Author: Grace W. Dow

CW: Psychiatric Symptoms  The phrase “medical necessity” sounds straightforward. Something that is medically necessary helps someone stay safe and healthy. Unfortunately, insurance companies often disagree with medical professionals. Getting something that is needed is exhausting and frustrating. Instead of being about people, medical necessity is really about budgets. I’ve experienced this myself. Earlier this year,… Continue reading They Say It’s Not Necessary

CW: Discrimination Accountability doesn’t disappear overnight. It fades slowly, like the quiet dimming of a lightbulb. This is evident in the United States’s recent federal decision to get rid of the long-standing 7 percent disability hiring benchmark for federal contractors. For over a decade, this benchmark encouraged employers to take a look at their workforce… Continue reading Inclusion Shouldn’t Disappear in the Fine Print 

CW: Death Tributes have poured in since Dolly Parton’s passing. Many came from friends and fans who loved her music. But others shared how much they appreciated her passion for literacy and her belief that all children deserve books, even if they can’t read them in traditional ways. Dolly never had children herself. Yet, thanks… Continue reading A Legacy You Can Feel

Special education complaints are soaring nationwide. Families are growing more frustrated. A new national survey by the Council for Exceptional Children and the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, which collected responses from 33 states, found that written complaints rose nearly 48 percent in one school year. The number of students needing special… Continue reading America’s Special Ed Reckoning

A  bag of saline is simple. It hangs from a hook. It is sterile. It is predictable. When a recall notice surfaces that same bag represents something else entirely. It becomes a matter of life or death. When Baxter recalled two lots of 0.9% sodium chloride because they may contain fiberglass particles, most people probably… Continue reading When Saline Is Dangerous 

As a child, I loved back-to-school season. I enjoyed shopping for new school supplies and looked forward to a new year. In the US, disabled children are entitled to a free and appropriate education under federal law. Whenever someone graduates or ages out, all the support they received from their school district ends. For me,… Continue reading After the Last Bell Rings 

CW: Pregnancy, Death, Racism & Child Abuse Brandeis University’s National Research Center for Parents With Disabilities will begin shutting down on Monday, due to a lack of federal funding. It is the United States’ only federally funded institution dedicated to studying the lives of disabled parents. Brandeis’ research center represented a significant contribution to understanding… Continue reading The Quiet Erasure of Disabled Families

CW: Death & Neglect America’s foster care system is broken. Sadly, in too many cases, nobody listens until it is too late. When failures continue nationwide, it becomes clear that these failures are not isolated occurrences but are symptoms of a larger, systemic issue. In May, seventeen-year-old Korbin Papadopoulos died in a Missouri foster placement… Continue reading The Danger Waiting in the Quiet Corners of Care

AI is part of our daily lives, and it is changing employment. Employers use AI to screen resumes, deciding which candidates are worth a closer look. This is supposed to make hiring easier, but it also means some candidates get overlooked. Thousands of businesses now use Workday. In lawsuit filed recently, the plaintiffs accused Workday… Continue reading When Software Decides You Don’t Deserve a Chance

CW: Injury Joe Gesualdi has been on a mission since August 4. He’s pushing his 27-year-old daughter Sydney’s empty wheelchair from London, Ontario, to New York. He is raising money and hoping the Ontario Health Insurance Plan will pay for his daughter’s spinal surgery. This is happening because Joe is tired of watching the healthcare… Continue reading A Walk for What’s Missing