Social Science Category
Have We Become Prisoners of Words?
Monday, April 26th, 2010A brief look at the world of disabilities
Judy Vorfeld
Quiet battles are being fought, almost daily by parents advocating for their children with special needs. I see this during my daily activities in support of the disability community. I am a board member for Arizona Center for Disability Law, webmaster for 4 Paws for Ability [...]
Service dog will keep Tyler Grieb safe and help him connect with others
Wednesday, April 7th, 20104 Paws for Ability, an organization that trains service dogs to assist people who have developmental or physical disabilities, has accepted six-year-old Tyler Grieb to receive a service dog.
Tyler, son of Scott Grieb and Emily Nehus, has been diagnosed with autism, a mild seizure condition, and a rare brain disorder called agenesis of [...]
Six Phoenix libraries to close
Sunday, January 31st, 2010What is a library? It is ideas. A town without a library is like a baseball team that never practices…Libraries house ideas, as abundant as lemons on a well-watered tree but with all the fruits of the world in one small plot of land.
Dan Cook supports keeping libraries alive and well
Saturday, January 30th, 2010“I really think old Asimov hit the mark,” says my friend and mentor, Dan D. Cook. He sent me the following quotation, and it’s worth repeating.
(Cook is past president of Friends of the Phoenix Public Library, and a powerful advocate for a healthy library system throughout our city, county, state, and nation.)
“I received the [...]
Grab a copy of What Matters Now
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009“More than seventy extraordinary authors and thinkers contributed to this ebook,” says Seth Godin. “It’s designed to make you sit up and think, to change your new year’s resolutions, to foster some difficult conversations with your team.”
Seth Godin is the bestselling author of ten books. He writes about marketing, the spread of ideas and managing [...]
Debra O’Connor: Amazing Advocate
Saturday, November 21st, 2009Debra O’Connor, Pioneer Press Watchdog, is one of my heroes. Two years ago, thanks to her willingness to advocate for Mark Grewing, dozens of volunteers and Pioneer Press readers came to the aid of Grewing, a White Bear Lake man whose service dog had been taken away.
Today, Mark Grewing and his new companion dog, [...]
Kathryn needs autism service dog to protect, calm, and love her
Thursday, November 19th, 2009Kathryn Ross-Schmid is one of the 1:150 children in the United States diagnosed with autism. She was diagnosed right before she turned three years old. To the outside world, Kathryn looks like any other four-year-old child, loving and energetic with an infectious smile and gentle spirit. However, spend a few minutes with her and you [...]