On Disabilities

Standing water and abandoned tires make Houston's Fifth Ward hospitable for mosquitoes.

Houston Prepares Now For Zika's Potential Arrival This Summer

8:25pm March 21, 2016

by Joe Palca

When summer brings heat, humidity and mosquitoes, cities along the Gulf Coast may become gateways for Zika into the U.S. Impoverished areas are likely to bear the brunt, health officials say.

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Aspirin Both Triggers And Treats An Often-Missed Disease

7:52am March 21, 2016

by Angus Chen

Some people struggle for years with asthma and sinus infections, unaware that they have a disease called aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease. For them, aspirin can be both cause and cure.

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Greg Kintzele, left, and Bill Taylor, right, watch as others play croquet at Graland Country Day School in Denver.

Making Sense Of Alzheimer's At School

7:00am March 19, 2016

by Jenny Brundin

This school in Denver teaches its seventh-graders about the disease, the science behind it and the patience needed to deal with it.

Cover image of Imbeciles, by Adam Cohen.

The Supreme Court Ruling That Led To 70,000 Forced Sterilizations

10:11am March 08, 2016

In the first half of the 20th century, American eugenicists used forced sterilization to "breed out" traits they considered undesirable. Adam Cohen tells the story in his new book, Imbeciles.

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Pre-Peeled Oranges: What Some Call 'Lazy' Others Call A 'Lifesaver'

6:00pm March 07, 2016

by Tove Danovich

A photo of Whole Foods' plastic-packaged peeled oranges went viral on Twitter, prompting outrage about environmental waste. Who the heck needs this? People with disabilities say they do.

Nat Batchelder and his mother, Susan Senator, in Foxborough, Mass.

Abuse Or The Flu? My Autistic Son Couldn't Tell Me What Was Wrong

5:11pm March 06, 2016

by Susan Senator

My heart fell when a counselor called to say he was worried something bad might have happened to Nat, my severely autistic 25-year-old son. Nat has trouble talking, and was teary. What should I do?

Each year, between 8,000 and 9,000 people nationwide complain to the government about nursing home evictions, according to federal data. That makes evictions the leading category of all nursing home complaints.

Nursing Home Evictions Strand The Disabled In Costly Hospitals

12:57pm February 25, 2016

by Ina Jaffe

Federal rules mostly prohibit nursing homes from refusing to readmit residents after a hospital stay. But states rarely enforce the regulations. Some California families are now suing the state.

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Troy Hodge was only 41 years old when a vessel in his brain burst. "You don't think of things you can't do until you can't do them," he says.

Strokes On The Rise Among Younger Adults

7:33pm February 22, 2016

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Fewer people are having strokes now than decades ago. But that improvement seems to be mostly among the elderly. Young people are actually having more strokes, partly because of the rise in obesity.

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How Can We Prepare For A Graceful Death?

10:01am January 29, 2016

by NPR/TED Staff

At the end of our lives, what do we most wish for? BJ Miller is a palliative care physician who thinks about how to create a dignified, graceful end of life for his patients.

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The Hammetts smooth out stray strands of hair on Francis' head.

After The Diagnosis: How Families Experience Autism

8:33am January 17, 2016

by NPR Staff

Raising a child with autism can test families financially and emotionally. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with parents of children with autism, and a young woman who was diagnosed later in life.