New Mobility Magazine Celebrates 20 Years of Publication and Employing People with Disabilities

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National Disability Employment Awareness Month marks the 20th anniversary issue of New Mobility magazine, the cutting-edge voice of disability culture in America.

New Mobility, written and edited by staff and freelancers with disabilities, encourages the integration of active-lifestyle wheelchair users into mainstream society, while simultaneously reflecting the vibrant world of disability-related arts, media, advocacy and philosophy.

Although publications nationwide are succumbing to rising postal and production costs, New Mobility has expanded its reach by turning to the web to further disseminate news, views and coverage of living life, beyond wheels.

Editor Tim Gilmer says, "If anything symbolizes where the disability movement is today, it's that word: beyond. We are moving beyond the limitations of the past. Someday I hope we can say that we have moved beyond discrimination, beyond limiting stereotypes, maybe even literally beyond wheels."

For 20 years New Mobility has provided unbiased editorial content to an audience that was previously underserved. With the new Digital Edition, connecting wheelchair users with the community and with disability resources is virtually seamless. Hotlinked e-mail and web addresses, social network sharing at the click of a button and interactive rich media give New Mobility readers instant access to the world in a way traditional print never could. New Mobility's Facebook presence also overcomes the physical challenge of getting a large, integrated group of disabled people together in one place. Publisher Jeff Leonard says, "NM has been changing the lives of people with disabilities for many years. Now with our strong presence on the web, we have an opportunity to really enhance our reader's experience and get people connected."

New Mobility has proudly supported, reported and documented the progress of the disability community throughout the independent living movement. Now furthering their ties to the advancement of people with disabilities, the magazine has joined forces with the Continuing Education and Legislative Advocacy Conference in Washington, DC, April 28-30, 2010.

"Wheelchair users are being denied the adaptive equipment that allows us to live fully," says Gilmer. "We plan to tell our stories on Capitol Hill and bring attention to the ways our quest for living independently is being denied."