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For several years, Jude Stringfellow and her Lab-chow mix have toured the country with a simple message: Faith walks. Born without front legs to a junkyard dog around Christmas 2002, Faith the puppy was rejected and abused by her mother. She was rescued by Reuben Stringfellow, now an Army E-4 specialist, who had been asked to bury other puppies in the litter. "Can we fix her? Stringfellow, then 17, asked his mom. "No, but maybe we can help her," she said.

Najari bin Jade Abbas, who lost the use of her legs after a kidney removal operation three years ago, gains the gift of mobility during a wheelchair delivery to the Qays Clinic in Radwaniyah, Nov. 22. U.S. troops of 150th Armored Reconnaissance Squadron, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, distributed 20 wheelchairs at the clinic courtesy of “Free Wheelchair Mission,” of Irvine, Calif. Photo by Spc. Ruth McClary, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team. BAGHDAD — U.S. forces answered a call from Dr. Qays Ibrahim Rashid, owner of the Radwaniyah area Qays medical clinic, who requested wheelchairs for mobility impaired patients in...

Disabled Iraq veteran, Luis Montalvan, says that he was repeatedly discriminated against at a Brooklyn McDonald's. According to Montalvan, these conflicts culminated in an assault that sent him to the emergency room. Now, Montalvan is suing McDonald's for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, discrimination, and assault and battery.

t's a custody battle that rages on in Horseheads. Sara Harvey is fighting to be the guardian of her husband, Gary, who has been in a vegetative state since 2006. But a judge has ruled she is unfit to take care of him properly. Our Vince Slomsky tells us just some of this complex story and what might happen next.   HORSEHEADS, N.Y. -- Sara and Gary Harvey met at work. They married each other in 1998. “We had a beautiful relationship. Just loving," said Sara Harvey. Gary was a relatively healthy person, until January 21st, 2006. He had a...

This is a two-fold story about an adaptive sports rehabilitation program for severely disabled US soldiers who are veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. The first half focuses on a river rafting trip down the Salmon River in Idaho, the second focuses on the medical facility where these men have been rehabilitated. It is a story of how these men reach a point where they can embrace life again and feel a reason to go forward despite their permanent, often horrifying injuries. The three soldiers on the river trip are Major Anthony Smith, 39, an African American man who...

Every Dallas Cowboys fan wants the best parking spot available when they get to Cowboys Stadium. But a CBS 11 News investigation found game tailgaters in parking spaces that clearly didn't belong to them. In fact, the spots were marked for disabled drivers only. A record setting 105,000 fans, enough to fill the City of Lewisville, descended on Cowboys Stadium for the first home game and set out to look for a parking spot. That day Gabriel Garcia faced the challenge of wheeling himself to Cowboys Stadium from a Cowboys parking lot at the Rangers Ballpark. Garcia says the trip...

What Nick Vujicic lacks in stature, he makes up for in faith. Vujicic, a 26-year-old man born without arms or legs, spoke about hope and faith in Jesus Christ to approximately 5,000 people at the Salt Palace Convention Center on Saturday night. Vujicic is using his unique situation to spread the message of being born again in Christ. An Australian native, Vujicic now resides in California where he runs his Christian ministry Life Without Limbs. “The world sees something special in a man without arms and legs,” Vujicic said. “I love being able to be used by God.” People’s reasons...

Lakshmi('s)...mental age is said to be only around eight. She became pregnant after allegedly being raped in a government-run care home, and the state authorities petitioned the local courts to allow them to carry out an abortion. ... But then came the twist - her lawyers and several disability rights groups appealed to the Supreme Court. It overruled the original judgement - allowing her to have the baby she said she wanted to keep.

