veteran

Where We Live (WNPR)

Posted on April 4, 2013

Redefining Disability: Our Changing Perceptions of People with Disabilities

Photo credit: taberandrew, Creative Commons
Photo credit: taberandrew, Creative Commons

This hour of “Where We Live,” heard on WNPR, a public radio station based in Connecticut, discusses the ways in which societal perceptions of people with disabilities are changing and the things that still need improvement. The two guests are Beth Haller and Suzanne Robitaille, who are both NCDJ Board members.

Haller says that journalists often miss opportunities to report on important issues happening in the community of people with disabilities, such as disability rights laws, the lack of accessible housing in various cities or discrimination against people with particular disabilities, for example.

Robitaille also joins the conversation and discusses her views on the state of disability in the news media and how journalism on these topics can be covered more deeply and with greater precision. She explains the complex nature of defining disability on both societal and individual levels, along with the troubles she saw with NPR’s recent reports, “Unfit for Work.”

The New York Times

Posted on December 2, 2012

“Learning to Accept, and Master, a $110,000 Mechanical Arm”

James Dao, writing for the newspaper’s series on injured veterans “The Hard Road Back,” details Cpl. Sebastian Gallegos’ injury and reintegration into civilian and family life.

According to the article, Cpl. Gallegos is one of less than 300 American soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan to lose one of his arms. The process of re-acquiring skills that were once second-nature, such as grasping and keeping hold of everyday objects, now takes intense concentration and patience.

Partly because there are fewer people who lose upper limbs to injury, there is not always ways to help them adjust that are known to be effective. The hope is that with time and greater scientific advancements made at places like the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, people with upper body amputations and other reasons for needing prosthetics will be able to regain feeling and sensation.

The link also includes a video that explores both the physical and psychological effects of Cpl. Gallegos’ injury.

CNN — Anderson Cooper 360

Posted on September 30, 2012

“Hundreds of thousands of war vets still waiting for health benefits”

Mike Rioux waited 18 months to have his disability benefits claim processed after returning from the war in Afghanistan. As Randy Kaye of CNN reports, when the decision was finally reached, Rioux was told he qualified for a monthly payment of under $700 and was only 40 percent disabled. The Department of Veterans Affairs did not provide compensation for his traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder, both acquired during his military service. His PTSD diagnosis was even given by a VA doctor.

According to CNN, Rioux and his family are not alone in fighting with the VA to obtain monetary benefits, and the economic struggles are taking their toll.

  • Most of the difficulty with making decisions and evaluating claims appears to be the result of “severe and complex mental injuries” like traumatic brain injuries and PTSD.
  • The report compared these injuries to Agent Orange and Gulf War syndrome, meaning that the VA is trying to determine the right benefit amount for those affected by things like PTSD. Because terms used to describe these conditions are relatively new, it can be hard to compare these more “hidden disabilities” to those with obvious physical manifestations.
  • Officials with the VA are expecting to process approximately one million applications from veterans by the end of 2012, and they say the goal is to process incoming applications within 125 days, according to CNN.

    • Asbury (N.J.) Park Press

    Posted on June 18, 2010

    VA still battling errors, backlog in disability claims

    Retired Marine Sgt. Michael Madden of Prescott, Ariz., knows what it means to battle. In Vietnam, he was shot in the head, forcing him to undergo spinal cord surgery that has left him in a wheelchair. But the fight was not over for Madden. After being told by a Veterans Affairs doctor to file for funding to make his home and car wheelchair-adaptable, Madden has spent the last decade in a jungle of bureaucracy, legalese and claim denials.