The Front Page Blog

Winter weather evokes mixed emotions in adults. Children love this time of year when school can be canceled on a Wednesday and snowmen dot the landscape, while adults wrestle between the guiltless joy of having an excuse to stay indoors with a book, hot chocolate and Netflix—and the inevitable loathing of de-icing, shoveling and the worsening of already terrible traffic. Among the black and white of the average person’s view exists a hidden realm of winter trials reserved for people with disabilities.

Remember the Oregon Trail? It was a computer game designed around the journey of…

Community integration for seniors and individuals with disabilities hasn’t always been the standard, but it is on the rise – thanks in part to programs like the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration Program. As a nation we are now at a tipping point with Medicaid dollars for Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) approximating the dollars being spent on institutionally based services.

This shift has been influenced by the 1999 Supreme Court Olmstead decision that requires states to provide services for people with…

Community integration for seniors and individuals with disabilities hasn’t always been the standard, but it is on the rise – thanks in part to programs like the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration Program. As a nation we are now at a tipping point with Medicaid dollars for Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) approximating the dollars being spent on institutionally based services.

This shift has been influenced by the 1999 Supreme Court Olmstead decision that requires states to provide services for people with…

Community integration for seniors and individuals with disabilities hasn’t always been the standard, but it is on the rise – thanks in part to programs like the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration Program. As a nation we are now at a tipping point with Medicaid dollars for Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) approximating the dollars being spent on institutionally based services.

This shift has been influenced by the 1999 Supreme Court Olmstead decision that requires states to provide services for people with…

Since my days as a rehabilitation counselor three decades ago, I have worked toward a goal of including people with disabilities into our society—no matter the job that I held.  When I became an employer twelve years ago, I sought and hired people with disabilities. New Editions seeks contracts that focus on historically marginalized populations, trying to create a better society where everyone benefits, regardless of race, religion, age, culture or disability. About five years ago, we won a contract with U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Center of Excellence on…

Since my days as a rehabilitation counselor three decades ago, I have worked toward a goal of including people with disabilities into our society—no matter the job that I held.  When I became an employer twelve years ago, I sought and hired people with disabilities. New Editions seeks contracts that focus on historically marginalized populations, trying to create a better society where everyone benefits, regardless of race, religion, age, culture or disability. About five years ago, we won a contract with U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Center of Excellence on…

Since my days as a rehabilitation counselor three decades ago, I have worked toward a goal of including people with disabilities into our society—no matter the job that I held.  When I became an employer twelve years ago, I sought and hired people with disabilities. New Editions seeks contracts that focus on historically marginalized populations, trying to create a better society where everyone benefits, regardless of race, religion, age, culture or disability. About five years ago, we won a contract with U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Center of Excellence on…

Since my days as a rehabilitation counselor three decades ago, I have worked toward a goal of including people with disabilities into our society—no matter the job that I held.  When I became an employer twelve years ago, I sought and hired people with disabilities. New Editions seeks contracts that focus on historically marginalized populations, trying to create a better society where everyone benefits, regardless of race, religion, age, culture or disability. About five years ago, we won a contract with U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Center of Excellence on…

Since my days as a rehabilitation counselor three decades ago, I have worked toward a goal of including people with disabilities into our society—no matter the job that I held.  When I became an employer twelve years ago, I sought and hired people with disabilities. New Editions seeks contracts that focus on historically marginalized populations, trying to create a better society where everyone benefits, regardless of race, religion, age, culture or disability. About five years ago, we won a contract with U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Center of Excellence on…

Since my days as a rehabilitation counselor three decades ago, I have worked toward a goal of including people with disabilities into our society—no matter the job that I held.  When I became an employer twelve years ago, I sought and hired people with disabilities. New Editions seeks contracts that focus on historically marginalized populations, trying to create a better society where everyone benefits, regardless of race, religion, age, culture or disability. About five years ago, we won a contract with U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Center of Excellence on…

At New Editions we are committed to making electronic information accessible to people with disabilities.  We support the implementation of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that requires Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (EIT) accessible. The law (29 U.S.C. § 794 (d)) was enacted in 1998 and applies to a range of hardware and software.  The goal is to ensure that people with disabilities have comparable access to information that is available to others.  Policy makers envisioned that the law would stimulate EIT vendors to…

National Diabetes Awareness Month is observed every November. The National Diabetes Education Program’s (NDEP) 2015 theme, Diabetes Education and Support: Everyone Has a Role. What’s Yours?, highlights the need for ongoing diabetes education and support among people with diabetes and those who care for them, by drawing attention to diabetes and its effects on millions of Americans.

