Americans with Disabilities

Abstract Any disease or condition that keeps an individual from performing the activities of daily living, participating in sports, or having the quality of life that they once enjoyed is a disability to that person. Today, technology has made rapid advances in devising various products that can help restore an individual to a higher quality of life than ever before. These include motorized wheelchairs; wheelchairs that can climb steps; knee joints for artificial legs that make movement smoother; materials, both strong and lightweight, making artificial legs and arms perform almost like real; talking devices; and smart canes. These are just a few examples of products that give disabled individuals much greater freedom of movement than previously possible. Individuals have banded together to join existing organizations or form new ones based on their common disabilities. The World Wide Web has made communication within and among these groups very easy. This article annotates some of the sites that can be helpful in locating information for the consumer. Key Words: Americans with disabilitiesdisabilityInternet