American Girl now sells dolls with hearing aids, well as dolls without hair, giving little girls who are differently-abled an even more personalized doll experience. Any 18-inch My American Girl doll can be fitted with one or two hearing aids. All it takes is a visit to an American Girl store, er, doll hospital — Read More
Ready & Abled
Suzanne Robitaille looks at disabilities and special needs.
Author Archive
‘Push Girls’ Pulls You In
I’d like to forgive Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times’ T.V. writer, for his lukewarm review of Push Girls, which premiered last night on the Sundance Channel (and you can also watch it on Hulu.com, iTunes and Xfinity). Push Girl tracks five dynamic women with acquired mobility disabilities –- four paraplegics and one quadriplegic — Read More
Shop Like a Superhero
On Wednesday, May 23, you can shop on Greenwich Avenue for a great cause. The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is holding Reeve Shops Greenwich to support the Foundation’s research and quality of life programs. These are grants that are awarded to programs or projects that improve the daily lives of people with paralysis. Participating Read More
Why Can’t American Girl Dolls Have Disabilities, Too?
I recently stopped into American Girl Place in Chicago. My American Girl dolls are a popular, experiential concept where you choose a doll and then customize her through the purchase of clothes and other accessories that reflect hobbies like cheerleading and taking tea. Absent from the shelves, however, is much in the way of a Read More
Why Oprah Needs Zach Anner
Oprah Winfrey, who is starting her own network called OWN and is looking for contestants to host a new reality TV show, is at the center of a voters’ dilemma. Rumors are adrift that Winfrey’s show producers may be rigging viewers’ votes against lead contestant Zach Anner, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. Read More
New Law Will Make Cruise Ships, Ferries More Accessible
Taking a cruise may sound luxurious, but for people with disabilities it can be a logistical nightmare. From making sure a wheelchair can fit through the doors, to finding your way around a ship using tactile braille, it’s almost easier to just stay home. Things may be getting a little easier for this group. The Read More
New Xbox Is Good for Disabled Gamers, Others
Microsoft unveiled its new add-on for the Xbox 360, known as Kinect, which uses motion detection instead of hand controls to play –- similar to Nintendo’s Wii. Microsoft, which launched Kinect at E3 in L.A., believes the program will make the Xbox more accessible to disabled gamers. Ablegamers.com writer Steve Spohn has some nice things Read More
One-Way Ticket to Relay Hell
Amtrak’s website was down, and I needed to book my ticket from Stamford to Boston for the sixth annual Games for Health conference. G4H focuses on many uses for videogames and videogame technologies in health and healthcare. I’m speaking at Game Accessibility day on May 25 about games for people with physical and mental disabilities. Read More