~ Guest Author William Chandler. Like all liberal policy, the health care bill is well-intentioned. Figures of 47 million have been thrown about like bales of hay in farm country. We have all been subject to the commercials telling of lower costs, less waste, less fraud and abuse, as well as affordable health care for all. Some even would like to invoke a ‘public option’ or a single-payer system, or the seemingly more palatable ‘co-op’ non-profit scenarios. Rehashing the arguments at this point is ridiculous. Commercials telling people of the care in the United Kingdom and Canada, about what the...

I'm visiting my sister in England and we see stuff like this. I took this photo just a little ago. This is what happens when you aren't paying enough attention. Oh...and this is my sister (wazoo1031).

Americans, even the disabled and the elderly, will not line up on railroad platforms to be taken away in box cars, either literally or figuratively. The strength of old people is that they remember how things used to be. If all else fails, the geezers may recall the words of Winston Churchill: “You can always take one with you.” Churchill was bracing the British people for an anticipated invasion by Nazi troops. A similar thought may occur to people who anticipate an invasion by Nazi-like ideas and Nazi-like methods. One should be careful not to give people the idea that...

There is a very interesting opinion piece today from the political website politico.com. The piece is written by Gary Bauer and Daniel Allott. Bauer is a former Reagan administration official, the former head of the Family Research Council, and a former candidate for President in 2000. Allott works with Bauer at American Values and has worked as a former community support provider for people with disabilities. There is probably no more polarizing figure in American politics today than Sarah Palin. A recent poll of Republicans showed that she has a 72% favorability rating within her own party - higher than...

WASHINGTON, July 15, 2009 – With more than 3,000 job openings, the creators of a new Web portal are hoping to attract disabled veterans seeking employment. “Our current project is to spread the word that we are here,” said Diana Corso, executive director of disABLEDperson Inc., a nonprofit group aiming to reduce the unemployment rate of disabled veterans. “We launched a couple of months ago,” she said. “We have jobs on the site, but not that many resumes. We are hoping to attract many more applicants. These positions are from employers across the U.S.” DisABLEDperson.Inc. hosts the nationally based online...

In the first time they hit pavement this month, the men and women of Operation Denali arrived in Talkeetna ahead of schedule Friday after climbing Mount McKinley.

Nancy Mayer-Whittington remembers it as though it were yesterday; the joy of learning she was pregnant followed by the news that her daughter's first day of life would be her last. Nearly 15 years later, she still weeps at the memory of how on the afternoon of Nov. 17, 1994, her gray-eyed daughter Angela lived barely 10 minutes, the victim of Trisomy 18, a fatal genetic defect. Pictures of the dark-haired little girl, robed in a white christening gown, are still scattered about her suburban Maryland home. She was the first woman her doctor knew who had decided to keep...

BAGHDAD -- Under the glare of a Humvee's headlights, Brad Blauser broke a sweat assembling a pediatric wheelchair as a small group of Iraqi soldiers observed quietly. The idea was to train the Iraqis so that when the time came to distribute the wheelchairs, Blauser and the 20 or so U.S. soldiers who coordinated the giveaway could fade into the background as Iraqi troops presented 32 fully assembled wheelchairs to disabled children. "We're trying to build rapport," said Staff Sgt. Craig Jackson, 34, of Pennsylvania, one of the squad leaders working with Blauser. "Show them that their government is trying...

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, Colo., March 31, 2009 – Someone who has lived with a disability for more years than he cares to count knows exactly what newly disabled veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are going through. Army Staff Sgt. Jake Leitz, a Montana National Guardsman who suffered a spinal cord injury when his car hit ice in February 2008, said the 23rd annual National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic gives him an opportunity to learn from other veterans in similar circumstances. With Leitz is his wife, Keallie, left, and daughters Katelyn, 13, in his lap, and Julia,...

Momlogic spoke with the mom of a Special Olympics athlete to get her reaction to Obama's unfortunate crack on "The Tonight Show." Carolyn McClamrock: Initially, my husband and I were just in shock when we heard Obama's comments about the Special Olympics on "The Tonight Show." Obama said a recent 129 he scored in the White House bowling alley had been "like Special Olympics, or something." It's almost like when you watch something and you don't believe you are hearing or seeing it -- that's how we felt. It just blew us away. Then we heard the audience laughing. It...

