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Census: Workers with Disabilities Have Significant Income Gap

The income gap for workers with disabilities is significant as shown by these Census Bureau figures.

  • People with disabilities are three times less likely to be employed and, when they are working, they’re earning 75 cents for each dollar others are paid.
  • Between 2008 and 2010, individuals with disabilities accounted for 6 percent of the workforce, according to data released this week from the U.S. Census.
  • Such workers were most often employed in service and administrative support roles. Positions as janitors or building cleaners, cashiers, dishwashers and in retail sales were among the most common cited.
  • For their labor, more than half of workers with disabilities earned less than $25,000 annually, the Census found.

“Even within the largest occupations, employed workers with disabilities, on average, earned less than similarly employed workers without disabilities,” said Jennifer Cheeseman Day, the assistant chief for employment characteristics at the Census Bureau.

To read the full piece visit: Disability Scoop

EU funded Research Project to Develop Exoskeleton that Could Help the Disabled Walk Again

A recent post at gizmag.com reports on a project in the UK called Mindwalker.   This new EU-funded research poses the potential to give patients the ability to walk again, with the aid of a mind-controlled robotic exoskeleton dubbed “Mindwalker.”

“The Mindwalker (or Mind-controlled orthosis and VR-training environment for walk empowering) project proposes that the damaged spinal cord be bypassed altogether, instead routing brain signals directly to a robotic exoskeleton in a bid to get patients back on their feet. Its development involved researchers collaborating across several European countries.

“Mindwalker was proposed as a very ambitious project intended to investigate promising approaches to exploit brain signals for the purpose of controlling advanced orthosis, and to design and implement a prototype system demonstrating the potential of related technologies,” explained Michel Ilzkovitz, project coordinator at Space Applications Services in Belgium.

The system implements BNCI (brain-neural-computer interface) technology, which can be used to convert either EEG (electroencephalography) signals from the brain, or EMG (electromyography) signals from patient’s shoulder muscles, into electronic commands. The electronic commands are then used to control an exoskeleton attached to the user’s legs.”

To read the full article:  Mindwalker mind-controlled exoskeleton could help the disabled walk again.

gizmag.com covers the full spectrum of emerging technologies, invention and innovation – from automotive to aerospace, from handhelds to supercomputers, from robotics to home automation, the site reports on all major announcements across more than 30 categories.

Courseload Releases First eText Platform with Accessible Collaborative Features

A news release appearing in Campus Technology  announced that Courseload has launched version 2.3 of its software with a stated focus on Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), touting the release as the first e-text platform to provide a single, unified, collaborative experience for faculty and students of all abilities.

In developing the new version last year, Courseload created an Accessibility Advisory Board (AAB) to guide its efforts to advance accessibility within higher education’s transition to digital technologies. The AAB brought together leaders from nine universities and national advocacy and technology groups.

To read the complete press release: Newest Version of Courseload Focused On Accessibility

Courseload is an online learning and collaboration tool that provides textbooks and other resources in digital form. Courseload allows students to highlight, annotate, bookmark, and search, and also to consolidate and share study notes.