News

Movies and TV shows often feature actors without disabilities playing the roles of characters with disabilities. This big-and-small-screen roundup highlights casts whose main character actors do have the disabilities they portray onscreen.

From Glee to Game of Thrones, and Peanut Butter Falcon to All the Light We Cannot See, take a look at this star-studded list, compiled by the women's parenting, health, and relationship website She Knows.

Every February, school children across the country celebrate Valentine's Day in the classroom. As a holiday focused on caring, parents can follow tips from Special Education Advocate Lisa Lightner to make the day inclusive for all celebrants.

Start by understanding the perspectives of other families. Lisa shares experiences from her parents' group on why some card-making activities may be challenging for children with autism, and ideas to help kids put together their class valentines so no one is left out.

January is Braille Literacy Month in honor of Louis Braille, the inventor of the tactile writing and reading system used by people who are blind or have low vision, and who was born in this month in 1809.

Planning a trip in 2025? Don't leave home without Wired Magazine's list of best travel sites and apps for the disability community. Tools range from those focused on wheelchair users to blind/low vision and deaf/hard of hearing travelers.

Sesame Place Philadephia will become the first theme park in the United States to adopt the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program, an international initiative to assist people with non-visible disabilities. The designation is one of many firsts for the park, which was also the first in the world to become designated as a Certified Autism Center™.

By the end of 2025, wheelchair users may have the ability to fly in their own chairs on aircrafts. The Department of Transportation (DOT), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Delta Air Lines have announced they are working to allow travelers with wheelchairs to fly sitting in their own equipment in specially designed adaptive seating rows.  

State Disability and Developmental Program Directors are focused on several challenges and priorities as we wind up 2024. Aging technology systems, workflow improvements, data capture and analysis, and compliance with the new federal rules are all top-of-mind issues. As the state directors develop strategies to implement solutions to these critical initiatives in the short term, several trends facing the states should also be evaluated for longer-term planning. These trends will shape the future of disability and developmental programs and their participants.

In 2023, nearly a quarter of people with a disability were employed, the highest percentage since the data was first collected in 2008. The jump in employment is due to combination of factors like remote work opportunities and companies' increased commitment to accessibility. But that's not the whole story.

Tempo is excited to announce a partnership with Gilford’s Golden Guardians. Gilford’s Golden Guardians trains service dogs to increase the independence of people with disabilities and other social service needs. Our data collection and outcome reporting will measure their goal progress and participant impact in real time for all their clients. Find out how Tempo can do the same for you! Schedule a demo today.