Center for Disabilities Studies

In a study published in Cell, researchers from institutions including Mt. Sinai and Harvard Medical School used an extensive database of DNA samples from people with autism to identify 102 genes associated with autism, including 30 that had never before been connected with the condition. Given the range of genetic factors discovered, autism researchers currently think the breakthrough will likely be most effective to clinicians developing personalized care plans rather than population-wide treatments. 

The U.S. Transportation Department is considering a change that would make the only service animal allowed on planes “a dog that is individually trained to do work … for the benefit of a person with a disability” and allowing airline employees to request forms attesting to the dog’s training. This comes in response to customer and airline complaints about service and emotional support animals’ disruptive behavior.

On Feb. 2, several thousand volunteers will run from the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk into the Atlantic Ocean at the annual Lewes Polar Bear Plunge, a 29-year-old Special Olympics Delaware (SODE) fundraiser. Since its inception in 1991, the event has raised more than $12 million for SODE. Last year, a record 3,500 people registered for the Plunge. 

A district encompassing Greater Seattle is set to become the first in which every voter can cast a ballot using a smartphone, radically increasing accessibility for many voters with disabilities who face barriers to in-person or absentee balloting. The program is being piloted in a local election Feb. 11. Election security experts expressed strong concerns that any voting method that requires transmitting information over the internet is vulnerable to hacking.

In a lawsuit about the legality of Ohio’s law banning abortions based on Down Syndrome diagnoses, the U.S. Justice Department filed a brief supporting Ohio. The law would make any physician who performed such an abortion liable for a felony. Ohio is one of five states to enact laws restricting abortions based on Down Syndrome; four of the five are currently facing challenges in court.