The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol was adopted on 13 December 2006 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and was opened for signature on 30 March 2007. The Convention entered into force on 3 May 2008. The Convention marks a “paradigm shift” in attitudes and approaches to persons with disabilities. The …
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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (PL 101-336), signed by President George H. W. Bush on July 26, 1990, is first and foremost a civil rights law that establishes a clear and comprehensive prohibition of discrimination on the basis of disability. For purposes of the ADA, a “disability” means a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or …
Multicenter, Multi-country Study Underway (2015)
Joan L. Headley, Executive Director, Post-Polio Health International Typical of most studies, the name of the most recently announced study related to post-polio syndrome is long but exactingly descriptive: A Multicenter, Prospective, Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Double-blind, Parallel-Group Clinical Trial to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Immune Globulin Intravenous (Human) Flebogamma® 5% DIF in Patients with Post-Polio Syndrome. The main purpose of the study …
Summary of Poliovirus Genome in Patients with Post-Polio Syndrome
In late 2013, Post-Polio Health International awarded $100,000 to the team of Antonio Toniolo, MD; Andreina Baj, MD; Martina Colombo, PhD – Laboratory of Medical Microbiology and Virology, Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria Medical Center, Varese, Italy, to expand its search for poliovirus genome in various populations. The team’s work is enhanced by the expertise of …
Role of Oral Glutathione (2013)
PHI awarded $25,000 each to two research groups in 2011. This is the report from the University of Michigan. Claire Z. Kalpakjian, PhD, MS, University of Michigan, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ann Arbor, Michigan Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant and plays an important role in a number of cellular processes and the maintenance of cellular homeostasis associated with health …
Swallowing Difficulty and the Late Effects of Polio
Barbara C. Sonies, PhD, CCC, BRS-S, College Park, Maryland A major polio epidemic in the mid-20th century left many survivors with a wide variety of physical limitations including problems swallowing foods. Many persons with swallowing problems also had original bulbar signs of polio including difficulty breathing, clearing the throat, speaking and singing. Some persons however, had no overt signs of …
Persisting Noninfectious Genome Fragments of Poliovirus in PPS Patients
In 2009, PHI awarded $25,000 to team from University of Insubria, Varese, Italy, led by Antonio Toniolo, MD, PhD, Professor of Medical Microbiology and Virology. Final Report Antonio Toniolo, MD; Andreina Baj, MD; Giuseppe Maccari, MS – Laboratory of Medical Microbiology and Virology, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Insubria Medical Center, Varese, Italy Laura Bertolasi, MD; Salvatore …
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
The US Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures that all children with disabilities are entitled to a free appropriate public education to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living. Prior to IDEA, over 4 million children with disabilities were denied appropriate access to public education. Many children were denied entry into public …
Working: Laws and Resources
The Americans with Disabilities Act gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities similar to those provided to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. It guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in employment, State and local government services, public accommodations, transportation, and telecommunications. See Title I (Employment). The Rehabilitation Act mandates non-discrimination …
Effects of Whole Body Vibration on People with Post-Polio Syndrome
Carolyn P. Da Silva, PT, DSc, NCS, Texas Woman’s University, Houston, Texas, and Yi-Wen Michelle Pu, MD, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas In 2013, Post-Polio Health International awarded its seventh research grant ($25,000) to lead researcher, Carolyn P. Da Silva, PT, DSc, NCS, Texas Woman’s University. The study explored an important topic – exercise. Whole body vibration (WBV) is …