Matthew P. Sapolin, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, died of cancer on Tuesday 11/29/11 at the age of 41.

Matthew P. Sapolin, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, died of cancer on Tuesday 11/29/11 at the age of 41. Commissioner Sapolin was an inspiration for all people with disabilities. He refused to accept that his blindness caused him any limitations. In fact, he accomplished in his too- short lifetime more than many people I know, including being a drummer in the band he formed, serving as co-captain of the wrestling team at NYU, playing chess and becoming a marathon runner. He had a great sense of humor and was a big sports fan; he particularly loved baseball.

After losing his sight at a very young age, he attended regular classes in the Islip, NY school system, through the advocacy of his mother, so that he had the opportunity to interact with students without disabilities. I think that such an educational experience gave him the strength to realize that he had no limitations to achieve success in whatever he wanted to pursue.

I believe Matthew was the best advocate we have had in New York City for people with disabilities. He was a great negotiator, and was able to achieve significant victories for people with disabilities. Among his achievements were working to make the city’s building code more accommodating, initiating a rent freeze for some people with disabilities in New York city (Disability Rent Increase Exemption - DRIE) and initiating Disability Mentoring Day in New York City, which was held this year on October 19.

Matthew’s spirit was felt at his funeral, which had an overwhelming turnout of family, friends and colleagues on Friday, December 2 at St Patrick’s Cathedral. Mayor Bloomberg gave a most heartfelt eulogy; his words showed his admiration for Commissioner Sapolin when he said “nothing could stop Matthew” (view the original article here).

Personally, the Commissioner was an inspiration to me and the organization that I helped co-found, LD Resources Foundation. In 2009, he was my professor at CUNY’s graduate program in Disabilities Studies. He asked me if I had been able to read the books he had assigned for the class. I answered I had not read them, as they were not available in readable format with assistive technology. Matthew dismissed all the books that were not accessible and taught our class based on his experiences in life. It was the most amazing class I have ever taken.

Matthew became a mentor to me in my non-profit work, and an inspiration to many people in New York City. He taught me that disabilities are not a barrier for achieving success. I learned from Matthew how to negotiate successfully for resources for people with learning disabilities. As Disabilities Commissioner, Matthew was easily reachable at his office, and always had time to discuss an issue or question that was important to me. He was a supporter of LD Resources Foundation. His concern about helping people with learning disabilities helped me learn how to advocate with colleges and libraries to provide adaptive technology for people with LD.

Matthew, your spirit will be with us forever…

New Font Helps Dyslexics Tackle Reading

As published in the Scientific American (October 26, 2011), Jennifer Nalewicki wrote, "After years of fumbling while reading the written word, Christian Boer, a graphic designer from the Netherlands, has developed a way to help tackle his dyslexia. The 30-year-old created a font called Dyslexie that has proved to decrease the number of errors made by dyslexics while reading. The font works by tweaking the appearance of certain letters of the alphabet that dyslexics commonly misconstrue, such as "d" and "b," to make them more recognizable. This month Boer released the font in English for U.S. users to purchase online."

Congratulations to Dr. Stephanie Anne Timmer, Friend and Supporter of LD Resources Foundation

LD Resources Foundation is pleased to congratulate our good friend and supporter, Dr. Stephanie Anne Timmer, on qualifying to represent the USA at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.  Dr. Timmer is a world-class Track and Field athlete, competing in the 10,000, 1500 and 400 meter track events, as well as shotput, javelin and discus field events. She won the gold medal in the javelin and 10,000 meter run and the bronze medal in shot and discus events at the 2011 USA Masters Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Cleveland in the 40 and over division. Dr. Timmer is ranked in the top 10 in the world in all three of her field events among Paralympic athletes.  For those who do not know, Dr. Timmer is blind.  Follow this link to read more about her athletic accomplishments.

Dr. Timmer is the Chairman and Co-Founder of Premier Literacy ( a division of Premier Assistive), a company whose mission is to enrich and improve the lives of millions of people worldwide by making information truly accessible through the use of affordable technology. Premier Literacy seeks to give people with disabilities access to today’s technologically oriented world. The company offers a comprehensive suite of products that are invaluable tools for persons with visual, cognitive and mobility challenges, including Learning Disabilities.

LD Resources Foundation and Premier Assistive Technology created a joint initiative in 2008 called the “Key to Access Award Program.”  The focus of this partnership is to create and expand programs that maximize opportunities to provide literacy tools to students everywhere.  LD Resources Foundation continues to expand access to digital literacy tools to greater numbers of students, higher education institutions in New York City and beyond, as well as to public service institutions, government bodies and corporations.

Impact of ADHD at Work and School, and Prevalence of Associated Conditions revealed in New Survey

PHILADELPHIA, October 12, 2011—New survey results reveal that Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) impacts aspects of work and school for adults and children living with the condition. The survey also shows that many people with ADHD have been diagnosed with, or suspect presence of, other health conditions including anxiety, depression and sleep disorders. ADHD, which affects more than 13 million Americans, is a genetic, neurobiological disorder that results in challenges with attention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. The ADHD Awareness Coalition conducted the survey with the goal of increasing awareness and understanding of the disorder during ADHD Awareness Week, observed on October 16-22. They add that people with ADHD can live fulfilling lives with proper management of ADHD symptoms.

Technology and Disabilites

“Technology can be a double-edged sword. It may be more efficient—in particular, in the communications arena, which is the subject of this report—leading to an ever-rising demand for skilled workers, pushing the college-wage premium ever higher. “…In this respect, a recent Harris Interactive poll conducted for the Kessler Foundation and the National Organization on Disability (NOD) is encouraging, reporting that the education gap (the share of those with less than a high-school education) has narrowed considerably between people with and without disabilities over the past two decades, from 24 percent in 1986 to 6 percent in 2010 (Kessler Foundation and NOD, 2010).”

