Writing in the [White Plains, NY] Journal News, Esther Gueft says people with disabilities constitute one of the nation’s largest minority groups, yet their needs are consistently overlooked.

This is the year of the “minority.” An African-American is president, and there could be a Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court. The list goes on. Color barriers are falling. But what about the minority that cuts across all racial, religious and cultural barriers? Where are they?

…They live in your house, next door, down the street and across town. Because of their differences, they are only now emerging thanks to laws that were enacted just under 20 years ago.

… What can we do to integrate this special minority, which we will join as we age through illness, accident or injury? Access to appropriate housing and support services is key to permitting disabled adults [to] gain the independence they need.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 at 7:16 am and is filed under commentary, community services, elderly, housing, independent living, intellectual/developmental disabilities, physical disabilities. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.