From Bloomberg News, the New York Times and elsewhere:

Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius won his appeal to be eligible to compete in the Olympics using the carbon-fiber prosthetics that have gained him the nickname “Blade Runner.”

The Court of Arbitration for Sport today overturned a ban on the 21-year-old South African runner by the International Association of Athletics Federations, which said studies found the prosthetic blades gave him an unfair advantage.

… Pistorius, a South African, was born without the fibula in his lower legs and with defects in his feet. His legs were amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old. He has set Paralympic world records in the 100, 200, and 400 meters.

“I am ecstatic,” Pistorius told reporters in Milan, Italy, The Associated Press reported. “When I found out, I cried. It is a battle that has been going on for far too long. It’s a great day for sport. I think this day is going to go down in history for the equality of disabled people.”

See also: Amputee Du Toit qualifies for Beijing.

South African amputee Natalie Du Toit qualified for the Beijing Olympics on Saturday after she finished fourth in the 10km race in the Open Water World Championships.

The 24-year-old, who lost her left leg when she was hit by a car while riding her scooter in 2001, clocked a time of two hours two minutes 7.8 seconds, just 5.1 seconds behind winner Larisa Ilchenko of Russia.

Earlier posts here.

Says government is too quick to dismiss possible link

From CBS News, the New York Times and elsewhere:

(15-second commercial precedes video)

Dr. Bernadine Healy, the former director of the National Institutes of Health, tells CBS News’ Sharyl Attkisson that the question of a link between vaccines and autism is still open for debate. Her comments came as the United States Court of Federal Claims began another hearing to decide whether the vaccine additive thimerosal led thousands of children to develop symptoms of autism.

“I think that the public health officials have been too quick to dismiss the hypothesis as irrational,” Healy said.

“But public health officials have been saying they know, they’ve been implying to the public there’s enough evidence and they know it’s not causal,” Attkisson said.

“I think you can’t say that,” Healy said. “You can’t say that.”

Healy goes on to say public health officials have intentionally avoided researching whether subsets of children are “susceptible” to vaccine side effects — afraid the answer will scare the public.

(more…)

From the BBC:

The United Nations is celebrating the coming into force of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) — a landmark agreement that aims to give the world’s 650 million disabled people full equality. The measure took effect earlier this month after the 20th nation ratified it, in this case Ecuador.

So far some 25 countries have ratified the convention — starting with Jamaica in March last year. The largest nations that have already ratified it include India, Mexico, the Philippines and South Africa. Spain, Hungary and Slovenia are the only EU nations on the list so far.

… disability campaigners in the UK are critical of their government’s “reservations” on residential care, segregating education, employment in the armed forces and freedom of movement for disabled people with regard to nationality and immigration

… It is estimated that about 10 percent of the world’s population lives with some sort of disability, making disabled people the world’s largest minority. This figure is likely to increase as a result of medical advances and the world’s aging population, according to the World Health Organization.

… In some countries, disabled child mortality is as high as 80 percent even when the general level of mortality for the under fives has dropped below 20 percent.

See earlier posts:

• Op-ed: Washington’s phobia of global treaties
• World leaders urged to act on disability rights

From the Wall Street Journal:

Members of Congress are expressing concern and scheduling hearings about a Medicare plan to use competitive bidding for products such as wheelchairs and walkers, in a sign that lobbying by medical-equipment companies is gaining traction.

Currently, companies receive a government-set fee to distribute such equipment for patients’ home use. Under the competitive system, companies bid on how low a fee they would be willing to accept. Medicare then limits distribution rights for a particular geographic area to several low bidders.

… Officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services say competition could ultimately save $1 billion a year … Critics in Congress and elsewhere say service for the elderly will suffer if the bidding system drives some operators out of business. “We are very concerned about a decrease in quality and access and choice of provider,” says Peter W. Thomas of the Consortium for Citizens With Disabilities.

Attorney says she could die if she’s sent to a nursing home

From the Tulsa [Oklahoma] World:

Lindsey Easton, of Glenpool, Oklahoma, has lived at home most of her life under the care of her mother and 16 hours a day of skilled nursing care provided by a Medicaid program. Easton has infantile onset Pompe’s Disease, and is dependent on a ventilator and feeding tubes.

Easton’s Medicaid coverage ended when she turned 21 in September. She was subsequently denied coverage by Oklahoma’s Advantage Waiver program when it was determined that her care would exceed the program’s cost cap. She is now challenging that decision in court, arguing that the state’s action is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act.

Easton has led a full and engaging life as an avid reader, Girl Scout and co-valedictorian of her graduating class at Glenpool High School in 2005. … Housing her in a nursing home could lead to medical complications, extended hospitalizations and premature death, according to her legal brief, which cites statements from Easton’s doctor and nursing case manager.

… Laurie Easton, Lindsey’s mother, said she’d never put her daughter in a nursing home and is turning to the courts because she sees no other option. She has had to fight many bureaucratic battles over the years, she said.

“We’re just normal people trying to do the right thing,” she said. “We love our kids.”

From CNETNews.com:

Congressman Edward Markey (D-Mass.) is advocating for changes that would require Internet phone and video products to be made accessible to people with disabilities. Markey, who chairs the House telecommunications and Internet panel, is drafting a bill that would require Internet-based devices to be able to decode closed captioning and deliver oral narration.

“The wizardry of the wires and the sophistication of the software programs do little for those who cannot affordably access or effectively use them,” Markey said at a subcommittee hearing this week.

Among those supporting Markey’s efforts was actor Russell Harvard, who starred with Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood. Harvard urged Congress to take closed captioning law “to its next level.”

“I and others who cannot hear are left out of this whirlwind of technological change (because) hardly any of these smaller devices display closed captions,” said Harvard, who is deaf.

From the Miami Herald, Associated Press:

Families who have children with autism may be able to get insurers to cover most costs for diagnosis and treatment of the disease under the last bill the Florida legislature passed before adjourning its session Friday.

An emotional House wrestled with whether to pass the bill because it only did a small part of what House leaders wanted. They had hoped to pass a much broader plan to try to get insurance coverage guarantees for children with many other disabilities, including spina bifida and Down syndrome.

Ultimately, the House agreed to send Gov. Charlie Crist a bill already passed by the Senate that would just cover autism. Several lawmakers, however, lamented it would only help less than 15 percent of children with developmental disabilities.

… The House bill was sponsored by Rep. Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, the father of a child with Down syndrome.

“How fair is it to say to the disability community, that if you have autism we’re going to mandate coverage for you but if God has blessed you with a child with a different disability, we’re not?” Gardiner asked as the House debated the merits of the two proposals.