AbledBody.com to focus on news about disability technology, innovations

From an AbledBody.com release:

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Former BusinessWeek.com assistive technology columnist Suzanne Robitaille March 26 launched abledbody.com (http://abledbody.com), a news platform for the 54 million Americans and 20 million families touched by disability. Abledbody.com is the first consumer website to focus on the technology and innovations that help enable people with disabilities in their workplace and lifespace.

With its mix of original and sourced news, personal commentary and contributors’ expert opinions, abledbody.com provides a central source for disability consumer news that is largely absent from mainstream media. The tagline “where ‘can-do’ is done different” guides the site’s mission to showcase the ability in every body, regardless of a physical, mental or intellectual disability.

- Profoundly Yours, the abledbody.com blog, provides Suzanne’s personal take on contemporary events (e.g., President Obama’s Special Olympics gaffe on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno)

- News Watch delivers breaking disability-specific news in the areas of business, politics, education, technology and culture (e.g., National movie chains hit with caption lawsuit)

- Tech Talk showcases assistive, accessible and universally designed technology news, trends and reviews (e.g., Apple adds speech output to iPod Nano)

- Expert Views discusses topics that are top of mind in the disability community from leading experts and advocates in the field (e.g., How to market to the disability demographic)

“At 54 million strong and more than one trillion dollars in purchasing power, people with disabilities represent a huge marketplace and are motivated to find the innovations that can improve their lives. Just as CNET, Engadget, Gizmodo and other sites explore consumer technology, abledbody.com will provide a home for assistive technology and disability consumer news,” says Suzanne Robitaille, editor in chief of abledbody.com. “For consumers, abledbody.com offers a rich, relevant platform for learning; for marketers and employers, to connect with an important demographic; for media, a credible resource to inform their reporting.”

The genesis for abledbody.com was Suzanne’s personal and professional experience with disability and assistive technology. Suzanne lost her hearing at age four to meningitis, grew up profoundly deaf, and received a cochlear implant in her mid-twenties. She wrote the assistive technology column for BusinessWeek.com from 2001-2005, giving voice to an important topic for people with disabilities. Now, with abledbody.com, Suzanne reintroduces assistive technology as a critical news topic for disability consumers.

Suzanne has also written on disability topics for The Wall Street Journal, BettyConfidential.com and Suite101.com, and is the author of a forthcoming book, The Illustrated Guide to Assistive Technology. She also serves on the advisory board of the National Center on Disability & Journalism.

For more information, visit http://abledbody.com