.... “I was shocked to learn of the comment made by President Obama about Special Olympics,” Governor Palin said. “This was a degrading remark about our world’s most precious and unique people, coming from the most powerful position in the world. “These athletes overcome more challenges, discrimination and adversity than most of us ever will. By the way, these athletes can outperform many of us and we should be proud of them. I hope President Obama’s comments do not reflect how he truly feels about the special needs community.” ....

Maria Shriver says President Barack Obama's joke comparing his poor bowling score to that of a Special Olympics athlete was hurtful, although she is sure he didn't mean it that way. California's first lady issued a statement Friday, a day after the president made the gaffe on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Obama later called Maria's brother, Special Olympics Chairman Tim Shriver, to apologize. The siblings' mother, Eunice Kennedy-Shriver, founded the Special Olympics and has championed the rights of the mentally retarded.

Washington, DC -- President Barack Obama has upset the pro-life community with his repeated actions to promote and force funding of abortion and embryonic stem cell research. Now, he has stuck his foot in his mouth with a comment offending the mentally and physically disabled. Appearing on the Jay Leno program on Thursday evening, President Obama talked about his poor bowling skills and said he recently bowled a 129 game. "That's very good, Mr. President," Leno responded sarcastically. It's "like the Special Olympics or something," the president said. Full story at: http://www.LifeNews.com/nat4931.html

What a class act our President is... http://conservativebrawler.blogspot.com/2009/03/obama-says-watching-him-bowl-is-like.html

MONTREAL, March 17, 2009 (LifeSIteNews.com) - A Quebec couple have launched a $3.5-million lawsuit against Montreal Children's Hospital for allegedly putting their infant daughter back on artificial food and hydration without their approval. Marie-Eve Laurendeau gave birth to Phebe Mantha at LaSalle Hospital in November 2007. After a difficult delivery Phebe was transferred to Montreal Children's Hospital in serious condition and put on life support. According to the lawsuit Laurendeau and Phebe's father, Stephane Mantha, were told by doctors that their daughter had little chance for survival and advised them to take her off respiratory support and hydration, to which...

Federal agents raided the offices of a Western Pennsylvania defense contractor that has received millions in federal earmarks at the request of Rep. John Murtha, according to local media reports. The offices of Kuchera Industries and Kuchera Defense Systems were shuttered for the day following the raids, the chief financial officer told the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat. The companies' phone system says they will open again Friday morning, and e-mails sent to top company officials went unanswered. Based in Windber, Pa., just outside Johnstown, Kuchera won $8.2 million in federal defense earmarks in the 2008 budget. The earmarks came at the request...

Pointing with concern to "red ink as far as the eye can see," President-elect Barack Obama pledged Wednesday to tackle out-of-control Social Security and Medicare spending and named a special watchdog to clamp down on other federal programs — even as he campaigned anew to spend the largest pile of taxpayer money in history to revive the sinking economy. The steepness of the fiscal mountain he'll face beginning Jan. 20 was underscored by stunning new figures: an estimate that the federal budget deficit will reach $1.2 trillion this year, by far the biggest ever, even without the new stimulus spending....

SIERRA VISTA — Joseph “Sonny” Kingsley has lost his freedom. For nearly two years now, the 69-year-old Air Force veteran has depended on a four-wheel electric scooter as his major source of mobility, using it to run errands, move about his neighborhood and go to the park. But that changed when someone burglarized his garage, taking the scooter along with an oxygen tank as well as the family’s garage door opener. The burglary happened nearly a month ago, on Nov. 20. Joseph Kingsley, a disabled veteran, talks of his electric scooter that was stolen from the garage of his Sierra...

