ABILITIES BUZZKeeping you abreast of current news and trends in the disability and senior markets February 2005 Welcome to the February issue of ABILITIES BUZZ, a monthly newsletter that keeps you updated on the latest news and trends in the disability and senior markets. In this month's issue we provide a report on a new device that has improved hearing for theatergoers; we discuss a new software system for sharing research data on spinal cord injuries; we provide excerpts on President Bush's recent State of the Union address as it relates to seniors and people living with a disability; we report on a new device that has received encouraging results for people living with paralysis; and, lastly we will feature several of the Abilities Expo presenters. Read on for a synopsis of the latest industry news and trends. For complete text on any of the articles, email [EMAIL PROTECTED]. Improving the theater experience for people living with hearing loss I-Caption creates dramatic improvements for those with hearing loss Newsweek on February 7, 2005 reports that for people who have hearing disabilities, live theater is often a frustrating experience. As jokes fly by and lyrics are sung, viewers are forced to ignore what they've missed or pester companions for a play-by-play. But last week, "Wicked" audiences at Broadway's Gershwin Theater became among the first in the nation to have access to a handheld device that provides captions as the show progresses. The I-Caption, a five-ounce Dell Axim Pocket PC, is about the size of a pack of cigarettes. Most theaters on Broadway and elsewhere, and most cinemas, now offer people with hearing-disabilities devices that either deliver a special audio feed into the ears or transmit a frequency that hearing aids amplify. Both are unreliable. The lot of the theatergoer who's hard of hearing has been to attend special performances at which portable caption boards are hauled in or interpreters sign the show. I-Caption, which cost "Wicked" about $10,000, knows which dialogue to show by picking up wireless prompts from the light board. Now that it works, I-Caption will soon be available at "Mamma Mia!" productions and on touring shows. It could also be used at movies, sporting events and even rock shows. Which means hearing-impaired guests might be the only ones to finally decipher Bob Dylan. Software To Deliver Wed-Based Interactive Platform for Spinal Cord Injury Researchers Platform to enhance collaboration among researchers The January 25, 2005 PR Newswire announced that TopCoder, Inc., has successfully deployed a web-based application to disseminate critical research data between the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation's (CRPF) Research Consortium on Spinal Cord Injury and the general scientific community including the state- of-the-art gene _expression_ laboratory at the world renowned Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, CA. This custom interactive platform, which allows users to see how thousands of genes behave after injury, makes data easily accessible to all scientists. CRPF believes that the database information is highly relevant to researchers investigating many different aspects of spinal cord injury. "The information provided by gene _expression_ microarray technology has long been of interest to scientists throughout the spinal cord research community," said Dr. Fred H. "Rusty" Gage of the Salk Institute. "What has been lacking, and what TopCoder's tool provides, is a mechanism for scientists around the world to effectively retrieve the data that interests them." The Salk Institute has an extremely large amount of gene data resulting from years of research on the topic of spinal cord injury. Scientists across the globe need to access this data to further their own related research. Because of the large amount of information resulting from the research, it is extremely difficult to distribute the data to interested scientists. Additionally, as most researchers only require a subset of the information produced by Salk, it is important that they have the ability to quickly access the data they need without having to sort through excess information. The CRPF Research Consortium on Spinal Cord Injury is an international network of neuroscientists focused on repair and recovery of function in the chronically injured spinal cord. Through collaborative research, Consortium investigators are studying how to optimize the intrinsic capacity of the adult nervous system to repair and remodel itself as well as how to elicit robust regenerative responses after injury. President Bush's State of the Union addresses many issues facing seniors and people living with disabilities. Address excerpts on healthcare, social security, and research The February 3, 2005 Chicago Tribune has printed excerpts from President Bush's latest State of the Union address. The following are excerpts from the address focusing on seniors and people living with a disability. On health care We must make health care more affordable and give families greater access to good coverage, and more control over their health decisions. I ask Congress to move forward on a comprehensive health-care agenda--with tax credits to help low-income workers buy insurance, a community health center in every poor county, improved information technology to prevent medical errors and needless costs, association health plans for small businesses and their employees, expanded health savings accounts and medical liability reform that will reduce health-care costs, and make sure patients have the doctors and care they need. On Social Security One of America's most important institutions--a symbol of the trust between generations--is also in need of wise and effective reform. Social Security was a great moral success of the 20th Century, and we must honor its great purposes in this new century. The system, however, on its current path, is headed toward bankruptcy. And so we must join together to strengthen and save Social Security. As we fix Social Security, we also have the responsibility to make the system a better deal for younger workers. And the best way to reach that goal is through voluntary personal retirement accounts. Right now, a set portion of the money you earn is taken out of your paycheck to pay for the Social Security benefits of today's retirees. If you are a younger worker, I believe you should be able to set aside part of that money in your own retirement account, so you can build a nest egg for your own future. The goal here is greater security in retirement, so we will set careful guidelines for personal accounts. We will make sure the money can only go into a conservative mix of bonds and stock funds. We will make sure there are good options to protect your investments from sudden market swings on the eve of your retirement. And we will make sure this plan is fiscally responsible, by starting personal retirement accounts gradually and raising the yearly limits on contributions over time, eventually permitting all workers to set aside 4 percentage points of their payroll taxes. On Medical Research Because a society is measured by how it treats the