strides in identifying and intervening for those students experiencing learning difficulties. To read more click here.
Tough Road Ahead for CHIP Bill
KCPW News - February 9, 2010
(KCPW News) There's a challenging road ahead for a bill that would eliminate the five-year period children of legal immigrants must wait before they can qualify for the Children's Health Insurance Program or Medicaid. To read more click here.
Utah veterans look for land in Spanish Fork for nursing home
Daily Herald - February 4, 2010
As age and injuries catch up with generations of World War II and Korean War veteran, the sheer volume of infirm veterans is starting to catch up with Utah's veteran facilities. To read more click here.
Health care spending keeps climbing
Deseret News - February 6, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY - Health care reform efforts continue to move as slowly as cold tar, but health care spending across the United States raged on in 2009, and when all the data come in, it will likely have had the largest one-year increase in history. To read more click here.
Critical Utah health services on the chopping block
Deseret News - February 3, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY - If lawmakers think it's tough balancing the state's budget this year, they should try being disabled, a foster child or a service provider trying to survive under a series of funding cutbacks from the past three year. To read more click here.
Utah education leaders speculate on No Child Left Behind
Deseret News - February 2, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY - While President Barack Obama is launching action to revamp the federal mandate No Child Left Behind, Utah education leaders are speculating on the outcome - and its connection to the Race to the Top program. To read more click here.
Federal stimulus gives S. L. County a $14M lift
The Salt Lake Tribune - February 2, 2010
Stimulus dollars meant to help Salt Lake County survive the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression are showing up in shelters for the homeless, detox centers for recovering alcoholics and treatment programs for drug addicts. To read more click here.
University of Utah Department of Psychiatry Marks 50th Anniversary of Child and Adolescent Training Program
Newswise.com - February 2, 2010
Newswise, Utah children and adolescents suffering from psychiatric conditions have one thing in common, the excellent care they receive from physicians who are graduates of the University of Utah Department of Psychiatry's Child and Adolescent Training Program. The program, the only one of its kind in the Intermountain West, will mark its 50th anniversary this month with events to honor the founders and current leaders of the program, as well as a special presentation by a nationally recognized leader in training child and adolescent psychiatrists. To read more click here.
Utah House: Medicare card won't be valid voter ID
KSL News - January 28, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Elderly voters in Utah won't be allowed to use their Medicare cards as a valid form of identification at the ballot box. To read more click here.
Nonprofit provides free home improvements, repairs
Salt Lake Tribune - January 27, 2010
A nonprofit group plans to make free home repairs to some low income, elderly and disabled residents in Utah this summer. To read more click here.
Utah Legislature 2010: Social safety nets under the budget microscope
Des News - January 23, 2010
Continuing shortfalls in tax revenue for the state could dramatically curtail programs for the disabled and other social safety net efforts in the department of Health and Human Services, the two most people-oriented agencies in the state government. To read more click here.
Woman sues real estate business over mother's eviction, death
KSL News - January 25, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY -- The daughter of a mentally-ill homeless woman who died last year is suing a Midvale businessman. She claims he loaned her mother money to catch up on overdue mortgage payments then evicted her when she couldn't repay the loan, sending the woman into a downward spiral. To read more click here.
Raising food tax will hurt poor, advocates say
Des News - January 22, 2010
Margo Westley has $1.98 to feed herself for the rest of the month, is still recovering from injuries she suffered in a rollover accident several years ago and recently lost three teeth in a fall down a staircase. To read more click here.
Utah charity at heart of quake relief efforts
SL Trib, Jan 13, 2010
Even in the best of times, Haiti's crushing poverty, corruption and political unrest are enough to discourage the most starry-eyed humanitarian. But the remedy to helplessness is "finding one thing you can do and do it well," says Salt Lake City physician Jeff Randle, describing the guiding principle behind Healing Hands for Haiti, a charitable nonprofit that provides wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs and braces to Haitians who have lost limbs or were born with a disability. To read more click here.
A new outlook, behind goggles: Physically disabled cancer patients learn to ski in Park City
Park Record, Jan 13, 2010
Last week, a special group of skiers tackled the slopes at Park City Mountain Resort. For first-timers, learning to traverse the mountain on their own two feet can be a challenge. For 12 visitors from the Children's Cancer Hospital at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, learning to ski with amputated and prosthetic limbs was both a trial and a triumph. To read more click here.
Programs for Utah's vulnerable at risk
SL Trib, Jan 12, 2010
Parents and caregivers implored legislators Tuesday to protect dollars for the mentally ill, addicted, abused and disabled as officials begin considering how to shrink the current year's budget by 4 percent. To read more click here.
Disabled adults, poor children need Christmas help
SL Trib, Dec 16, 2009
After years of washings, the purple moons on Michele Parker's flannel pajamas are growing thin. She would love a new pair, but the intellectually disabled woman may not see much under the tree this year -- unless someone "adopts" her through the Holiday Gift Box program. To read more click here.
Facility pays up in death
Standard Examiner, Dec 9, 2009
The companies that own and operate a Bountiful residential care facility have paid $365,555 to the state to settle the case of a disabled man who died after being neglected. To read more click here.
Everyone Can
Des News, Dec 5, 2009
A collection of photos from the Disability Awareness Luncheon for children, hosted by the Disability Outreach Committee at the Pleasant Green Villa Apartments' community center in Magna on Saturday. Children were asked to make drawings that illustrate the theme "Everyone Can." To read more click here.
