New York Weighing Children

We all know that obesity has been a major problem for the past several years. There have been many suggestions on how to solve this problem and this has had an affect on everyone, even our school children. As a matter of fact, as public schools open in New York, the returning students will be weighed and will have their Body Mass Index reported.

In order to combat the increasing amount of childhood obesity, a law passed in 2007 that required public schools outside of New York City to take note of students’ weights and Body Mass Indexes. Students now have to have a student health certificate. This is mandatory for attendance at all New York schools. The set of data that will be retrieved from this will make it easier for health officials to compare and contrast the rates of obesity based on location.
This procedure is required for half of the schools in New York and will alternate to the other half the following year. This allows the state to estimate the obesity for the whole state and the individual counties as well.
All information is confidential and will be collected from school entry. Other grades that will go through this process are second, fourth, seventh, and 10th grades. This information will be collected by the Department of Health. Parents are provided with the option to decide if they want their child’s information included in the study.
There was a prototype for this idea that started during the last school year for 97 schools. Since December of 2007, there have been at least 12 other states that have had some sort of student Body Mass Index reporting and in 2004; there was a health survey that reported that 21% of the third graders in New York were obese.

Greg Neumann: Wheelchair Poolshark

People in wheelchairs are often faced with difficulties in their day to day life, but most of these can be overcome. One man has not only overcome these difficulties, but he has done so with great style.

Greg Neumann manages an off-site betting facility for the Fairmont Park Racetrack and is also an excellent wheelchair pool player. He has been playing pool since he was sixteen, but has also enjoyed bowling and playing wheelchair basketball.

When Neumann was a child, a tumor on his spinal cord eventually left him unable to use his legs, but he never let that stop him. With the support of his three younger brothers, Neumann never gave up and remained active.

He joined a wheelchair basketball team when in his teens and also bowled with an average of around 148, then at the age of 16, he discovered his uncles pool table. When he couldn’t get over to his uncles house, he would read up on the game and he quickly discovered he could excel at pool.

In 1986, Neumann joined the American Pool Association and has been entering and winning competitions since then. He regularly competes in Las Vegas and most recently came in third in a wheelchair pool competition.

When he is not working or attending competitions, Neumann enjoys playing pool at a local pool hall called Sharky’s. His family is still there supporting him and his nephew is keen to learn and will begin playing competitively next year when he turns 18.

The Off-Road Wheelchair Accessory

Travis Watkins was given the assignment of creating a device that helped improve the life of a disabled person during his senior year at the University of Florida. It was not hard for Watkins to come up with a very innovative and helpful idea. He designed a platform that can be used with any electric wheelchair to turn it into a rugged off-road machine.

Watkins father suffers from Lou Gehrig’s Disease, which is also referred to as ALS. This disease greatly affects a persons’ mobility and their ability to eat and speak, while leaving their mind largely untouched. Due to Watkins close relationship with his father, it was not hard for him to decide on a way to improve his fathers life.

Together with his project partners, professor Stephen Sundarrao, and other individuals who use electric wheelchairs, Watkins constructed a very sturdy base aptly named the Tank. The Tank is a five foot by five foot device that features 2 rugged ATV wheels in front that make it very versatile. Coming it at around 150 pounds, almost any electric power wheelchair can be placed on top of the Tank. It is then locked in place and the electric wheelchair actually does all of the work.

Jim Watkins, Travis’s father, is very happy with the Tank and it has allowed him to goto the beach and pretty much anywhere else he wants.

Travis has since put the Tank into production and with the help of Sundarro, they have established a company called Rehab Ideas, which also offers other devices that the students have created to help improve the lives of people living with disabilities. Work began last month on 400 of these devices, which will cost around $5000.

Scholarship for College Students in Wheelchairs

College is an excellent opportunity to learn new things, be exposed to different views, and broaden your horizons. There are some great professors who really care about their students and enjoy teaching, and this makes a big difference. While often times a great experience, college can be difficult for anyone. This is especially true of individuals who are mobility challenged.

As a mobility challenged student there are many obstacles that must be overcome, but today most schools have a department that is dedicated to helping these students.

