A Memorable Place to Live

ANCORA IMPARO – RICK RADER, MD ■ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF The leading cause of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias is aging. And that applies to all of us. It had to happen. It’s been in the cards all along. We’re getting older. And it now applies to all of us. The “all of us” applies to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who had historically been relegated to shorter lifespans. And while that deserves the celebratory release […]

It’s the Law

ANCORA IMPARO BY RICK RADER, MD ■ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF One of the most recent eponymous laws that Exceptional Parent magazine salutes, supports and applauds is Chloe’s Law (Down Syndrome Prenatal Education Act). A physician, an engineer, and an attorney were discussing who among them belonged to the oldest of the three professions represented. The physician said, “Remember, on the sixth day God took a rib from Adam and fashioned Eve, making him the first surgeon. Therefore, […]

Bader with a “B”

ANCORA IMPARO BY RICK RADER, MD ■ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF His most memorable maxim, “A disabled person who fights back is not disabled…but inspired,” became the driving force behind the creation in 1982 of The Douglas Bader Foundation. It was a dark and stormy night. Oh crap, that’s already been used. In fact it was described by Writer’s Digest as “the literary poster child for bad story starters.” Alternatively the American Book Review ranked it as #22 […]

Roots, Bark and Branches

ANCORA IMPARO BY RICK RADER, MD ■ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF There was an additional attraction of the tree for Helen. The tree provided her with a self contained sensory experience. Education, at least for me, was never a walk in the park. Undergraduate, graduate and medical school was a challenge, but they paled in comparison to Public School 244 in Brooklyn. Back in the 1950’s and 60’s, the New York City elementary schools (as well as junior […]

Message in a Bottle

ANCORA IMPARO BY RICK RADER, MD ■ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Each time exceptional parents share stories about their children to physicians, therapists, educators, researchers, policymakers, funders and advocates, they are connecting science to the humanities. One of the things that continues to intrigue me about science is learning about all the stuff we did to find out about stuff. Amazingly, the stuff we did was done with ordinary stuff. Og, a curious Neanderthal sticks his index finger […]