Famous People with Physical Disabilities 1. Annie Jump Cannon (1863-1941) Disability: Deaf She was an American astronomer whose cataloging work was instrumental in the development of the star classification. She contributed to astronomy while she worked at the Harvard College Observatory. She classified more stars in a lifetime than anyone else, approximately 500,000. Her career lasted more than 40 years. 2. Wilma Mankiller (1945-2010) Disability: Rare form of muscular dystrophy. She became involved with the 1969 Native American occupation of Alcatraz Island. The protest inspired her to become involved in Native Indian issues. In 1985, she became the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. She is the first woman to hold that high level position …show more content…
in a major tribal government. 3. Stephen Hawking (1942-) Disability: Motor Neuron disease or a variant of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). He is perhaps the world’s most recognized living physicist. He is a specialist in cosmology and quantum gravity. He is best known to the public as an author of a bestselling book titled, The Universe in a Nutshell and A Brief History of Time. 4.
Max Cleland - Joseph Maxwell Cleland (1942-) Disability: Triple amputee both legs and one arm. He is a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War, a former U.S. Senator from Georgia. He was awarded the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for valorous action in combat, including the Battle of Khe Sanh in 1968. 5. Tanni Grey Thompson (1969-) Disability: Spina Bifida and physically challenged. She is the greatest retired disabled sport star of all time. Using her wheelchair all her life, she won 16 medals at the Para Olympics, and 11 medals were gold. As this population ages, practitioners and caregivers must be able to recognize potential chronic illnesses in an aging person with physical disabilities. Motor impairments and other medical conditions may speed up the typical aging progress. In some individuals with a disability, an aging gap can develop as early as age 50, more than 20 years earlier than the nondisabled population. It is not clear what causes the aging gap. Therefore, basic screening and preventative care (i.e., exercise, healthy diet, and smoking cessation) should be an integral part of the health care plan of the physically disabled, …show more content…
elderly. Elderly Veterans The 2012 Census states that veterans age 65 or older exceeded 12.4 million.
The national news has reported on veteran deaths and other problems related to false waiting lists in the VA medical system. In response, Congress passed legislation and funding to address health care issues of veterans. Nevertheless, 2014-2015 investigations by the National Public Radio (NPR) and other stations are reporting that where veterans live may have an effect on whether they receive the benefits earned. To learn more, visit United States Department of Veterans Affairs, health benefits spending. The VA Administration is aware of health disparities and the barriers they present in achieving health equity and the need to eliminate health disparities for veterans. To help address these issues, the VA created the VA Health Services Research & Development Service (VA HSR&D). The role of this department’s investigators is to conduct studies designed to identify, explain, and eliminate disparities, and improve health care for all veterans. To learn more, visit the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, VA HSR&D webpage and the America Journal of Public
Health. A 2011 directive expresses the VA’s expectation of respectful care and appropriate treatment for transgender patients. In 2013, VA medical facilities reaffirmed its commitment to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality. Their participation in the Human Right Campaign’s annual Healthcare Equality Index helped to illustrate that commitment. To learn more about the VA’s Geriatrics and Extended Care, visit their webpage that explains how to receive help for those chronically ill or disabled Veterans who stay in their homes. The VA offers two monetary programs for elderly Veterans who qualify to receive a VA Pension benefit. 1. Aid and Attendance (A&A) is an increased monthly pension amount paid, if the individual meets one of the following conditions: • Requires help performing daily functions, which may include bathing, eating or dressing • Bedridden • Patient in a nursing home • Eyesight is limited to a corrected 5/200 visual acuity or less in both eyes; or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less 2. Housebound is an increased monthly pension amount paid if you are substantially confined to your immediate premises because of a permanent disability. To learn more, visit Aid & Attendance Housebound benefits page and the Directory of Veterans Service Organizations. Veteran Directed Home & Community Based Services (VD-HCBS) Program The Administration for Community Living (ACL) began a partnership with the Veteran’s Health Administration to serve veterans of all ages in need of nursing home placement through the Veterans Directed Home and Community Based Services (VD-HCBS) Program. These agencies have a collective vision. They want long term services to evolve into a person centered and consumer-directed system. This will allow people to continue living at home and be engaged in community life. Consolidated service will provide veterans with the opportunity to self-direct their needs from home. With the help of an Options Counselor, the Aging and Disability Network will offer an array of support services to families and caregivers. The VA offers geriatric and extended care services (GEC) to veterans with multiple chronic conditions, life-limiting illness, frailty, or disability associated with chronic disease, aging, and injury. You can link to Home and Community Based Services designed to help chronically ill or disabled Veterans of any age to remain in their home. The VA provides My Health eVet webpage. You can create an account to track personal and health information online. Also visit the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODL), the Center for Women Veterans. Famous Veterans The number of individuals who have served our country throughout history are too numerous to list here. You are encouraged to visit the following webpages to learn more about these incredible men and women. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society and the California Indian Education webpage - it lists winners of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Remarkable Women Veterans in American History: American Women Veterans. To learn more about the Native Indian Code Talkers visit National Museum of the American Indian.
Department of Veteran Affairs. (1997). Master Agreement between he Department of Veteran Affairs and the American Federation of Government Employees (VA Pamphlet 05-68). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office
After teaching for 15 year, she became active in temperance. However, because she was a women she was not allowed to speak at rallies. Soon after meeting Elizabeth Cady Stanton she became very active in the women’s right movement in 1852 and dedicated her life to woman suffrage.