From the National Council of Disability report,” The Power of Digital Inclusion: Technology’s Impact on Employment and Opportunities for People with Disabilities.

This report examines the importance of social media and other information technologies in connecting people to job opportunities. Not surprisingly, digital barriers to our networked economy can reinforce rather than break down disproportionately low employment among people with disabilities.

 To read the National Council of Disability report, go to

Project Eye to Eye pairs adults with LD to children with LD as mentors and role models

On a warm day in 1998 in Providence, Rhode Island, a group of LD/ADHD labeled college students from Brown University sat in a circle with a group of elementary school students labeled with learning disabilities from Fox Point Elementary. They were a part of a program called Project Eye-To-Eye, a public service project run by and for students with academic labels such as learning disabled (LD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The program had one simple goal: match labeled adults with learning disabilities with labeled elementary school students to act as role models, tutors, and mentors as a means to empower their learning and give them hope for their future...

For more information on Project Eye to Eye,

Study Sheds Light on Auditory Role in Dyslexia By Pam Belluck

New York Times
August 2, 2011

Many people consider dyslexia simply a reading problem in which children mix up letters and misconstrue written words. But increasingly scientists have come to believe that the reading difficulties of dyslexia are part of a larger puzzle: a problem with how the brain processes speech and puts together words from smaller units of sound.ow, a study published last week in the journal Science suggests that how dyslexics hear language may be more important than previously realized. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found that people with dyslexia have more trouble recognizing voices than those without dyslexia.

To read the rest of this article,click here

“Dyslexie”Fonts Created for Those with Dyslexia to Read the Printed Word Easier.

Dyslexics face challenges daily in both reading and writing. Those with dyslexia mirror and rotate and interchange letters. The aesthetics of those letters, to a person with dyslexia, becomes the same. Those with dyslexia have a difficult time distinguishing letters, such as “p” and “d” for example.

Christian Boer, a graphic designer from Holland, whom is dyslexic, designed a new font aimed for the dyslexic population. He manipulated the letters by its size and shape. He appropriately named it “Dyslexie.”

The University of Twente (Holland) used Boer’s “Dyslexie” fonts with those who have dyslexia. They found that dyslexics made fewer errors reading errors using the “Dyslexie” fonts than standard fonts.

At LD Resources Foundation, we have used many different assistive technologies in helping the college student with dyslexia. Maybe one day this font will be part of other fonts with Times New Roman and Arial.

For those who want to see what the dyslexie type is go this link on You Tube

An Advocate for Dyslexia

Henry Winkler's dyslexic hero gives kids with learning difficulties the last laugh
By HENRY WINKLER
Published: GreatSchools

Henry Winkler played one of the most iconic television characters “The Fonz” on Happy Days during the 70’s and 80’s and a graduate of Yale University School of Drama. Today, he is an advocate for people with dyslexia, who did not know about his disability until he was 30 when his son was tested for it in 3rd grade. Unlike his character, Mr. Winkler was not a popular person growing up. In fact, he recalled the words people used to describe him in school, but that did not deter his goal of becoming an actor.

Since his diagnosis, he has co-written a series of books on a character named Hank Zipzer who has dyslexia as a way to raise awareness and information to families and people with connection to dyslexia. Lastly, he imparts an important lesson that he learned from his music teacher that, "children have multiple layers; they are what they show you on the outside, and the depth of their greatness is on the inside."

To read the entire article by Henry Winkler, please click [GreatSchools]

Speed Bumps on the Way to an A.D.H.D. Diagnosis

NYTimes
Speed Bumps on the Way to an A.D.H.D. Diagnosis
By LESLEY ALDERMAN
Published: May 13, 2011

WHEN Liz Goldberg, 53, was growing up, she always felt “a little off.” She received good grades and even completed a master’s degree in health administration, but it was always a struggle...........

New ADA Rules Go into Effect on March 15 2011

Revised regulations implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) take effect on March 15, 2011. The regulations apply to the activities of more than 80,000 units of state and local government and more than seven million places of public accommodation, including stores, restaurants, museums, sporting arenas, movie theaters, doctors’ and dentists’ offices, hotels, jails and prisons, polling places and emergency preparedness shelters.

Read More
https://www.disability.gov/civil_rights/laws_%26_regulations/americans_with_disabilities_act

Learning with Disabilities

The New York Times
Education Life
Learning with Disabilities

Published: January 09, 2011
By ABBY GOODNOUGH


“We’re dealing with really bright students here. In some ways they maybe smarter than your average undergraduate, because they spent most of their lives trying to either overcome their diagnosis or outsmart everyone.”

-Michael Nieckoski
Landmark College’s Director of Assistive Technology Services

College can be challenging for students with learning disabilities. Assisitive technology helps these students pursue their educational goals.

The following article, from the New York Times Education Life supplement-January 9, 2011, explores how a two year college, Landmark College works with college students with Learning Disabilities and ADHD using Assistive Technology.

Read the full article

Global Brain Awareness Week

Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is the global campaign to increase public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research. Every March, BAW unites the efforts of universities, hospitals, patient groups, government agencies, schools, service organizations, and professional associations worldwide in a week-long celebration of the brain. Founded and coordinated by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives and European Dana Alliance for the Brain, BAW's sixteenth annual celebration will take place from March 14-20, 2011.

for more info go to:http://www.dana.org/brainweek/