“She found a way to communicate with the world by making apparently incompressible markings by moving her knee, which her nurses learned to slowly translate into writing. Thanks to this system, Ogla was able to successfully publish three books: ...(The Voice of paper,' Salmon-colored Soul and The Scribbles of God)....

The convention has been signed by 136 member states, but the Holy See is not one of them and will not be if the wording is not changed. This is because in various propositions, the convention leaves the door open to aborting the handicapped because of their disabilities.

As the number of disabled parking placards in San Francisco continues to go up, so does the level of frustration among city officials who have yet to get a handle on the rampant abuse. The city has beefed up its force of parking cops targeting disabled parking abuse to eight (soon to be 10) officers, but the problem persists. The city loses out on parking revenue and there's less turnover of curbside parking spaces. As of August 2007, the most recent data the California Department of Motor Vehicles has on hand, there were 48,282 permanent placards issued to San Francisco...

Already under fire for his tax troubles, New York Congressman Charles Rangel put his foot in his mouth on Friday. In an interview with CBS station WCBS-TV Rep. Rangel called Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin "disabled." WCBS-TV asked Rangel why Democrats are so afraid of Palin and her popularity. "You got to be kind to the disabled," Rangel said. When WCBS-TV asked for clarification, Rangel confirmed his statement. WCBS-TV: "You got to be kind to the disabled?" Rangel: "Yes." WCBS-TV: "She's disabled?" Rangel: "There is no question about politically. It's a nightmare to think that a person's foreign policy...

Sometimes even the greatest joys bring challenge. And children with special needs inspire a special love. To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House. — Governor Sarah Palin It would be great to have an advocate for special-needs kids in the White House. It would be even better if that advocate endorsed the most promising reform for improving...

Disabled table tennis star Natalia Partyka gives doubters the elbow Oliver Holt reports from Beijing 14/08/2008 When there were breaks in play in China's match with Greece, the eyes of the crowd and the gaze of the cameras moved to the game on the adjoining table. Polish table tennis player Natalia Partyka is one of the most uplifting stories of these Games because she has overcome being born with a right arm that ended just below the elbow to participate in Beijing. Partyka and South African swimmer Natalie du Toit are the only athletes competing in both the Olympics and...

A girl looks out from the Numaniyah, Iraq, Handicap Association's new facility, soon after it opened, Aug. 8. Photo by Sgt. Daniel West. FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA — The Numaniyah Handicapped Association celebrated the opening of a new facility, Aug. 8. The facility, which was built with coalition funds, will be used by the association for administrative purposes, and will also have rooms dedicated to therapy.Soldiers of El Salvador’s Battalion Cuscatlán supervised construction of the 200 square meter building, which cost about $200,000.“It’s good that it will be open to help people with special needs,� said Ahmed, a local citizen...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8, 2008 – Whether it’s just a nail that’s needed to hang a family photo or a new saw blade for tackling bigger projects, a Dallas-based support group is playing hardware store for deployed troops. G.I. Woodshop, Inc., started when Richard Ireland, the group’s president, began getting odd requests from his brother who’s serving in Iraq. Ireland, a disabled veteran, founded the group with two other individuals: another disabled veteran and a military family member. Ireland’s brother, an Army sergeant first class, is with 1st Sustainment Brigade, from Fort Riley, Kan. He currently serves as noncommissioned officer...

OMAHA, Neb., July 30, 2008 – As disabled veterans tested their limits during the National Disabled Veterans Wheelchair Games, which wrapped up here yesterday, nearly 400 military volunteers provided the behind-the-scenes support that officials said made the games a success. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Phil Stacey, better known as an “American Idol” finalist during season six, sings the “Star-Spangled Banner” at the opening of the slalom obstacle course competition at the 28th National Disabled Veterans Wheelchair Games. Defense Dept. photo by Donna Miles   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Nebraska Army and Air National Guardsmen, as well...

