Carbon County, aiming to be age-friendly, aligns with national network

With the promise of community care, psychiatric wards were unlocked 30 years ago. Today, the sickest patients live in squalor.

Cities tend to be dangerous and difficult places to live for older residents. A private public partnership in New York is catering to seniors through small changes in the city such as para-transit options and seniors-only hours at public establishments.

Part 3 of the Caregivers Crisis series: In light of a shortage of state group living facilities in Illinois, one family is partnering with a non-profit to retrofit their home into a safe, independent living space for their autistic son, creating a future for him when his aging parents can no longer take care of his daily needs.

A startling 70% of blind persons in the United States are unemployed. The Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind is helping shift the understanding of what types of jobs are available to this population with a revolutionary factory built specifically for its blind employees. Each machine is retrofitted to be used safely and easily, empowering individuals to become more independent. This video takes you inside the factory to meet some of the workers.

Undervaluation of care work stems from gender bias. A labor union brought this argument to court in New Zealand and won big. The settlement nearly doubled wages for workers, which has led to the added bonus of less staff turnover. Similar claims from more female-dominated professions are in progress.

Disability activists have used nonviolent direct action for decades, including lying in the street to protest inaccessible public transit and crawling up the steps of the U.S. Capital to support the Americans with Disabilities Act. “We have never gone out a door that we do not have a solution for,” says ADAPT member Dawn Russell. “That’s ADAPT 101.”

For the growing number of adults with autism or other neurodivergencies, the First Place apartment complex is purposely designed to provide services and independent living, and to combat long waits for other supportive housing. The complex is one of the first of its kind and has a variety of funding sources, but at a monthly rent of $3300, it's not affordable for all families.

A Colorado bike builder creates adapted cycles for athletes who otherwise rely on wheelchairs for mobility. The cycles allow adventurous people with disabilities to ride trails and access difficult terrain.

New apps like Tap Tap See and Be My Eyes are helping blind people solve everyday problems by combining smartphone video technology with an army of volunteers. The app allows a blind individual to take a photo or video of an item that the person needs to "see"; it then either automatically interprets the photo and announces it aloud to the user, or, if the app itself cannot identify the object, sends it to a real person somewhere in the world who can.

In Mozambique, people with disabilities face a series of barriers to success and independence, ranging from education to the workplace. In partnership with Young Africa, the international organization Light for the World is working to give people with disabilities the training and resources they need to make a living.