News stories tagged with "disabilities"

(06/08/11) Fall-out continues this week from a New York Times article published Monday that described "patterns of abuse" at the Sunmount Developmental Center in Tupper Lake

Sunmount cares for some of the most troubled and vulnerable people with developmental disabilities. The facility is also one of the region's top employers, providing over one thousand jobs.

State officials and disability advocates said the report in the Times makes it clear that reforms are needed but local workers and elected officials said the vast majority of workers at Sunmount are doing a good job, providing safe and supportive care.

Brian Mann has our story. more

(03/11/11) The state of New York plans to ask a Federal judge to throw out a lawsuit which claims that environmental laws and regulations in the Adirondack Park violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The lawsuit, filed last summer, challenges rules that ban floatplane and motorized access to wilderness areas inside the Blue Line.

But as the plaintiffs look to expand their suit to target more conservation laws, the Attorney General is preparing to ask that the case be dismissed. Chris Morris has details. more

(01/28/11) The term "universal design" isn't well known but its principals are all around us. Modern elevators, hallways and doors are all easier to use than they used to be. As the Innovation Trail's Daniel Robison reports, a western New York group has played a key role in making the world more accessible for people with disabilities and everyone else.

(01/25/11) The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is around 50-percent higher than for people without. A program piloted by Syracuse University aims to change that by helping people with disabilities become entrepreneurs. Innovation Trail's Ryan Morden takes us to one of the program's success stories, a taco shop in downtown Syracuse.

(07/15/10) The North Country Access 2010 event gets underway at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton tomorrow. It's an all-abilities water sports event for those with impaired mobility, sensory limitations and other disabilities. The featured speakers include paralympic skier and track racer Christopher Waddell, who was paralyzed in a 1988 skiing accident, and Jon Kuniholm, a retired Marine who lost part of his right arm to an IED while a soldier in Iraq. Kuniholm is leading research into engineering devices to help disabled people, and a partner in the Open Prosthetics Project, which works to share advances in prosthetics design. He is both a researcher and an end user in developing prosthetic robotic hands. Kuniholm told Todd Moe that prosthetic technology is a field that hasn't changed much in 20 years because of its smaller consumer market.

(11/10/09) Governor Paterson's deficit reduction plan is facing opposition from many groups who rely on government funding. People with disabilities have been keeping a vigil in Albany since last week to protest proposed cuts. St. Lawrence County NYSARC didn't send anyone to Albany to join in because they couldn't afford it, says Daphne Pickert, the group's executive director. NYSARC provides services to 650 people with disabilities and employs almost 600 people in St. Lawrence County alone. Pickert told David Sommerstein the 10% proposed cuts would leave her with no choice but to cut programs and jobs.

(09/09/08) Governor David Paterson said Albany lawmakers are like Count Dracula, showing a pleasant face when necessary to citizen advocates only to become bloodsuckers when the sun goes down. Then the Democrat, known for his use of humor, backed off. Martha Foley has more.

(07/16/08) The Antique Boat Museum in Clayton hosts "North Country Access 2008" this weekend. It's an all-abilities water sports event on the St. Lawrence River. Susan Zabriskie, event chair, says children and adults with mobility impairments, sensory limitation or other disabling conditions are invited to fully participate.

(02/01/08) A day after National Public Radio reported that Fort Drum soldiers were being denied help filling out their disability paperwork, the Army is sending mixed messages. The Department of Veterans Affairs isn't talking. And Congressman John McHugh is still trying to figure out what happened. David Sommerstein reports.

(01/31/08) North Country Congressman John McHugh wants to know who tried to prevent Fort Drum soldiers from getting help with their disability benefits. National Public Radio broke the story Tuesday. The story said instructors from the Department of Veterans Affairs - the VA - used to help soldiers at Fort Drum summarize their disabilities so they could get better benefits. But reporter Ari Shapiro found that help was now being denied. In a press release, the Army disputed NPR's story. It said it didn't tell the VA to stop helping soldiers. Congressman McHugh says he trying to find out who did. David Sommerstein reports.