Site of the Day

October 2008

Your Saturday super-sized listing of amusements, including a family activity, a site for the kids, a shopping site, a site offering humor or inspiration about parenting children with special needs, and a site that's just silly or fun.

"Is your life touched by Down syndrome? Are you rearing a child with Down syndrome? Are you an adult with Down syndrome and living on your own? Share your experience. Your story could be on CNN." You'll need to create a free iReport account to contribute your own tale, but there's no sign-in needed to view the videos, photos, and stories submitted by others.

A collaboration of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, National Marfan Foundation, and National Center for Research Resources, the Children & Clinical Studies offers information on why using children in research studies is important, how to get started in a study, what parents and kids can expect from their participation in research, and the rights of families in the process.

I AM PWD is a civil-rights campaign by three actors' unions to increase the inclusion and visibility of performers with disabilities. On the site, you can find more information about the campaign's mission and definitions, read a SAG case study on the employment of actors with disabilities in the entertainment industry, and add your name to the network of supporters.

"Mobility Air Transport is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing air travel for people who use wheelchairs, but cannot or do not fly on commercial airlines." Though the organization is not in the air yet -- they're still raising money for the first plane -- plans are to use corporate aircraft and fly into smaller airports, while charging passengers the same as normal airline coach fares.

If you're concerned about your child's mental health, or maybe your own, on October 10 you can get a free consultation with a mental-health professional. From the site, you can learn more about the screenings, locate a site in your community where you can get one, or take an online test designed to identify signs of depression.

Your Saturday super-sized listing of amusements, including a family activity, a site for the kids, a shopping site, a site offering humor or inspiration about parenting children with special needs, and a site that's just silly or fun.

A special-education teacher developing a seamless-sock collection left a link for this survey in the Parenting Special Needs forum. If you have a child who's persnickety about socks, share that you'd love to find in those foot-coverings, from style to materials to cost.

An "online lifeline for everyone affected by cancer and related disorders," ACOR offers e-mail groups, information on different types of cancer, details on treatment options and clinical trials, and a variety of Web sources of support.

"By forming partnerships with local law enforcement and public safety organizations, Project Lifesaver deploys specially trained teams with the most reliable technology available to quickly locate and return wandering adults and children to their families and caregivers." If your child with special needs is often one of those wanderers, it may be worth getting this started in your community. The National Autism Association offers fundraising tools.