Spotlight: Nathaniel's Hope

Nathaniel's Hope is a ministry that serves children with special needs, who are referred to as VIP Kids. The organization runs six programs: Buddy Break (respite), Make 'm Smile and Keep 'm Smiling (fun family events), VIP Birthday Club, Hall of Hope (a memorial for deceased children with special needs), and Christmas with Nathaniel's Hope. Beanie bears stitched with the Nathaniel's Hope logo are given to the VIP Kids for free. Marie and Tim Kuck founded Nathaniel's Hope in memory of their son, who was born prematurely with multiple medical issues on June 6, 1997, and passed away more than four years later. The 16th Annual Make 'm Smile Festival will take place at Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando from 7:30 A.M.-1:00 P.M. on Saturday, June 2. Nathaniel's Hope will be one of the many exhibitors at the 20th Annual Family Cafe at the Hyatt Regency Orlando June 15-17. (For those of you attending the Family Cafe, Speechless star Micah Fowler and his older sister Kelsey, an actress, will be the guest speakers during the morning of June 17.) For more information about Nathaniel's Hope, go to https://www.nathanielshope.org/.

(Image via nathanielshope.org)

Spotlight: Variety - the Children's Charity

Variety - the Children's Charity is an international non-profit organization that provides necessary equipment and services to kids in need, including those with disabilities. Founded 90 years ago by 11 theater owners and showmen in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Variety runs four programs: Care, Freedom, Future, and International Children's Fund. Paramount partnered with Variety in the creation of limited-edition gold heart pins that featured the movie Sherlock Gnomes in March. Proceeds from the pins went to Variety. Earlier this month, Variety held its World Conference in Adelaide, South Australia. There is a Variety chapter in Florida. For more information or to donate, go to usvariety.org.

Variety's logo

(image via Facebook)

Happy Global Accessibility Awareness Day!

Today is the seventh Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). The purpose of GAAD is to encourage people to think about digital access and inclusion for individuals with different disabilities, especially visual impairments. The idea for this day of observance came from a blog post by Joe Devon, a web developer in Los Angeles, in November 2011. Jennison Asuncion, an accessibility professional in Toronto, worked with Devon to make GAAD a recognized day. Events are being held today all over the country as well as the world and online. GAAD is observed on the third Thursday of May every year. For more information, go to http://globalaccessibilityawarenessday.org/.

The Global Accessibility Awareness Day logo

(image via Facebook)

Spotlight: SureHands

SureHands Lift & Care Systems sells lifts for people with physical disabilities. Shaped like a person's bent arms, the SureHands lifts transport people sitting on slings from their bed to their wheelchair, bath tub/shower, or toilet. The indoors lift system hangs from a ceiling track, moving from one room to another. SureHands can be used independently or with the aid of a caregiver. The lifts can also help someone with getting in and out of the pool and horseback riding. SureHands also sells items that are helpful for caregivers such as transfer boards, safety belts, and sliding mats. Based in Pine Island, New York, SureHands is the American branch of Handi-Move, the company that produces the lifts. Handi-Move was featured in a Facebook video earlier this year. For more information and to view photos and videos of SureHands, go to https://www.surehands.com/home/.

The SureHands logo

(image from abilities.com)

Spotlight: AbilityOne

Established 80 years ago, the AbilityOne Program employs more than 45,000 Americans with disabilities such as blindness. With the participation of 550 nonprofit organizations, this program is based in Arlington, Virginia, but operates at 1,000 sites that represent 40 government agencies throughout the United States and its territories. Some AbilityOne employees produce military chemical protective coats, trousers, and more than 3,000 SKILCRAFT items ranging from pens to mattresses. Other employees provide custodial, military dining, and contract management services and commissary shelf-stocking. AbilityOne's largest customer is the Department of Defense. AbilityOne receives assistance from National Industries for the Blind (www.nib.org) and SourceAmerica (www.sourceamerica.org). For more information about this program, go to https://www.abilityone.gov/.

AbilityOne logo

(image from Wikimedia)

Woman with MS Tied to Wheelchair After Flight

Maria Saliagas was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) five years ago, but she didn't want that to stop her from traveling to Europe with her husband every year. Her son Nathan contacted Delta Airlines before her trip to make arrangements for a wheelchair with straps at her destination. On April 1, Saliagas and her husband and son flew from Atlanta to Amsterdam, but there wasn't a wheelchair with straps waiting for her. So, she was placed in a regular wheelchair to which she said Delta employees tied her with an allegedly dirty blanket, which bruised her left arm. Photographed by her son, Saliagas also said an employee cursed at her after she started crying. Delta has apologized and offered Saliagas 20,000 SkyMiles, but what she really wants is for the airline to make changes to how its passengers with disabilities are treated. For more details on this story, go to https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/04/25/delta-passenger-multiple-sclerosis-tied-to-wheelchair/23420253/.

A Delta airplane

(image from Wikimedia)