OMAHA, Neb., July 29, 2008 – About 500 disabled veterans, including recently wounded warriors from Iraq and Afghanistan, are entering their final day of competition here today at the 28th National Veterans Wheelchair Games. William Kafka, a disabled veteran from El Paso, Texas, prepares to take a shot during nine-ball pool at the 28th National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Omaha, Neb. Department of Veterans Affairs photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The event is the world’s largest annual wheelchair sports competition. It brings together veterans with spinal cord injuries, amputations or other mobility or neurological conditions to compete...

WASHINGTON, July 18, 2008 – The hunt for a fulfilling job can be frustrating, but disabled veterans have a new online tool available to help them tackle that task. Job Opportunities for Disabled American Veterans is a nationally based online recruitment application geared specifically to assist disabled veterans find employment. “Our goal here is simple, to connect disabled American veterans with employers who are proactive in hiring them,” said Nicholas Corso, project director of disABLEDperson Inc., Job Opportunities for Disabled American Veterans’ parent organization. “This is a free service to the DAV community.” Employers listing job openings on the...

GOOGLE REMOVES ATLAS HAGEE VIDEOS As bloggers continue to slog through increasing regulation, scrutiny and in some cases deletion (here) I received this from google (big brother, busy suspending anti-Obama blogs). Youtube removed my Hagee video(s)( three 9 minute videos of of the his AIPAC speech - that great inspiring speech from AIPAC 2007. They cited copyright infringement. Whose? There were 6,000 people there. And it was such a great speech. "Israel you are not alone" listen to it here. (You know Atlas is always one step ahead :) Download JohnHageeAIPACSpeech-all-20min.mp3 (I love Hagee, what a friend Israel has. My...

Melbourne, June 9: A paraplegic man was recently denied a church marriage by a bishop in Italy because he was impotent, say reports. The 26-year-old man ultimately had to go for a civil marriage on Saturday in Viterbo. "No bishop, no priest can celebrate a wedding when he knows of admitted impotence as it is a motive for annulment (of the marriage),'' the Australian quoted Salvatore de Ciuco, spokesman for Bishop Lorenzo Chiarinelli of Viterbo in central Italy, as telling SkyTG24 television. The groom has been paraplegic since he was involved in a car accident, said the television report. His...

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius won his appeal Friday and can compete for a place in the Beijing Olympics. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the 21-year-old South African is eligible to race against able-bodied athletes, overturning a ban imposed by the International Association of Athletics Federations. CAS said the unanimous ruling goes into effect immediately. "As you can imagine, I have been struggling to hide my smile for the last half an hour," Pistorius told reporters in Milan, Italy. "I can definitely say the truth has come out. We have the opportunity once again to...

Carol Rudes has not read her son's love letter couched in a short autobiography he has written. He's been waiting for the perfect time to give it to his mom. Today. "My name is Mathew Rudes, and this is my story. When I was brought into this world 21 years ago, doctors predicted that I had less than 24 hours to live. "They had only to look at my warped body, hands bent at odd angles, to know that something was not right. I was quickly whisked away to another room. The doctors refused to let my mother look at...

LA PLATA, Md., April 29, 2008 – At least 60 airmen, soldiers and civilians with the Air and Army National Guard brought Christmas early to a disabled Maryland resident here April 26 by repairing her home on "National Rebuilding Day." Members of the National Guard Bureau, the Air Guard Readiness Center and the District of Columbia National Guard were among the volunteers who repaired the home of Michelle Samuel for what they called a "Christmas in April" event. Known nationally as Rebuilding Day, the annual event's community projects are planned and organized for the last Saturday in April. Orchestrated...

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, Colo., April 2, 2008 – Seventy-four-year-old Bob Eiden stood on a snow bank overlooking Snowmass Mountain yesterday, mentally preparing himself for his first experience on skis, 16 months after having his right leg amputated. Bob Eiden, a 74-year-old Korean War veteran, isn’t going to let an amputated leg, failing eyesight and failing hearing keep him from showing newly wounded combat veterans there’s still life after a disability. Eiden donned skis for the first time during the 22nd National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic at Snowmass Village, Colo. Defense Dept. photo by Donna Miles  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution...

