From the [UK] Times, BBC News, Associated Press, and AFP;

Riam Dean, 22, was awarded £9,000 by an employment tribunal after alleging that she was harassed and dismissed by the Abercrombie & Fitch clothing chain for reasons related to her disability.

Dean sued the clothing giant for discrimination, saying the firm’s London store banished her to the stockroom because her prosthetic arm didn’t meet the company’s “look policy,” then dismissed her over the disagreement. Dean, a law student, was born without a left forearm.

The Central London Employment Tribunal ruled that Dean was “unlawfully harassed for a reason that related to her disability” under the Disability Discrimination Act. The tribunal also found that the firm “failed to comply with its duty to make reasonable adjustments” for her disability.

Earlier post here.

(AP photo)

From  ABC News, Corpus Christi Caller-Times,  AP/Dallas Morning News,and the Austin American-Statesman:

A former state employee was convicted Thursday for his part in the Texas “fight club” abuse case. Six former workers at an institution for people with intellectual disabilities have been accused of forcing residents to fight one another while employees taped the incidents on their cell phones.

Jesse Salazar, 26, was found guilty of intentionally causing injury to a disabled person, a third-degree felony. He faces up to 10 years in prison. Two others have pleaded guilty to causing injury to people with disabilities, and three more are awaiting trial.

“They planned this. They did this on a regular basis,” said Nueces County Assistant District Attorney Doug Mann in his closing argument Thursday. “This was all about their entertainment.”

See also: Commentary by Frank James on NPR news blog

The Texas case is shameful proof that despite advances in how society deals with the mentally disabled, progress [Eunice Kennedy Shriver] greatly contributed to as founder and animating force of the Special Olympics, there are still backwaters of the heart, lacking in compassion for those who are more vulnerable through no fault of their own.

Though Shriver is gone, her work is clearly far from done.

From the Boston Globe (with video), Boston Herald,  Associated Press and National Public Radio:

Thousand of mourners gathered at Our Lady of Victory Roman Catholic Church in Cape Cod Thursday to honor Eunice Kennedy Shriver, celebrating the Special Olympics founder as a passionate humanitarian.

At the six-hour public wake, Shriver’s five children – including Shriver’s daughter, Maria, and son-in-law Arnold Schwarzenegger – expressed gratitude and listened to the stories of all who came to pay their respects. Guests included Special Olympians, Oprah Winfrey, and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.

Among the steady stream of mourners who flowed into church was Mike Rhodes, a 25-year-old mentally disabled man who left a handmade card for Shriver.

On it was written a simple message: “She taught us to stand tall.”

Shriver’s private invitation-only funeral Mass will be held today at St. Francis Xavier church in Hyannis, and vice president Joe Biden is expected to attend.

See also:

Eunice Shriver believed all deserved dignity, joy – Kansas City Star

One Special Olympian – New York Times

Biden to attend service for Eunice Kennedy Shriver – Associated Press

Earlier posts here.

(Loretta Claiborne and Maria Shriver, AP photo)

From the St. Petersburg [FL] Times:

Parents who raised their children with Down syndrome at home at a time when doctors recommended institutionalization offer praise for Eunice Kennedy Shriver. They say she brought people with intellectual disabilities out of the  shadows and helped society see new possibilities.

When some parents began to reject the notion of institutionalization in the 1950s and ’60s, they were largely left to fend for themselves.

“I’ve thought about this so often. Who were these families who made these decisions initially?” said Madeleine Will, vice president of public policy for the National Down Syndrome Society. “They were choosing not to institutionalize their children at a time when there was no support and even confronting rejection and hostility.”

In 1968, the Special Olympics ignited a new commitment to diversity and acceptance. Soon, people with intellectual disabilities began to benefit from increased funding and legislation that helped them push past boundaries, but advocates say the fight for justice continues for people with disabilities.

Society still has a long way to go, said Dr. Brian Skotko, a fellow in genetics at Children’s Hospital Boston. Many families endure long waits for help from the government and community organizations; disabled people are still housed in institutions; popular movies still disparagingly use what Skotko called “the R word.”

“Not all of the ghosts have left the banquet table,” he said.

Earlier posts here.

An excerpt from the Washington Times:

Four years after Hurricane Katrina exposed major deficiencies in the capacity of governments to evacuate and care for the disabled during a natural disaster, America’s most vulnerable citizens are barely considered in most emergency plans, according to a report being issued Wednesday by the National Council on Disability.

The report says huge gaps exist in those emergency plans despite an executive order issued by President Bush in 2004 urging federal and local governments, as well as private organizations, to consider the unique needs of the disabled when planning rescues and preparing to provide emergency shelter.

The 500-page report also criticized government disaster planners for failing to seek input about the needs of the disabled from the community and its advocacy groups.

Eunice Shriver: A cheerful gladiator

From the Washington Post:

Founded in an era when those with intellectual disabilities were institutionalized and shut out of the mainstream, the Special Olympics offered participants the opportunity to transcend their limitations and become athletes. The games promote health and self-reliance, inspire friendships, and give rise to tremendous courage. By giving men, women and children with disabilities the ability to compete on a global stage, Eunice Kennedy Shriver proved that they could play on other playing fields, hold jobs, and be students and neighbors.

Her legacy lives on in the millions of people she empowered to strive on the field of competition and beyond — and to be brave in the attempt.

From the [UK] Telegraph:

UK academics and prominent disability sports advocates are criticizing the absence of a concrete policy to raise disability awareness and advance social change at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

According to a survey commissioned by London 2012, about 69 per cent of respondents could not name a Paralympian. Sixty-nine per cent of those surveyed said they would like to see more media coverage of Paralympic events.

[The nation's most decorated Paralympic athlete, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson], believes the public’s lack of understanding may be holding back not just the sport, but the disability aspects of the Games.

The Paralympics are a sporting – and political – movement for those living with disabilities. Grey-Thompson said: “Awareness and education, and a move towards social change and widespread acceptance have to be the key aims, along with developing a sporting structure for the future…”

Advocates are calling for increased media coverage and more community and school opportunities for Paralympic sports.