WASHINGTON - Their place is nearly empty now. The boxes are sealed, the walls blank.

The photos have all come down - framed snapshots of Mattie J.T. Stepanek with the stars he called friends: Oprah, Jimmy Carter, Jerry Lewis, Larry King.

Down, too, came the boy's vast collection of books, and the rhyming dictionary and Latin text he kept next to his computer. His board

You would think that all it takes to get Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) benefits is to prove that you are medically disabled and can't work. That seems logical. However, there are other things the Social Security Administration (SSA) looks at in addition to your medical condition that have nothing to do with your disability. You have to also pass SSA's "non-medical requirements" for disability benefits.

The brain can change

How does understanding the brain help a learning disorder?

Using a telephone analogy, faulty wiring in the brain disrupts normal lines of communication and makes it difficult to process information easily. If service was down in a certain area of the city, the phone company might fix the problem by re-wiring the connections.

P dir=ltr>Types of Learning Disabilities and their Signs

Does your child struggle with school, no matter how hard he or she tries? Does he or she dread reading out loud, writing an essay, or tackling a math problem? While every kid has trouble with homework from time to time, if a certain area of learning is consistently problematic, it might indicate a learning disorder.

If you think your child might have

Training programs that contribute to inclusion in the workplace are a way for a company to stay ahead of the curve. They can begin to prepare their workplace to effectively accommodate individuals who are disabled and ready to work. Workplace inclusion is not a means, but an end. This is a vital goal that is achieved by ongoing education of disability awareness and disability employment methods. Inclusive workplaces freely accept, without pity, qualified persons of all backgrounds, which include disabled workers

Helping Hands program is one program created by the government in order to help people who are in need most especially those who are physically, mentally and emotionally disabled. It is a program created in order to reach within the needs of these people and as well as a means of helping for their lives to be well. Its main focus is to improve the lives of every disabled person and make them happy and fulfilled despite of what are there incapability. There are many programs aside from Helping Hands which also focus on helping with people having disabilities, however, Helping Hand program, is one of the most effective

A Tipton woman who was left paralyzed after being hit by a drunk driver 14 years ago now holds the title of Ms. Wheelchair USA after representing the state in a national competition.

Phaedra Marriott-Olsen of Russellville, was 22 years old when she was hit head on by a drunk driver while traveling home. She spent four months in a Columbia hospital where she struggled to overcome the near-fatal injuries inflicted upon her by another person's decision to drink and drive

Caregiving for the elderly involves a lot of dirty work; a lot of moodiness that would try the patience of a saint; a lot of wearisome meetings with the relatives; and a lot of worrying. Everyone knows that. And everyone knows that caregivers get exhausted because for many reasons it is so difficult to have an adult who is older than you (and thinks they are smarter than you and probably are) depend entirely on you - for everything. From 7:00 in the morning until 10:00 or later at night, emptying the pee jar, cooking, cleaning, driving, shopping, nursing, fetching, soaking feet,

Speak with anyone that is disable and you will find that there are obstacles that still hinder them from doing all the things they are capable of doing for themselves.

Assistive Technology for the Disabled reveals some of the assistive technology that is available to smooth over some obstacles and allow the disabled to have a better quality of life.

Unlike what some believe a disabled person can learn to become mobile, speak, write, and

Her name was Gloria, and she was like no other. As a youth, she was a red-haired, freckled firecracker; those who knew her would say--gorgeous, a total knockout and full of life. Not long after marriage and having her first baby, her whole life was turned tragically upside down because of a missed stoplight. As she drove to pick up some milk from the store, a semi-truck flattened her car, and it is said, that since she wasn't wearing her seatbelt, she flew into the backseat as a result of the impact.

She sustained terrible head and upper