ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The mailroom where Amanda Bolton works is a symphony of noise — machines humming, envelopes shuffling and boxes being prepped for shipment. But Bolton tunes it all out and focuses on the work in front of her — a skill she attributes in part to a lifetime living with hearing loss. “Some…

MACEDONIA, Ohio — When a frantic mother called 911 to report that her 3-year-old son with autism, who is nonverbal, was missing, Macedonia dispatcher Rebecca Elias immediately began asking questions she had learned just weeks earlier during a specialized autism response training. “Does he tend to go near things or is attracted toward certain things?”…

A Sephora store seen inside Kohl’s at Sierra Vista Mall in Clovis, Calif in 2022. (Bethany Clough/The Fresno Bee/TNS) One of the biggest names in the beauty business is taking steps to better accommodate people who are neurodivergent. Sephora said that it will offer “quiet hours” at its stores globally, turning down the music and…

Half of states are suing over new Medicaid eligibility requirements that advocates have warned will lead people with disabilities to lose coverage. A coalition of officials from 25 states and Washington, D.C. filed a lawsuit last week challenging recently released rules for Medicaid work requirements. Under the mandate, which most states must implement by the…

NEW ORLEANS — Women breathing wildfire smoke late in pregnancy had a higher risk of having a child later diagnosed with autism, even when the smoke exposure lasted only a few days, according to a study by Tulane University researchers. The study, published in Environmental Science & Technology recently, followed over 204,000 mother-child pairs in Southern…

Marvel will publish special issues of several comics including “Amazing Spider-Man,” left, and “Uncanny X-Men” for Disability Pride Month. (Marvel) In a series of special issues that are about to drop, Marvel Comics is putting the focus on a half dozen heroes with various disabilities. Backup stories in four issues — “Amazing Spider-Man #32,” “Uncanny…

The U.S. Department of Education’s decision to transfer its special education and civil rights offices is likely to cause confusion and disarray, advocates warn, as a key Senate panel considers a vote to block the move. The Education Department said last week that many responsibilities of its Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, or…

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. — Two neighborhoods in Oakland County are being built to give adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities a chance to own their own home. Besides the opportunity to live independently with some outside support, homeownership will ease their worried parents’ concerns. These neuroinclusive communities are rare; fewer than 100 exist across the…

A sweeping change is underway across the Social Security system that will affect how millions of Americans receive their monthly benefits, as federal officials move to complete a transition away from paper checks. The Social Security Administration announced that it is finalizing a systemwide shift to electronic payments, following a federal mandate requiring most benefits…

MINNEAPOLIS — Gillette Children’s in St. Paul is trying to boost public confidence in medical research by doing something long considered taboo in U.S. healthcare: paying patients and their families to get involved. The hospital for children and adults with disabilities is one of the first in the U.S. to hire “lived experience” partners who…