If you are mobility challenged and use a manual or electric wheelchair, there are several scholarships that might be available to you. One is the AmeriGlide Achiever Scholarship.

This scholarship is offered by AmeriGlide, which is a leading supplier and distributor of stair lifts, wheelchair lifts, and other mobility related devices.

To be eligible for this $500 scholarship, you must be enrolled full time at an accredited college or university and have a GPA of at least 3.0. You must also be a legal resident of the United States or have a valid student visa.

Students who use manual or electric wheelchairs will also need to write a short 500 word essay about the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The deadline to apply is January 2nd, 2009 and the winner will be announced in the beginning of March.

You can apply online and fill out the online application form or if you would prefer, you can print out the application and mail it directly to AmeriGlide.

To Apply

For more information about the requirements and how to apply, visit the AmeriGlide Achiever Scholarship page.

Wheelchair Basketball Fundraiser Raises $80K

Wheelchair basketball is a sport that originated just after the Second World War. There were many soldiers who, due to medical advances, came home without the use of their arms and legs. These veterans wanted to be able to remain active and so they began playing basketball and bowling from their wheelchairs. Today people in wheelchairs participate in almost every type of sport imaginable.
This week the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM) held a fundraising event that pitted former NBA, hockey, and football players against the RIM wheelchair basketball team.

Former players from the Detroit Redwings, Detroit Lions, and the Detroit Pistons teamed up to compete against the Detroit Diehards, which is a well known team of players from the RIM. All told more than eighty thousand was brought in. These funds will be used to help allow other people who are mobility challenged play and compete in recreational activities.

The RIM is well known across the world and has been helping people recover from serious injuries for over fifty years. People from all over the country, come to receive rehabilitation for spinal cord injuries, strokes, cerebral palsy, and other medical problems. Currently they treat and help almost 150,000 people every year.

Paralympics: A Beautiful Ending

The 2008 Paralympics ended yesterday with quite literally a letter to the future. Amidst fireworks and many performers, the athletes who attended the Paralympic Games felt a strong sense of unity and accomplishment.

A very colorful envelope was displayed on the field, symbolizing how the actions taken at the 2008 Paralympics where helping to shape the World and a testament to the strength of character present in all of the athletes that competed at the games. Red leaves from Fragrant Hill, which is a well known park in Beijing, were showered onto the participants to symbolize all of the goodwill of the Chinese to the athletes that were participating.

In addition to the “Letter to the Future,” performers from London and China joined together in a performance that mimicked planting seeds in the stadium and then watering these seeds with a river of water that was made up of 100 women. The women flowed onto the field and symbolized the importance of the games.

To the pounding of very spirited music, acrobatic performers and dancers took the field and wrote the last chapter of a very powerful experience for the Chinese people and mobility challenged people all over the world.

With the conclusion of the games, China was the big medal winner with a total of 211 medals. Among China’s medals were 89 gold medals. Great Britain was next with 102 total medals and the United States was close on their heels with 99. The United States athletes brought home 36 Gold Medals.

Paralympics: Women’s Wheelchair Basketball

The 2008 Paralympics began on September 6th and are set to wrap up next Wednesday on the 17th. Athletes from around the world have come together in Beijing to compete. So far China is one of the leaders with over 100 Gold Medals thus far, but people from all around the world are winning big, including many from the United States.

There are many heroes at this year’s Paralympics and among them are the United States Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team. As they took the court on Tuesday, they were facing the Australian team, which defeated them at the last Paralympics.

By halftime, the U.S. Team had a ten point lead and they continued their aggressive push during the second half. In order to keep up momentum and tire out their opponents the head coach of the team, Ron Lykins, generously rotated players on and off the court.

Jennifer Ruddell, from Georgia, and Stephanie Wheeler, from North Carolina, lead the team in points with 18 and 11 points respectively. The United States team defeated Australia 61 to 42.

While this was a big achievement and added another chapter to the rivalry between the U.S. Team and the Australian Team, this was only a preliminary round of the tournament. The next night, the United States team continued their aggressive push and defeated the Brazilian team 68 to 38. After defeating the Brazilian Team on Wednesday the United States team has announced to the quarterfinals which are set to take place on Friday.

