"Imagine 12 men in a dorm all in diapers and sitting in their own feces," he says. "It smelled like a combination of what people had for lunch that day and pus from people's open wounds. I've been in a wheelchair now for three years, and the jail is by far the worst place I've ever seen for a disabled person." -- L.A. Weekly on "Wheelchair Hell" in the L.A. County Men's Jail
posted by bardic on Dec 8, 2011 - 42 comments

Mother of disabled children changes country to suit their needs.
posted by maiamaia on Dec 29, 2010 - 19 comments

REX is a "bionic" motorized exoskeleton that could make wheelchairs obsolete. Videos: 1, 2. Made in New Zealand by two British inventors, REX will be available internationally in the middle of 2011. Reported Retail Cost: (US) $150,000
posted by zarq on Jul 16, 2010 - 30 comments

An important class action lawsuit was settled today when Target agreed to pay $6 million in damages to the plaintiffs (National Federation of the Blind, et al.) because these disabled users could not shop on the Target.com site. Here is a collection of legal mumbo jumbo materials. [more inside]
posted by Ky on Aug 27, 2008 - 108 comments

Dasher is text input informed by information theory. It's also trippy. David MacKay recently gave a talk in the Google TechTalks series. You can download a prototype at the official site. Plenty useful, but perhaps also a new metaphor for writing?
posted by ontic on Jun 2, 2007 - 33 comments

Forgive me for this one link Youtuber, but this guy is one of my personal heroes. The Armless Guitarist of Balboa Park!
posted by snsranch on Sep 22, 2006 - 26 comments

Caution: Retards In Area
posted by nooneyouknow on Jul 27, 2006 - 105 comments

Assistive Media is a non-profit organization dedicated to offering audio access to literary works for the blind. They have placed an extensive archive of downloadable magazine articles in mp3 format online, including selections from The New Yorker, Foreign Affairs, The Atlantic and American Heritage.
posted by huskerdont on Jun 11, 2006 - 13 comments

Usability Exchange -- a testing service determining site accessibility for disabled users. They're only in the UK now, but it seems like a great idea. Organisations set up their tests online and submit them directly to disabled testers in our database. Testers are then free to complete these tests in their own time, earning money for each test they complete. As tests are completed by users, organisations can view test results, web page logs and other information in real time. More here at BBC, including some concerns.
posted by amberglow on Mar 17, 2006 - 17 comments

What's worse, calling a disabled person brave or a window-licker? It seems it depends on your perspective. Check out the pretty cool blog too. I wonder how this stands up internationally?
posted by DrDoberman on Oct 5, 2004 - 28 comments

Will they call Rosie courageous? Will she be as compelling and nuanced as Benny Stulwicz? Can this sort of portrayal come anywhere close to the real thing?
posted by dfowler on May 6, 2004 - 5 comments

''Tim,'' said Spitzer with a laugh, ''just slaughtered them.'' What's so special about one geek slaughtering other geeks in a game of Quake? Tim is blind and a company named ZForm is developing videogames to help blind people compete fairly with sighted people. Way cool.
posted by WolfDaddy on Jul 8, 2002 - 13 comments

Motorists who park in disabled spaces are to be shamed into moving by a talking meter
it's a good idea, but sad that able-bodied people still park in handicapped spaces.

perhaps it would work better if the meter announced, "if you aren't disabled when you park here, you will be when you leave."
posted by bwg on Apr 27, 2001 - 10 comments

All pimpwar accounts disabled? I was really getting into the game. Its probably for the better since I will now be able to return to my previous life (not that it was anything signifigant). I'll just tough it out until May 1st when it comes back as a fully functional version.
posted by howa2396 on Apr 2, 2000 - 5 comments