She was known worldwide for many things. She was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry. She was credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She was and still is a woman that people look up to. Many people know her as Maya Angelou.
U.S. Congress, Senate, Committee on Veterans Affairs, Statement of John. F. Sommer, Jr., Director National Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission Before the Committee on Veterans Affairs, 14 July 1988.
It was once assumed that the government would provide services for veterans, but nonprofit organizations and communities have been picking up the slack to help veterans get back on their feet after returning home. The government is dependent on nonprofit organizations to supply veterans and their families with the necessary goods and services. The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is an organization that provides services for veterans and their families. The WWP focuses on mind, body, economic empowerment, and engagement, all things that help veterans through post-war symptoms (The Wounded Warrior Project). The government is recommending giving less housing allowances, limiting pay raises, and having higher fees for health care benefits; other cuts would include stores being unable to give discounts to military families (Nissenbaum and Barnes). The amount of money veterans receive for housing, health care, and retirement is being cut left and right by the government and the money is being used and put towards other departments. In California, The County Veterans Service Officers Inc. plays a very important role in verterans’ lives (California Association of County Veterans Service Officers, Inc.) Many organizations help veterans who are in need of services because our government is not always able to provide...
She was an abolitionist and women’s right’s activist and was born a slave in New York State. She bore around thirteen children and had three of them sold away from her. She became involved in supporting freed people during the Reconstruction Period.
I began to wonder where and how therapeutic riding originated. In my research I found that therapeutic riding was not taken seriously until Liz Hartel, a Danish rider who had paralysis from poliomyelitis, advanced to competitive riding. Despite the fact that Liz suffered from poliomyelitis, she “went on to win a silver medal in the Grand Prix Dressage competition at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games” (Young). After she won this great achievement, an interest around the world in the therapeutic effects of riding emerged; as a result, therapeutic riding programs were established and studies were initiated (Young). I think it is ironic how a person with a disability is so influential in helping other people with disabilities.
“Factors Affecting Health Care” (50-55) Demonstrates the sacrifices and how difficult it is for veterans to receive healthcare from the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Through out her life, Eleanor Roosevelt had served the world. She helped so many people by doing simple work with Human Rights. She put her heart and soul into her work and gave the world, especially the United States, a new respect for both women and African Americans. From her years as a United Nations delegate, she gave over one hundred lectures a year, wrote daily newspaper columns, contributed to magazines and wrote three autobiographies. She hosted a weekly television interview show and broadcast a daily radio commentary. She was the most influential First Ladies to date, and continued her well doing for years until her death.
Nardin, Rachel “Healthcare for vets - and all others” The Boston Globe. 11 NOV 2007: N. Pag. Boston.com. WEB. 10 Nov 2009.
In 1636 the “Pilgrims passed a law which stated that disabled soliders would be supported by the colony.” (VA History) This paved the way for veterans’ benefits and healthcare. It wasn’t until 1811 that the federal government authorized the first medical and domiciliary facilities along with benefits and pensions for the veterans and their families. When the United States entered World War 1 in 1917, Congress created a new system for veterans’ benefits such as disability compensation, insurance, vocational rehabilitation. These benefits were directed by three different agencies in the Federal Government, these branches were the Veterans Bureau, the Bureau of Pensions of the Interior Department, and the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. Ten years later congress authorized the president to “consolidate and coordinate Government activities affecting war veterans”; this action united the three component agencies into bureaus under the veterans’ administration. In the following six decades there were vast increases in the veteran population, and new benefits enacted by congress for veterans following Wo...
The United States Department of Veteran Affairs is a government entity in which provides health care, general benefits, services and assistance with burials and memorials to all veterans (Department of Veterans Affairs [VA], 2013). However, there are smaller divisions within the VA that cater to certain interest groups such as women, minorities, homeless and disabled. In focusing on homeless African American women veterans, we are able to examine the policies and programs that cater three of the four interest groups simultaneously. The policies that we will be examining in relation to this group are women veterans’ health policy and homeless women veterans’ policy.
After a veteran returns from war, some are lucky enough to go home without a scratch, but many suffer severe injuries, in addition to the incapability of reintegrating back into society. As these difficulties arise almost all veterans turns towards the help of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the VA, for both physical and mental help. Although, many veterans are searching for this help workers of the VA make it difficult, as they constantly judge those in need. According to Martin Kantor, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, and author of Uncle Sam's Shame: Inside Our Broken Veterans Administration, Many vets are going to private hospitals because of the “fear of being treated like a second-class citizen” (25). This is a huge issue, since
veteran population (USVARD, 2014). Women are using VHA services more frequently that are usually used by men due to the growth of WVs (USVARD, 2014). The number of women using VHA services has more than doubled in 12 years from 159,630 in 2000 to 362,014 in 2012 (Frayne et al., 2010; Frayne et al., 2014). In contrast, the number of men using VHA services has grown in 12 years, but not by double like women, from 3,225,712 in 2000 to 5,249,002 in 2012 (Frayne et al., 2010; Frayne et al., 2014). More studies are needed to detect gender disparities in health services use because of the growth WVs using VHA services and the increasing demand this growth has placed upon the VHA delivery systems (Frayne et al.,
People with disabilities are still people, they are people with hearts and they are actual physical beings; people with disabilities do their best to live every day to their fullest, yet that is still not enough for others. I feel like as a whole, humans are generally uncomfortable with people who have disabilities. Let’s think of it this way, people live their life every day in their normal lives and then they come across a person with a disability and suddenly their life is interrupted, like it is such a barrier in their flow of life to come across someone different from themselves.