TRAX turns 10: UTA move to rail line seems to have grown on residents
Des News, Dec 3, 2009
Barbara Toomer never dodges a fight with the Utah Transit Authority when fares and access to the disabled are at stake. In 2001, the West Valley City woman and her friends exited their wheelchairs during an afternoon rush hour and sat on light rail tracks in downtown Salt Lake City, stopping TRAX for about 20 minutes. The sit-down was a protest of a paratransit fare proposal. To read more click here.
Workers Comp Fund may have to repay $15M
Des News - Dec 4, 2009
Those who qualify for both Social Security and workers compensation may be receiving a "wonderful" gift in the near future, thanks to a Utah Supreme Court decision issued Friday. The decision ruled that money taken out of worker's compensation checks due to a law that offset the payments of Social Security must be paid retroactively in cases that are still active and haven't already been settled. To read more click here.
Budget Cuts for Child Services Could Lead to Lawsuits
KCPW - Nov 17, 2009
The state of Utah could be exposing itself to lawsuits if it continues to cut the budget for foster children. That's what a legislative committee heard today from Eric Bjorklund, President of Utah Youth Village, a residential care provider for foster kids. He told the story of one case worker who was pressured to move a troubled child from a group home to an individual foster home, exposing the other children who lived there to sexual abuse. To read more click here.
Ability is nothing without opportunity
Park Record, Dec 4, 2009
The National Ability Center will benefit from the grand opening of Jupiter Bowl, Park City's only bowling alley, on Dec. 8 in the Newpark Town Center. All bowling proceeds from the day will be donated to the NAC, according to a press release. Jupiter Bowl also offers a full-service restaurant and bar, billiards, arcade and Wii lounge. To read more click here.
Budget Cuts for Child Services Could Lead to Lawsuits
KCPW - Nov 17, 2009
The state of Utah could be exposing itself to lawsuits if it continues to cut the budget for foster children. That's what a legislative committee heard today from Eric Bjorklund, President of Utah Youth Village, a residential care provider for foster kids. He told the story of one case worker who was pressured to move a troubled child from a group home to an individual foster home, exposing the other children who lived there to sexual abuse. To read more click here.
Lawmakers see few ways to avoid impending cuts
SL Trib - Nov 17, 2009
Utah state government has shed nearly 2,000 jobs during the current budget crisis, and could lose nearly 1,000 more in the coming year unless the budget picture changes. With a bleak economic picture ahead, lawmakers got a sense Tuesday of what deep cuts to the state budget will mean -- increased school class sizes, the closure of clinics for children with special health needs, and services to the poor and disabled being stretched even thinner. To read more click here.
Volunteer spreads news to the blind
Des News - Nov 18, 2009
The voice comes through the radio speaker clear and cool as Irish crystal, captivating a small but devoted audience from Tremonton to Toquerville. "Now, on to the comics," says Larry Goldsmith from a closet-sized, soundproof booth in the Utah State Library for the Blind. To read more click here.
New Braille phone system gives blind man new skills
Standard-Examiner - Nov 17, 2009
It's hard to believe that Pat Robinson is 40 years old when you ask him about how excited he is to start talking on the phone all day. Robinson, who has been blind since birth, started a new job Monday answering phones at Enable Industries, thanks to a new phone system equipped with Braille identification for each of the various extensions. To read more click here.
Sandy Jeffs on what it's like to live with schizophrenia
The Daily Telegraph - Nov 13, 2009
SANDY JEFFS has lived with schizophrenia for 33 years. Here she tells how she battles to get through every day. To read more click here.
Grandparents do their best for bright young boy
The Gazette - Nov 12, 2009
With an IQ of 129, Sandy's grandson Nathan is an exceptional 12-year-old. "He's remarkable" Sandy said. "He's extremely brilliant, but also just a very happy, grateful boy." Even more remarkable are the obstacles Nathan has overcome in his short life. To read more click here.
A new place to call home
The Spectrum - Nov 14, 2009
No matter what part of the house someone asked about when talking to Stephanie Wood, the wife of U.S. Army Sgt. Travis Wood, she would bubble with excitement and call each room her favorite. The Woods received keys to their new, custom-built home Friday morning after nearly six months of volunteer work and construction spearheaded by the organization Homes For Our Troops. To read more click here.
Mental health programs score with federal grant
SL Trib - Nov 11, 2009
Good news came this week for mental health patients in Utah. The Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (UDSAMH) was awarded a federal grant of $480,000 per year for up to five years to expand its Youth in Transition program. To read more click here.
Highland continues appeal on group home
SL Trib - Nov 12, 2009
Highland Residents concerned about how a group home was approved have until Nov. 23 to weigh in. Michael C. Walch, the city's appeal authority, said he will hold open the record on the appeal of Alpine Treatment Service's group home in the city.To read more click here.
Social Security inundated by new disability claims
SL Trib - Nov 3, 2009
As the worst recession since the Great Depression appears to be ending, the Social Security Administration grapples with an unprecedented flood of disability applications due to aging baby-boomers and heavy job losses. To read more click here.
Injured Speredon contributes to project
Des News - October 28, 2009
Jason Speredon was supposed to start on BYU's offensive line this season.But before fall practice and two-a-days had advanced only a few days, he suffered a season-ending rotator cuff injury in his shoulder that took football away from him after a pained career filled with similar injuries, including a surgically repaired Achilles tendon as a freshman. To read more click here.
USU grads honored for distinctive careers
Herald Journal - October 18, 2009
Two disabled brothers who had prestigious careers in national policy have received the 2009 Trainee of the Year award from Utah State University's Center for Persons with Disabilities. To read more click here.
Amputee, agency spar over wheelchair-accessible van
Deseret News - September 12, 2009
An amputee student pursuing a career in film was led to believe he was facing the loss of his wheelchair-accessible van because the state claimed he wasn't working toward his employment goals. To read more click here.