(The Corner) – When New York Times columnist Frank Bruni isn’t driving me nuts, it’s usually because he’s on vacation from his (very well written) column.
Today was an exception. Bruni writes evocatively about how people with disabilities “disappear” from the view and concern of mainstream life.
It seems Bruni met Nancy, a woman with post polio syndrome on a cruise where he was an invited speaker. After initially attending the formal presentations, she stopped coming because, using a wheelchair, she was ignored by fellow attendees. From, “Are You Old? Infirm? Then Kindly Disappear:”
The more I thought about her experience, the more I realized how widespread it undoubtedly is, and how cruel. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that more than two million Americans use wheelchairs for their daily activities and 6.5 million depend on canes, crutches or walkers. And the country is getting grayer and grayer. CONTINUE