A 1938 law created "exploitative and discriminatory" job programs and should be phased out, marking a new milestone in the debate over "sheltered workshops," the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights says.
Scientists say new drugs are on the way for patients with ALS. The latest is a two-drug combo that appears to slow the progression of the fatal nerve disease with a modest but meaningful benefit.
People can spend months recovering from COVID-19 and sometimes have lasting disabilities. That is especially hard for undocumented people, who often are in high-risk jobs without health insurance.
Doctors are researching why some patients remain unconscious for days or weeks, even after sedating drugs are withdrawn. They also worry that these patients aren't being given time to recover.
America's rural hospitals were struggling even before the pandemic. Now, the loss of revenue from months of deferred treatments and surgeries have pulled more to the brink, as federal relief fades.
At least two-thirds of U.S. families are struggling to find safe and affordable child care as the pandemic rages on. NPR asked infectious disease experts to help sort the health risks of each option.
Dr. Deborah Birx says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is creating a new way to track COVID-19 hospitalizations a month after such data collection was moved outside the agency.
Most non-English films made outside the U.S. are inaccessible to many of the 26.9 million visually impaired Americans. "Dubbing just tells us the dialogue," one disability rights activist explains.
As schools plan ways to reopen, parents of students with disabilities have an extra layer of concern. Some therapies can't be replicated at home, but going to school might not be the safest option.
Jennifer Normanly wants her 18-year-old son Jack back in school as soon as possible. Like many parents raising children with disabilities, she feels her voice has been forgotten amid the return-to-school pandemic discussion.
The hospital said it made a humane decision to end treatment. Michael Hickson's widow says doctors ended his care because they underestimated the life of a man with significant disabilities.
Advocates for expansion say it would create jobs, protect hospitals from budget cuts, bring billions of federal taxpayer dollars back to the state, and bring health coverage to 230,000 more people.
There are growing demands that drugmakers and investigators ensure diversity in coronavirus vaccine trials by including racial minorities, older people and those with underlying medical conditions.
Scientists are now checking to see if purified blood serum from people who have recovered from COVID-19 might be more than a useful treatment. Perhaps it's a way to prevent disease in someone else.
