Able News Articles
A Musical About That Time, For Our Time
In early August I flew out to Denver, Colorado, the see the world premiere of a play—504: The Musical, produced and performed by the Phamaly Theatre Company, an all-disability company that has been creating high-caliber disability-centered theater since 1989. I’d...
Settlement Over MTA Elevators Includes Efforts to Improve Usability of Subway System for People with Disabilities
Disability advocates and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority reached a settlement in a long-running class action lawsuit regarding elevator outages in the city’s subway system, officials announced at a July MTA Board meeting. The agreement includes major...
Accessible Tools for Back-to-School Success
With students returning to school as summer comes to an end, back-to-school shopping has begun. However, for parents of students with disabilities or special needs shopping involves much more than buying pencils, binders and backpacks. They also must find items that...
Advocates Appreciate Hochul’s Defense of Olmstead Rights But Say More Action Is Needed to Protect Community Living
Leaders in the disability community and advocates welcomed a recent statement by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul who called a federal action ceasing enforcement of its Olmstead guidance a “troubling step backward.” Hochul reaffirmed the right for everyone with a disability...
Advancing Support for Neurodivergent Students in Higher Education
In 2016, PASSHE (the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education) noticed something strange. More and more autistic students were going to college. But only around a third were graduating. “What they found was that it was not due to academics,” says Dr. Cherie...
What Happens in August?
As Disability Pride Month draws to a close, I’m reminded that celebrating ourselves is the easy part. The harder work begins when the celebrations end. July gives us space to celebrate our history, our culture, our resilience, our accomplishments, and the countless...
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Advocates Appreciate Hochul’s Defense of Olmstead Rights But Say More Action Is Needed to Protect Community Living
Leaders in the disability community and advocates welcomed a recent statement by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul who called a federal action ceasing enforcement of its Olmstead guidance a “troubling step backward.” Hochul reaffirmed the right for everyone with a disability...
Catch a Wave with Adaptive Surf
Play It Forward hosted “Adaptive Surf NYC” at Rockaway Beach on July 11 where more than 192 athletes participated while supported nearly 500 volunteers and hundreds of spectators. Play It Forward is a core adaptive sports and recreation program of Wheeling Forward and...
ADA at 36: Advocates Warn Rights Are Under Threat
While the Americans with Disabilities Act has protected the civil rights of people with disabilities since it was signed into law more than three decades ago, advocates said at a recent New York City event marking the act’s 36th anniversary that the landmark...
What Happens in August?
As Disability Pride Month draws to a close, I’m reminded that celebrating ourselves is the easy part. The harder work begins when the celebrations end. July gives us space to celebrate our history, our culture, our resilience, our accomplishments, and the countless...
Help Wanted: Report Urges Stronger Support for NYC Job Program for People With Disabilities
A new report by City Comptroller Mark Levine released Wednesday calls out a New York City program designed to help people with disabilities find jobs for its lack of transparency behind its success numbers. The report, which covers fiscal years 2024 and 2025 and was...
Memorial Art Gallery Announces Rob Tortorella as President of Board of Managers
The Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) of the University of Rochester has named Rob Tortorella President of its Board of Managers. He assumes the leadership role at a pivotal moment as the museum prepares for its historic transition to free general admission for all. An art...
Not a New Era — Just More Audacious Ableism
"...the opportunity to blend fully and equally into the rich mosaic of the American mainstream." President George H.W. Bush spoke those words on July 26, 1990, when he signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. Thirty-six years later, New York City—a city...
Steven McCoy Featured at the July 2026 Lions International Convention in Hong Kong
Steven McCoy, the world’s first Black DeafBlind journalist and frequent contributor to Able News, recently served as a featured speaker at the 2026 Lions International Convention in Hong Kong. He shared his thoughts on the experience: “I’m honored to be speaking at...
An Invitation to Celebrate the Diversity and Beauty of New Yorkers with Disabilities
The New York State (NYS) Office of the Chief Disability Officer (OCDO) is thrilled to announce a project in partnership with Positive Exposure entitled Beauty & Richness: Celebrating New York State's Disability Community! The outcome of this project will be a...
New York Botanical Garden Celebrates Disability Pride
Not only is July a sunny summer month, but it is also Disability Pride Month, and the New York Botanical Garden is marking the occasion with a lineup of programming that's as thoughtful as it is beautiful. From hands-on art workshops to archival deep dives into the...
A Fight for Lives Over Physician-Assisted Suicide Laws
Disability groups in New York and Illinois are in a fight for lives. They’re suing to prevent the implementation of physician-assisted suicide statutes already passed by the legislatures in their states. The plaintiffs in the New York court action include Brooklyn...
Our First Ideologue
The first truly militant rhetoric for disability rights came in a time and place of surpassing unlikeliness: the tiny town of Imboden, Arkansas, in 1914. It originated from a no less improbable source—a severely disabled, largely self-educated Southerner who managed...
Disability Is: Bipartisan Lessons From Beleaguered Presidents
Recently, I was called for jury duty. I sat in the courtroom all day, over eight hours total, but was never interviewed, and not chosen. Easy to consider that time wasted. It wasn’t. The judge didn’t know it, but I left the courtroom that day with my own verdict....
Meet Stephanie Woodward – A Look at Her Lifelong Passion for Advocacy and Activism
As many of the readers of this publication may know, I have had the honor and privilege of interviewing quite a few prestigious advocates and activists thus far. However, up until now, none have made me “fangirl” quite as much as when I received the assignment to...
The ADA Turns 36. Why Are People With Disabilities Still Fighting for the Basics?
The ADA was signed into law in 1990 with a promise that people with disabilities would no longer be excluded from full participation in American life. It recognized disability discrimination as a civil rights issue and established a framework for removing barriers...
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A Musical About That Time, For Our Time
In early August I flew out to Denver, Colorado, the see the world premiere of a play—504: The Musical, produced and performed by the Phamaly Theatre Company, an all-disability company that has been creating high-caliber disability-centered theater since 1989. I’d...
Accessible Tools for Back-to-School Success
With students returning to school as summer comes to an end, back-to-school shopping has begun. However, for parents of students with disabilities or special needs shopping involves much more than buying pencils, binders and backpacks. They also must find items that...
Advancing Support for Neurodivergent Students in Higher Education
In 2016, PASSHE (the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education) noticed something strange. More and more autistic students were going to college. But only around a third were graduating. “What they found was that it was not due to academics,” says Dr. Cherie...