It is not only the United States Basketball team that is making waves. So far the United States has received a total of 56 medals including 23 gold’s.

US Athletes Head to the Paralympics

As the Paralympics Torch Relay raps up and the games begin tomorrow, many eyes are on the East. The Torch Relay was split up into two different paths, the Modern Relay and the Ancient Relay. The Modern China Relay returned to Beijing on Wednesday and the Ancient China Relay returned on Thursday.

With the conclusion of the Torch Relay, many athletes begin their final preparations for the Games, which will be the biggest Paralympics in history. About 4,000 athletes are set to attend from almost 150 different countries.

From the United States, Jennifer Armbruster has been given the honor of carrying the flag. Jennifer is an accomplished athlete, who gave up a scholarship to play college basketball after she began to loose her vision. One year later, in 1990, she began playing goalball.

Goalball is a sport that originated in Europe in 1946. It was geared towards progressing the rehabilitation of World War II veterans who had limited or no eyesight. An 18 meter by 9 meter playing court is used, which has two goals on either side. Three man teams guard the goal and attempt to throw a ball through their opponent’s goal. The ball has a bell inside and the players have 10 seconds to throw or pass the ball.

Armbruster is part of the 213 person US team and is very excited to be given the honor of carrying the flag.

Also on the US team are sixteen military veterans. Two of the Veterans, including Scott Winkler and Melissa Stockwell, were wounded in Iraq and are very excited about the opportunity to compete.

Stockwell is a fighter who never gave up. In the first four months of recovery, she raced in a New York City Marathon and went snow skiing. Within a year she was swimming. She will swim the 400 meter freestyle, 100 meter free style, and the 100 meter butterfly.

Another veteran, Carlos Leon, was a Marine and served in Iraq during 2004 and 2005. He broke his neck while swimming in Hawaii and lost much of his motor function. Leon, who credits his family and friends with helping him during this hard time, never gave up. He attended a Paralympics sports camp and after seeing another veteran swimming, wanted to give it a try. He also saw some of the track and field events demonstrated. Soon Leon was competing and winning shot put and discus events around the country.

All of the athletes that attend the Paralympics are true heroes. Their motivation in the face of adversity is truly inspirational. We extend our whole hearted support to all of the athletes from the United States and all over the World, who are coming together to compete in this historical event.

The Paralympics Torch Ceremony

The Paralympics are set to begin in just a little over a week and athletes all over the world are getting read for the games. This week 68 athletes from Mexico flew into Beijing and Spain is set to send 133 athletes. This Thursday, August 28th, the Paralympics Torch was lit in a special way, which made use of the sun to start the fire.

Jiang Xintian is a Chinese actor who was born deaf and dumb. She hosts a show, in which she uses her hands to speak and has been very successful. Xintian was chosen to light the torch. She held the torch in front of a concave mirror erected at the Temple of Heaven, which is an ancient temple that was completed in 1420 and symbolizes the link between heaven and Earth.

The president of the International Paralympic Committee, Philip Craven, said “The flame will symbolize over the next 10 days the unique sporting spirit displayed by Paralympic athletes,” during the opening ceremony.

The international portion of the Paralympics Torch Relay was canceled, but instead 850 Paralympic athletes will carry the torch along two routes throughout China. The torch will pass through 11 different Chinese Regions over its 10 day trip. The two routes are designed to display Ancient China and Modern China, with the Ancient Relay beginning today and the Modern Relay beginning on Saturday.

The torch will return to Beijing on the 5th of September and will be brought to the opening ceremony the next day.

Navistar and Blubird are Recalling Wheelchair Lifts

Navistar International and Blue Bird Corporation have created recall campaigns for certain models of school buses, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Navistar is recalling 24,977 school and commercial buses because of a stalling condition defined as “hard starting,” which is caused by “damaged terminals in a fuse connector that is part of the fuel injector system,” according to the NHTSA Web site.

Blue Bird’s recall of a total of 2,503 commercial buses and All American, conventional and Micro Bird school buses with model years of 2006-2008 is due to installed wheelchair lifts that do not comply with federal motor vehicle safety requirements.