disabled news stories on Newser

NY State Caregivers Keep Jobs Despite Abuse

Matt Cantor — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:43:05 CDT

At New York state homes for the mentally disabled, firings are rare—even when caregivers abuse or neglect patients, the Poughkeepsie Journal reports. Of the state’s 20 attempted firings across some dozen facilities since 2007, 18 were unsuccessful; only 2% of disciplinary cases at more than 100 facilities led to...

Cops Release One-Legged Man, Keep Wheelchair

Rob Quinn — Thu, 26 May 2011 02:28:00 CDT

A one-legged homeless man in Portland was left to drag himself out of jail over the weekend because his wheelchair had been moved to an off-site storage facility after he was picked up on a drinking citation. "Scottie" Hamilton, a 37-year-old Iraq veteran who lost his leg in a motorbike...

Despite Near-Total Paralysis, Patients Remain Happy

John Johnson — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:12:20 CST

Happiness is a relative thing: Most patients with so-called "locked-in syndrome"—they're mentally aware but physically paralyzed and unable to communicate except with their eyes—characterize themselves as happy. Of the 65 patients who took part in the first major study of the issue, mostly by blinking, 47 said they...

Judge Bans Man From Sex Over Low IQ

Nick McMaster — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 17:45:34 CST

A UK judge has barred a man from continuing a sexual relationship with another man because of his extremely low IQ, the Telegraph reports. The 41-year-old lives in an assisted living facility, has an IQ of 48, and is "seriously challenged in all aspects of his mental functionality,” according to...

2nd Suspect Surrenders in Disabled Rapes

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 04:03:14 CST

A second man is in custody in an investigation into a disturbing string of sex assaults of severely disabled women revealed in more than 100 hours of videotaped attacks. The tapes were discovered by a tech hired to scrub a hard drive containing film of the assaults, according to cops....

LA Cops Probe Sex Assaults on Disabled Women

Rob Quinn — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 03:47:21 CST

Los Angeles police are probing a disturbing series of sex crimes but they haven't been able to identify the suspects, the victims, or even where the attacks took place. A package containing 100 hours of video footage of severely disabled women being sexually assaulted was dropped off at Los Angeles...

Disabled Model Show Handicapped by Sincerity

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:43:45 CST

A British reality show about disabled women competing to win a spot as a fashion model has mostly admirable intentions, but ultimately does more harm than good. "There is something both bold and troubling about Britain’s Missing Top Model ," writes Alessandra Stanley in the New York Times . "It’s a contest...

Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Unsung 'Civil Rights Hero'

Jason Farago — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 07:30:02 CDT

Not too long ago the mentally disabled—or "retarded" people, as we called them then—were often hidden away in medical institutions, neglected by their families, and subjected to horrific policies such as forced sterilization. Eunice Kennedy Shriver changed all that with the Special Olympics, which started in her backyard...

Disabled Identify With Heroes at Comic-Con

Wesley Oliver — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:30:00 CDT

It’s no accident that some of Comic-Con's most popular heroes are X-Men ’s wheelchair-bound professor and Daredevil ’s blind avenger. Many of the San Diego convention’s 125,000 guests say they relate to the struggles of their favorite superheroes, the Los Angeles Times reports. “You feel like you can be...