September 6, 2012
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON– [Excerpt provided by Inclusion Daily Express] [Aditya] Ganapathiraju broke three vertebrae, one of which damaged his spinal cord, paralyzing him below the chest. It took years of therapy and rehab for him to regain some strength and movement and, most importantly, to become independent again.
A crucial element of that, he says, was in-home, state-funded health care; with both his parents deceased, it allowed the 20-something college student to stay out of elderly nursing homes, where he might otherwise be.
“There are a lot of vulnerable folks who rely on this service,” Ganapathiraju said. “It’s unfair, of course, that the situation is how it is. It’s understandable that there are political forces at work.”
Ganapathiraju is referring to state-mandated budget cuts, which slashed in-home personal health care services for the elderly and the disabled. A judge upheld that the cuts are legal, but the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that decision, arguing that the cuts violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The state has until September 17 to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, said Carl Peterson with the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network. Peterson joined with other advocates for the disabled Wednesday to call on the state and the governor to not appeal the decision.
Entire article with video clip:
Disabled residents fighting to stop health care cuts
http://tinyurl.com/ide0906121a
Related:
Conference Call of Advocates on MR v Dreyfus (ADAPT)
http://www.adapt.org/main.waolmstead.confcall
Taking Action to Protect Olmstead! (ADAPT)
http://www.dimenet.com/hotnews/archive.php?mode=A&id=7568;&sort=D
Planet of the Blind 