Ken Connor, a trial lawyer who represented Jeb Bush in the Terri Schiavo case, writes on townhall.com in support of S. 1810, the Prenatally and Postnally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act co-sponsored by Sens. Sam Brownback and Ted Kennedy. The bill would assure that up-to-date and accurate information about disabilities would be offered to parents who receive a prenatal or postnatal diagnosis of Down syndrome or other conditions.

… have we become so soft and so self-centered that we can’t bear the burden of providing for those less fortunate than ourselves? Are we unwilling to learn the life lessons that come from serving the weak and frail and the handicapped? Have we come to the point where we seek only our own comfort and our own pleasure rather than the good of others? Is there no room in our society for those who are counted among the least of our brethren?

Only time will tell. But in the meantime, Brownback’s and Kennedy’s bill seeks to dispel the myths associated with disabilities and to let parents of handicapped children know that they are not alone.
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Susan M. LoTempio, writing in the Buffalo News, says New Yorkers with disabilities wonder whether new governor David Paterson will do anything to help knock down the barriers that hinder their efforts to live satisfying, productive and rewarding lives.

They point out that the laws already on the books — including the Americans with Disabilities Act — haven’t solved the deep-rooted problems that keep people with disabilities out of school, out of work, out of their homes and out of the mainstream of everyday life.

Among the problems they cite:

• Lack of jobs, with unemployment rates reaching up to 70 percent;
• Lack of accessible and affordable housing;
• Lack of transportation services;
• Inadequate support for parents to help children with disabilities navigate public schools; and
• Lack of access to voting.

If the issues seem complicated to legislators, for people [with disabilities], they come down to this: An accessible home, an education, a job, reliable transportation, good health care and some respect.

Most New Yorkers — and their governors — take such things for granted. Citizens with disabilities do not. And they are hoping that David Paterson understands that.

From the Dallas Morning News:

The U.S. Justice Department is conducting the second federal investigation into a Texas facility for people with disabilities within two years’ time.

Word of the inquiry has given advocates for the mentally disabled new ground to call for the closure of Texas’ 13 institutions. And it raises serious questions about how well the state reacted to a scathing 2006 Justice Department report on the Lubbock State School, those advocates and some state officials say.

… Officials with Texas’ Department of Aging and Disability Services say they’ve gone to great lengths to improve conditions at all their institutions since the Lubbock review, which revealed shoddy health care, mistreatment, and more than 17 deaths in an 18-month period.

… A Dallas Morning News investigation last year found hundreds of cases of confirmed abuse and horrific conditions at some of the worst facilities.

Earlier stories here and here and here.

All but 5 of 41 cast members have developmental disabilities, but each one feels ‘Footloose’

An intimate and perceptive piece by Drew Jubera in the Atlanta Journal Constitution about a local theater production starring people with intellectual disabilities.

Some quotes to ponder:

“I’m a bagger by morning, an actor at night.” Katie Rouille, 27

“A lot of people say I can’t do something, and I just say I can. I’m determined that way.” Cynthia Outman, 31, who has Down syndrome

“I do it for the same reason real actors do it: to get away from who I am and be someone else. It’s challenging every day to do things. But this shows people with disabilities ‘you can do it.’ Linda Danzig, 57

“These are the people behind the bakery counter in Publix or bagging your groceries who you may not have noticed until they came here and are under the lights. It does for them what theater does for anybody. The shy checkout girl who takes a theater class and finds her voice.” Kim Goodfriend, the theater’s founding producer

“There are more similarities than differences. Every actor is sensitive. They’re ripping their chest cavity open and exposing themselves to failure. ” Dina Shadwell, the theater’s director

‘Tired of being a mom: A 12-year nightmare?’

‘Should the boy be institutionalized? Find out what Dr. Phil thinks’

The syndicated Dr. Phil television show this week features an episode on women who say they can’t cope with their children. One of the spotlighted families has a son with both Down syndrome and autism. The boy is described this way on the show’s website:

Cyndi says if she’d known her 12-year-old son, Alex, had autism and Down syndrome, she may not have brought him into the world. She says he hits himself, screams, and wears diapers because he’s not potty trained. Her husband says he doesn’t find it difficult to care for Alex.

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‘How I faced up to a deep-seated prejudice against disabled people’

[UK] Guardian columnist Stewart Dakers explores the complicated emotions he experiences when two acquaintances who have disabilities get married, buy a house and have a child. He describes Dave and Sue as having epilepsy and other conditions he doesn’t understand. “… A generation ago, they’d have been called ‘retards’.”

Dakers says he and other neighbors felt uneasy when the couple married, thinking it “improper, unseemly,” and “a step too far.” Their disapproval grew when Dave and Sue had a child. “No good can come of it … shouldn’t be allowed,” some said.

At this point, Dakers writes, he began to dislike Sue — and he sees that dislike as a positive development.

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Couple with disabilities are silver medalists in Chinese national dance competition

On Youtube, a must-see performance that has gotten more than 4 million views so far. Text from the China Daily:

An unexpected pair of dazzling new stars rose from the CCTV [Chinese national television] Dance Contest. “Hand in Hand,” performed by disabled dancers Ma Li and Zhai Xiaowei, moved and inspired audiences with the performers’ dedication and talent.

Hand in Hand was the first entry from disabled dancers among the four contests to date. Both of the dancers had lost limbs in car accidents; Ma Li lost her right arm, and Zhai Xiaowei his left leg.

An interview with the performers, with English translation, is available here. Last year, it says, Ma Li and Zhai Xiaowei

were finalists among 7000 competitors in the 4th CCTV national dance competition. It is the first time a handicapped couple ever entered the competition. They won the Silver medal with the 99.17 high score and not to mention the highest audience popular votes.