Even freshman orientation is more complicated for students with muscle diseases — and their parents
posted on July 1, 2009 - 2:52pm
Imagine 800 middle school students arriving for freshman orientation at Trabuco Hills High School in Southern California.
All students are taking their first steps onto a campus four times the size of their current school, complete with swimming pool, tennis courts, a school store, vending machines and a gym with real wood flooring.
MDA delivers ‘a piece of camp’ after summer camp cancellations
posted on August 12, 2009 - 9:00pm
Scholarships for students with disabilities are available from two organizations — but deadlines are fast approaching
posted on March 5, 2010 - 9:55am
Application deadlines are fast approaching for two scholarships for students with disabilities, offered by two organizations run by people with forms of muscular dystrophy.
Both organizations – Incight and Deshae Lott Ministries -- require applicants to submit documentation of disability, confirmation of acceptance at a qualifying educational institution, and letters of recommendation. More...
Online degrees can level the playing field for college students with disabilities
posted on April 1, 2010 - 4:05pm
When Julia Greenstine was working on her master’s degree at Appalachian State University, she would routinely travel across campus, go to the library and hang out in common areas to chat with other students. But she’d do it without ever leaving home.
In fact, “heading to class” meant Greenstine, 41, would log in to a unique 3-D world called the Applied Education Technology Zone (nicknamed “the...
A college student with SMA wonders if newer technology can compensate for progressive muscle weakness
posted on March 31, 2010 - 11:05am
Going back to school is hard, especially when you’re 51 years old and going back for your bachelor’s degree.
I grew up with type 3 spinal muscular atrophy, so I understand and can deal with my disability. But every year I get weaker, so I continue to need to find ways to compensate and — in the case of going back to school — to figure out such problems as handling my textbooks, taking notes and...
A GPS for students with disabilities
posted on March 27, 2010 - 4:55pm
MDA's Public WebEx , held on February 24, 2010, featured panelists Chris Rosa (Becker muscular dystrophy); L. Vance Taylor (limb-girdle muscular dystrophy) and Angela Wrigglesworth (spinal muscular atrophy) speaking about going to college with a neuromuscular disease.
Visit MDA's School Advocacy Resources page to see:
posted on March 31, 2010 - 5:32pm
Bookshare, the world’s largest online library of accessible books and periodicals, is free for students with qualified “print disabilities,” which include difficulty holding a book or turning pages. Bookshare offers more than 60,000 books, textbooks and teacher-recommended reading in accessible formats.
posted on March 31, 2010 - 10:20pm
Jacob Gapko has compiled the first-ever bibliography of books about young people with muscular dystrophy, with help from a Carnegie-Whitney Award from the American Library Association.
Click on the title to access the bibliography:
Children and Young Adults with Muscular Dystrophy: An Annotated Bibliography
The Desktop Desk helped a California student with DMD finish school despite diminished hand and arm strength
posted on October 1, 2011 - 8:15am
David Davison is a friendly, outgoing young man who loved attending school. But last year, as David’s Duchenne muscular dystrophy progressed, his arm and hand strength decreased to the point where he could no longer participate in many classroom activities.
Then one day, David’s special education class at Placer High School in Auburn, Calif., received a gift from a local service club: a new...
Officials learn from MDA panel about improving access to higher education, employment and independent living for people with disabilities
posted on September 28, 2011 - 5:31pm
When Angela Wrigglesworth, who has spinal muscular atrophy and uses a power chair, first started college at Texas A&M, she planned to be a business major.
Getting to the business school, however, involved crossing a set of train tracks, and one day, Wrigglesworth’s chair got struck on the tracks.
Wrigglesworth received help from bystanders to free her 300-pound chair before a train came...
