Christopher Reeve and disability rights
By Gene Clancy
Film star and disabled-rights activist Christopher Reeve
died Oct. 11 at age 52. His death highlighted not only his
substantial contributions to the cause of disability rights,
but the plight of disabled people generally. It also underlined
the distorted priorities and policies of the U.S. government
and the health-care system here.
Reeve died of cardiac failure brought on by a raging
infection that had spread from a pressure sore, a common
condition of many people with disabilities. The death of
someone who, as a film star and director, had resources and
medical care not available to the vast majority of people
highlights the fragility of life for many of the severely
disabled.
To his credit, Reeve had used his public persona since his
disabling accident to advocate for a number of progressive
causes. Right-wing forces continue to oppose many of these
causes, which include stem cell research and insurance
reform.
Embryonic stem cell research holds great promise not only to
people with disabilities but for medicine in general. The goal
is to replace injured or damaged cells with stem cells from
embryos. For many with damaged spinal or central nervous
systems, such research represents one of the few hopes of
recovery.
Nevertheless, President George W. Bush has restricted such
research to those stem cell "lines" created before Aug. 9,
2001. This alone greatly limits research. Many right wingers
would like to curtail stem cell research altogether.
Reeve also urged greater spending by the insurance companies
on rehabilitative therapies and technology for those with
disabilities. These steps would not only improve health, but
increase independence for disabled people and reduce overall
costs.
Reeve's own care cost in excess of $500,000 a year. Though
this was covered by several policies, it still strained his
considerable financial resources.
As Reeve said in 1998, "Most people don't have that
luxury."
Of course, the big insurance companies, looking to maximize
profits, try hard to limit spending for the disabled even more,
regardless of their income. In addition to their struggles with
their disabilities and discrimination, people with disabilities
spend much effort and time just getting insurance coverage.
Billions wasted
The $500,000 mentioned above might make it seem that the
cost of adequate health care for those with disabilities is
prohibitive. But this ignores a number of factors, most of
which have little to do with disabilities themselves.
Most of the money spent for the disabled is for sheer
survival. According to a study done in 1988, just before
passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act:
"Almost two-thirds of PWDs [persons with disabilities] did
not go to a movie last year; three-fourths did not see a live
music performance; two-thirds no sporting event; 17 percent
never eat in restaurants; 13 percent never shop in grocery
stores. Forty percent of PWDs did not finish high school.
"Thirty-six percent of PWDs are dependent on government
support. Another 25 percent get no support from government yet
do not work. Sixty percent of government support receivers are
the primary wage earners in their family.
"PWDs are subject to widespread and severe discrimination;
extremely disadvantaged at tremendous economic cost [to the
country as a whole]." (ADA Law. Robert Mauro, rmauro@
delphi.com)
There are nearly 45 million people with disabilities in the
United States--almost one in six people. Nearly one-third of
these are severely disabled according to ADA criteria.
Most of those with disabilities live in poverty.
Three-quarters of those with severe disabilities are
unemployed. (Disabilities Statistics Archive)
Most people with disabilities who are between ages 15 and 64
want to work. But getting a job is not easy.
According to one report, a qualified person with one or more
disabilities has a one in 100 chance of getting a job when
compared with an able-bodied person with similar
qualifications.
The chance of a Black woman with a disability being
unemployed is over 90 percent. Ninety-seven percent of all
disabled women never earn more than $10,000 a year. (U.S.
Depart ment of Labor)
An analysis of more than 10,000 disabled employees showed
that 31 percent of their hiring required no added cost for
special training or facilities. Fifty percent cost under $50
and 69 percent cost less than $500. Only 1 percent cost over
$5,000. Studies show that building a new facility that is
accessible adds only 0.5 percent to the building's cost. (Job
Accom modation Network)
Independence at stake
Not only the loss of productivity, amounting to billions of
dollars, is at stake. Lobbyists for the nursing-home industry
have influenced laws so that pubic funds favor nursing homes
over alternative and less expensive programs that allow
disabled people to be independent.
Some 100,000 people die every year of decubiti
ulcers--bedsores, which caused Chris Reeve's death. Most live
in understaffed nursing homes, many of which are for-profit
organizations.
Disabled, you are 25 times more likely to spend a piece of
your life in a nursing home. In a long-term study of
quadriplegics, they lived for an average of 15 years when
independent--but for only 18 months at a nursing home. (Mauro,
ADA Law)
Recently, thousands of young men and women have been added
to the ranks of people with disabilities because of the U.S.
war of conquest in Iraq. Many of these are truly life-changing
injuries: loss of limbs, paralysis, blindness. A large number
have suffered irreparable psychological trauma from their
combat experiences, and from being forced into the role of
colonial occupier.
These disabled veterans have returned to the United States
to face cutbacks in veterans' benefits and reduced spending for
people with disabilities and health care generally. At the same
time, over $120 billion has been spent on the war in Iraq, with
no end in sight.
A small portion of this amount could fully fund the programs
for which Christopher Reeve and thousands of disabled activists
across the country have fought so hard.
People with disabilities and progressive people everywhere
must redouble our efforts to achieve justice, end
discrimination, and create a health-care system that serves
people's needs, not profits.
Clancy is a disabled activist
Reprinted from the Oct. 28, 2004, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
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