5 posts tagged “disability rights”

Warning: This video may be disturbing. If the video is not available, please check back. Youtube.com is temporarily down.

This video has been running on much of the national news over the last couple of days. It shows a partially paralyzed man, with some type of spinal cord injury, being dumped out of his wheelchair and on to the floor by a Hillsborough County, Florida deputy.

The man had been involved in an incident in October 2007 which resulted with him being charged with fleeing and attempting to elude law enforcement officers. At the time, he was also charged with blocking an intersection.

This video captured the abuse as the man was being booked into the county jail on January 29. The deputy, Charlotte Marshall Jones, has been suspended without pay. The supervisors, present at the time, have also been suspended but with pay.

This is a grossly disgusting act on the deputy's part. It turns my stomach to think that such abusive, uncaring, unsympathetic people exist in this world. Charlotte Marshall Jones should be fired and criminal charges should be filed against her.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said it will do whatever it can to make the situation right with the victim. Yeah, you think? If I were him, I'd be in touch with my attorney.

Last night on the CBS Evening News I saw part one of a two part series on Social Security disability benefits. According to CBS News, many disabled people who've spent years paying into the system, are being denied their rightfully owed disability benefits.

Last night's segment, claims that 2 out of every 3 people that have applied for federal disability have been denied; that is 66% of the claims filed. Many cities in the United States have a backlog of cases to be reviewed. Some have to wait three years for a hearing. Nationally, people have to wait an average of 520 days for a hearing on their claims. The total backlog of cases in the nation is 750,000; this is an increase of 150% since 2000.

Another statistic sited by the CBS Evening News claims that in 2006 and 2007, 16,000 people died while waiting for a decision.

A denial of benefits not only means that these disabled individuals are being denied a monthly income, but they are also being denied the Medicare health insurance that goes along with it. Can you imagine being unable to work with no income and no health insurance? Just like these productive citizens, who once paid into the system, it can also happen to you.

Part two concludes the series tonight on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric at 6:30 PM eastern time.

The United States Supreme Court decided not to hear an important case regarding experimental drugs for terminally ill patients yesterday. The case found its way to America's highest court after an advocacy group sued the FDA in 2003. The original case asked the court to allow terminally ill patients, who've run out of options, to have access to drugs that have undergone safety testing but have not yet been approved.

Last year a federal appeals court ruled in favor with the FDA, denying patients access to unapproved experimental drugs. The lower court had rejected the notion that patients had a constitutional right to take these unapproved medicines.

Now that the United States Supreme Court will not hear the case, it would be up to Congress to change the law. There is no word on whether that will be taken up by the Legislature.

I am disappointed by the lower court's decision, not to allow access to these investigational drugs; but, I am equally disappointed by the United States Supreme Court to have not taken the case.

If I were terminally ill, still had the will to live, and had run out of options, I know that I would want to take anything to improve my chances of survival even if those chances were slim. What would a terminally ill patient have to lose? The answer is nothing. There would only be the hope of something possible to gain.

I often question the priorities in our country and the authorities in power. It seems that if one were an unborn fetus, one might have more rights and protections than if one were a living, breathing adult in the United States.

In an early November forum to address issues of disability, some of the 2008 Presidential candidates pledged their support. Several Democratic Presidential candidates spoke before a crowd of nearly 600 people, many with disabilities. John McCain was the only Republican to participate via the phone.

Summary of Achievements/Pledges:

Christopher Dodd - Co-sponsored the Americans with Disability Act in 1975. Helped pass the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Senator Hillary Clinton - Promised to reinstate former President Clinton's executive order requiring federal agencies to hire 100,000 people with disabilities over a five year period. She would also abolish federal rules that cut disability benefits when disabled people get jobs.

Former Senator John Edwards - Also promised to reinstate the executive order on hiring.

Senator Joe Biden - Pledged to remind the public about the nation's core values, including equality and dignity for all.

Representative Dennis Kucinich - Promoted his single-payer health care system. Shared his severe stuttering problem as a child.

Former Senator Mike Gravel - Has a plan to give policy decisions to the people by direct vote. Also shared his struggle with dyslexia as a child.

Senator John McCain - Focused on health care for disabled veterans.

As I sit down to write for the first time this morning, after my brief Thanksgiving sabbatical, I am aware that my blog on politics, gay rights and disability rights is lacking one critical component: disability rights. This hasn't been intentional and it's been on my mind for some time now; however, to me it seems that disability and health research issues are not always in the forefront of mainstream news.

In an attempt to balance things out, I would like to highlight some important news on legislation recently introduced in the U.S. Congress. A bi-partisan bill aimed at using Federal resources to help find a treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) was presented by Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Eric Cantor (R-VA) in the House and by Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) in the Senate.

If passed, this bill known as The SMA Treatment Acceleration Act would provide Federal funds for SMA research, national clinical trials, and drug development. As many of you might know, research for finding a treatment and/or cure for SMA is close to my heart. For those who might not be aware, I have SMA, type III. This legislation is critically important to me and thousands of others who are afflicted with this condition.

Legislation has a better chance of passing when broad support for a bill is promoted by Congressional constituents, like us. I urge everyone to take a few minutes to participate in this important grassroots effort by contacting your representatives and asking them to support and cosponsor The SMA Treatment Acceleration Act. I have provided several links below to make this process easier on you. When contacting your members of Congress, please refer to this bill as The SMA Treatment Acceleration Act (for the House, H.R. 3334, and in the Senate S.2042).

For a sample letter and explicit instructions on sending one to your representative, click on the link here for Families of SMA: www.curesma.org/la_main.shtml, once in the website, click on How to Contact Congress, then click on Four Simple Steps, and follow the instructions.

For a simpler approach, contact your representatives directly and send your own brief message. Click on the respective links for both the House and the Senate here: www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.