This year, New Editions’ nurses got a head start on diabetes education. On October 2, 2015, the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) held their Virginia State…

Attend any awards ceremony and right after the person being honored thanks his or her parents, that person then thanks the people who have provided support, guidance, opportunities—that person’s mentors.  Imagine for just a minute that the person in the audience being thanked is you.  Mentoring can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your career.  Helping others is rejuvenating and for those of us who strive to have meaning in our lives, we find mentoring makes us feel useful and happier.  It’s even helped me find more creative solutions to my work problems as I…

Attend any awards ceremony and right after the person being honored thanks his or her parents, that person then thanks the people who have provided support, guidance, opportunities—that person’s mentors.  Imagine for just a minute that the person in the audience being thanked is you.  Mentoring can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your career.  Helping others is rejuvenating and for those of us who strive to have meaning in our lives, we find mentoring makes us feel useful and happier.  It’s even helped me find more creative solutions to my work problems as I…

Attend any awards ceremony and right after the person being honored thanks his or her parents, that person then thanks the people who have provided support, guidance, opportunities—that person’s mentors.  Imagine for just a minute that the person in the audience being thanked is you.  Mentoring can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your career.  Helping others is rejuvenating and for those of us who strive to have meaning in our lives, we find mentoring makes us feel useful and happier.  It’s even helped me find more creative solutions to my work problems as I…

The white cane is universally recognized as a representative marker for blindness and low vision. But many people may not realize that for individuals who are blind or have low vision, the white cane is so much more than a navigational tool. It is a symbol of independence, integration, and triumph. This is why people across the country observe October 15th, White Cane Safety Day, as a day to celebrate just how far individuals with visual impairments have come in their pursuit for independence.

It all began in 1921, when James Biggs, an artist in Bristol, England lost his sight and…

The white cane is universally recognized as a representative marker for blindness and low vision. But many people may not realize that for individuals who are blind or have low vision, the white cane is so much more than a navigational tool. It is a symbol of independence, integration, and triumph. This is why people across the country observe October 15th, White Cane Safety Day, as a day to celebrate just how far individuals with visual impairments have come in their pursuit for independence.

It all began in 1921, when James Biggs, an artist in Bristol, England lost his sight and…

Do you know where you will live when you are 80 years old? Will your home accommodate your health and physical needs? How will you manage if you cannot drive? Will you be able to sell your house and move into affordable, accessible housing with accessible public transportation? 

Federal officials from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) foresee a housing crisis by the year 2040, when baby boomers will have aged into their 80’s, many becoming frail and mobility impaired. HUD’s Jennifer Ho, a Special Assistant to the Secretary, reported at a recent…

Do you know where you will live when you are 80 years old? Will your home accommodate your health and physical needs? How will you manage if you cannot drive? Will you be able to sell your house and move into affordable, accessible housing with accessible public transportation? 

Federal officials from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) foresee a housing crisis by the year 2040, when baby boomers will have aged into their 80’s, many becoming frail and mobility impaired. HUD’s Jennifer Ho, a Special Assistant to the Secretary, reported at a recent…

Do you know where you will live when you are 80 years old? Will your home accommodate your health and physical needs? How will you manage if you cannot drive? Will you be able to sell your house and move into affordable, accessible housing with accessible public transportation? 

Federal officials from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) foresee a housing crisis by the year 2040, when baby boomers will have aged into their 80’s, many becoming frail and mobility impaired. HUD’s Jennifer Ho, a Special Assistant to the Secretary, reported at a recent…

Most of us who work in the disability field or have a friend or family member with a disability who is seeking employment, are aware of the difficulties that people with disabilities have in getting a job. Let’s take a look at the stats.

The unemployment rate of people with disabilities in the U.S. has decreased slightly since the Great Recession – moving from a little under 12% in May 2009 to 11.2% in May 2015. That may sound like good news, and it is. But, it’s not great news. That May 2015 rate is still over twice as high as the average unemployment rate of those without…

Most of us who work in the disability field or have a friend or family member with a disability who is seeking employment, are aware of the difficulties that people with disabilities have in getting a job. Let’s take a look at the stats.

The unemployment rate of people with disabilities in the U.S. has decreased slightly since the Great Recession – moving from a little under 12% in May 2009 to 11.2% in May 2015. That may sound like good news, and it is. But, it’s not great news. That May 2015 rate is still over twice as high as the average unemployment rate of those without…

As a student at Loyola University, I was l lucky enough to call New Orleans home from 2001 to 2005. During that time, I became well acquainted with the vibrancy of the city, the kindness of its residents, and the cultural, political, socioeconomic and geographic traits that make it unlike any other place in the world. Two months after I moved to Northern Virginia, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, changing the landscape of one of America’s most beloved cities and altering the country’s understanding of natural disaster preparedness.

Hurricane Katrina claimed the lives of over…

As a student at Loyola University, I was l lucky enough to call New Orleans home from 2001 to 2005. During that time, I became well acquainted with the vibrancy of the city, the kindness of its residents, and the cultural, political, socioeconomic and geographic traits that make it unlike any other place in the world. Two months after I moved to Northern Virginia, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, changing the landscape of one of America’s most beloved cities and altering the country’s understanding of natural disaster preparedness.

Hurricane Katrina claimed the lives of over…

As a student at Loyola University, I was l lucky enough to call New Orleans home from 2001 to 2005. During that time, I became well acquainted with the vibrancy of the city, the kindness of its residents, and the cultural, political, socioeconomic and geographic traits that make it unlike any other place in the world. Two months after I moved to Northern Virginia, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, changing the landscape of one of America’s most beloved cities and altering the country’s understanding of natural disaster preparedness.

Hurricane Katrina claimed the lives of over…