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NEWS
Marca Bristo, 1953-2019
A giant of disability rights has died. Marca Bristo, best known for her work developing and fighting for the passage of the ADA, championing independent living in her hometown of Chicago and serving as an advisor to the Obama administration, was 66 and passed at her home after a long fight with cancer. Thank you Marca, you helped make the world a better place for everyone.
PRO TIP
Comcast Expands Access to its Low-Cost Internet Program
While it’s easy to focus on the frivolous side of the internet (we’re looking at you, cat videos), having online access has become as indispensable as telephone or garbage service. But not everyone can afford sky-high prices for broadband internet. Fortunately, Comcast just expanded its low-cost Internet Essentials program, and if you receive Medicaid or SSI, you should qualify for $9.95/month internet, a subsidized computer and free digital literacy training. Click the link for full details.
FROM THE MOBILITY FRONTIER
Turning E-Waste into Electric Trikes
As this short video from the BBC shows, it doesn’t really matter where you live — local knowledge and DIY innovation have always been the key to functional mobility devices. Meet Lincoln Wamae, a self-taught builder who is using a combination of cast-off parts and recycled laptop batteries to build electric trikes for disabled Kenyans. They go faster than you’d ever want to on the road, power over dirt and rough terrain, and cruise up and down curbs. Guess we know who to talk to for the next Gear Hacks.
MOTORCYCLE MILESTONE
“I pinned the throttle, dumped the clutch and went off like a scolded cat.”
If there’s ever been a better quote about the start of a motorcycle race, we haven’t heard it. Talan Skeels-Piggins, a British motorcycle racer, recently became just the second paraplegic to complete a lap around one of the world’s most legendary race courses — the Isle of Mann time-trial circuit. Using a modified Yamaha bike with straps to hold his legs and knees in place, Skeels-Piggins averaged 90 mph around the infamously twisty and dangerous loop. Scolded cat indeed.
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** This post was originally published on http://www.newmobility.com/2019/09/new-mobilitys-newsletter-september-10-2019/