weak and vulnerable, we must strive to build a culture of life. Medical research can help us reach that goal, by developing treatments and cures that save lives and help people overcome disabilities. To build a culture of life, we must also ensure that scientific advances always serve human dignity, not take advantage of some lives for the benefit of others. I will work with Congress to ensure that human embryos are not created for experimentation or grown for body parts, and that human life is never bought and sold as a commodity. Patients with Paralysis show improvement in early device study Nerve regeneration a possible outcome The February 6, 2005 Medical Devices & Surgical Technology Week reports on a new treatment for patients with paralysis. In the past, treatment for spinal cord injury leading to paralysis has stymied physicians, however, a clinical trial at the Indiana University School of Medicine has shown encouraging results for patients implanted with a nerve-regenerating device first tested in dogs. Ten patients with complete motor and sensory spinal cord injury were implanted with an experimental device designed to regenerate nerve fibers, promoting some degree of functional recovery. The device, an oscillating field stimulator or OFS, creates an electrical field in the area of injury. All 10 trial participants implanted with the OFS showed some improvement in sensation at 6 months and the 9 patients who remained in the trial also showed improvement 1 year post-surgery, although the degree of improvement varied by patient. Two of the patients recovered some lower-extremity function, and one man had restored sexual function. All patients participating in the trial had sustained complete motor and sensory spinal cord injury within 18 days of the surgery. "This isn't a home run, but it warrants additional investigation," said Scott Shapiro, MD, professor of neurosurgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine. "The big question was whether the procedure, which is very invasive and requires two surgeries, is efficacious and the initial results indicate that it is." The cigarette lighter-sized oscillating field stimulator was developed at Purdue University and first tested in more than 100 dogs crippled by naturally occurring spinal cord injuries. The prognosis for severely injured paraplegic dogs, even with current treatment techniques, remains poor. "The results of these various animal studies were positive and somewhat mirrored what was later observed in humans, including recovery of sensation and other important functions," said Richard Borgens, PhD, professor of biomedical engineering in the Center for Paralysis Research at Purdue. In the IU School of Medicine study, the OFS was surgically removed at 15 weeks and patients were followed for 1 year. Abilities Expo's Educational Program Includes Exciting Speakers Speakers are encouraged to submit proposals Carmen Jones, Education Director for Abilities Expo, leads the development of the free conference program for consumers and professional educational workshops developed for healthcare and education professionals. The educational programs focus on relevant topics addressing life today for individuals living with disabilities, their family and caregivers. Special topics of interest this year include children with disabilities, respite care, hearing and visual impairment, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, bladder and bowel management, feeding and more. Aside from her role as Education Director for the Conference, Carmen Jones is President of the Solutions Marketing Group (SMG), a consulting firm that helps company's market programs to the disability market. Carmen, paraplegic since her junior year in college, has devoted her entire career to advising Corporate America about the impact, benefits and results of disability marketing. With five upcoming conferences in 2005, the Abilities Team is seeking proposals for speakers. Key areas of interest for 2005 include children with disabilities, hearing and visual impairments, respite care, feeding, and hyperbaric oxygenation therapy (HBOT). If you are interested in submitting a proposal, please visit our website www.abilitiesexpo.com, and submit a speaker's proposal. Other exciting speakers that are part of the Abilities Expo Conference Program include Ron Cohen, M.D., CEO and President of Acorda Therapeutics and Kelly Dorfman, M.S. Dr. Cohen will talk as part of the professional seminars on April 15th from 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. on "Mission Impossible: Repair of the Injured Spinal Cord." Attendees will learn of the diverse approaches and areas of therapy for various forms of injury. Dr. Cohen received his B.A. degree in Psychology from Princeton University, and his M.D. from the Columbia College of Physicians & Surgeons. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Virginia Medical Center, and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine. Dr. Cohen also serves as Chairman of the Board of the New York Biotechnology Association, as a Director of Ceregene, Inc., and as a member of the Health Sciences Advisory Council at Columbia.
Kelly Dorfman will speak as part of the professional seminars on Friday, April 15th from 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. on "Using Nutritional Intervention to Optimize Cognition and Development." Ms. Dorfman is a health program planner with 25 years of clinical experience. Her specialty is developing nutritional and lifestyle strategies to address complex health problems and developmental delays. One of Kelly's special interests is children. Ten years ago, she co-founded Developmental Delay Resources (DDR) to help parents, educators, and health professionals who work with children facing attention, behavior and cognitive challenges. Kelly is a popular workshop leader who has traveled and spoke at conferences in the country and Canada. About Abilities Buzz ABILITIES BUZZ is sponsored by Advanstar Communications, producers of Abilities Expo. We encourage our readers to submit information on news and articles of interest that can be shared within the industry. Send story ideas to Amy Riemer at [EMAIL PROTECTED]. Our goal is to keep you abreast of the latest news being reported in the industry to improve the lives of people with disabilities, senior citizens, their families and caregivers; as well as healthcare and education professionals. Following is the list of dates and locations for the five Abilities Expos to be held in 2005: Abilities Expo/Metro New York - April 15-17 at the New Jersey Convention & Expo Center in Edison, NJ. Abilities Expo/Southern California - June 3-5 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. Abilities Expo/Metro Detroit - August 26-28 at the Novi Expo Center in Novi, MI. Abilities Expo/Chicago Metro - September 16-18 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. Abilities Expo/Northern California - November 18-20 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. For information about the Abilities Expo events for 2005 visit http://listmgr.advanstar.com/t/288991/3904428/71486/0/ or call 800-385-3085. |