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, Colo., March 31, 2008 – As disabled veterans test their mettle this week during the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, they’re finding motivation not just on the slopes, but also in each other. Retired Marine Cpl. Jason Poole, severely wounded during a bomb attack in Iraq near the Syrian border in June 2004, called the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic the “most fun, craziest, most beautiful time ever!” He brought his girlfriend, Angela Eastman, to this year’s clinic, his third. Photo by Donna Miles  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Four hundred disabled veterans, 67...

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, Colo., March 31, 2008 – Sixty-seven veterans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan are among 400 disabled veterans who converged here yesterday to kick off the world’s largest disabled ski clinic. Deputy Veterans Affairs Secretary Gordon H. Mansfield praises participants at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic for applying the same qualities of dedication, pride and self-worth they demonstrated during their military service to their rehabilitation. Photo by Sgt. KaRonda Fleming, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Deputy Veterans Affairs Secretary Gordon H. Mansfield and Robert T. Reynolds, national commander of Disabled American Veterans, opened the...

NEW YORK (CNN) -- It's been a year since the parents of a severely disabled child made public their decision to submit their daughter to a hysterectomy, breast surgery and drugs to keep the girl forever small. Today, the couple tell CNN, they believe they made the right decision -- one that could have a profound impact on the care of disabled children worldwide. "The 'Ashley treatment' has been successful in every expected way," Ashley's parents told CNN exclusively in a lengthy e-mail interview. "It has potential to help many others like it helped our precious daughter." While unwavering in...

Tampa, FL (LifeNews.com) -- The foundation that Terri Schiavo's family created after her death is continuing its efforts to help the elderly and disabled obtain appropriate medical care. The foundation is launching a new radio program on a Tampa station that will be simulcast on the Internet and later expanded to other Florida stations. The Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation will start the new America's Lifeline program this weekend life from the Tampa studios of Talk Radio 860 WGUL, a Christian station.Prominent radio health care advocate Cary Hall will co-sponsor the program along with Terri's brother Bobby Schinder and her sister...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER — Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery delivered wheelchairs to several disabled Iraqi citizens Feb. 20, in villages along Butler Range Road, near FOB Hammer. Chief Warrant Officer Chad Barrett, from Hookstown, Pa., targeting and plans officer for the 1-10 FA, said members of the Nissan advisory council had for several weeks asked for Coalition forces’ assistance in providing wheelchairs to some of the area’s disabled citizens. Soldiers from Battery A, 1-10 FA assembled five wheelchairs they received from Soldiers of the 489th Civil Affairs Battalion, from Knoxville, Tenn., currently attached to the 1st Battalion,...

A Delaware woman has become the next Terri Schiavo as her parents engage in a massive legal and philosophical debate about whether to subject her to euthanasia. Richardson is a 23-year-old woman who overdosed on heroin in August 2006 while she was three months pregnant with a baby girl. Doctors kept Lauren on life support until she delivered her baby in February 2007. Shortly thereafter, her parents began a fight that is reminiscent of the battle over Terri's life and death. As in the Terri Schiavo case, physicians have been quick to label Lauren as having a persistent vegetative state...

Yasser Mahmed enjoys a lollipop in his new wheelchair from Soldiers of Company D, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Feb. 7. Despite nerve damage in his legs, 7-year-old Mahmed always waved to Soldiers passing through his neighborhood. Photo by Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs. FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — Despite nerve damage in his legs that confined him to a wheelchair, 7-year-old Yasser Mahmed was always in good spirits, waving to Soldiers passing through his neighborhood in Arab Jabour. The Soldiers of Company D, 1st Battalion,...