When The Blind Lead The Blind — To Bike The Himalayas

A overview of 2014's Fixes columns - connecting the dots between 60 or so ways that people are trying to change the world.

People affected by fetal alcohol syndrome disorder are more likely to be convicted. In Alaska, one court provides convicts with FASD counselors and patience, making the court system more equitable and hoping to reduce recidivism.

Many mental illnesses appear during an individual's college years, yet few colleges have effective mental health programs. The Jed Foundation created a framework for universities to follow to address student's need such as peer outreach programs.

Milwaukee County’s mental health system put more resources in expensive emergency care rather than invest in programs that offer continual care. As a result, Milwaukee County identifies nine solutions from other cities that have had success in repairing mental health systems. Solutions include the ending of reliance on emergency care, expand community support programs, change laws, and supportive housing.

In the United States 20 percent of prisoners have a mental illness. San Antonio law enforcement and mental health workers pooled their resources and worked together to create a one-stop center for the mentally ill to keep them out of prison.

When adults are asked what values they think youth sports actually reinforce most, they say competitiveness and the importance of winning. The Positive Coaching Alliance provides teaching tools that help coaches redefine the idea of “winning” from something that is reflected on a scoreboard to something that is reflected in a child’s character.

Girls in India are sometimes forced into the prospects of child marriage, prostitution, or slave labor; alternatively, families often teach girls to be wives and mothers. To empower girls to make their own choices, Yuwa, an NGO based in India, introduces girls to sports for social development. Yuwa also promotes educational workshops for girls, where girls can discuss women’s rights and their thoughts about their own bodies.

The Homeless World Cup is the premier soccer tournament for homeless players. Programs around the world use soccer as a means of building a sense of community, sublimating negative energies, and encouraging personal growth.

A group called Positive Coaching Alliance is training thousands of coaches and parents to change to culture of youth sports for the better, using a "relentlessly positive" approach, and trading out the win-at-all-costs ethos of professional sports for evidence-based, age-appropriate guidance to players.

It is very difficult for people with disabilities to find work. Specialisterne is a Danish company that trains high-functioning autistic employees for IT jobs and partners with IT companies to get them hired by altering the interview process.