What sort of coverage: Amputees fight caps in coverage for prosthetics

By Dave Gram, Associated Press

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. – After bone cancer forced the amputation of her right leg below the knee, Eileen Casey got even more bad news: Her insurer told her that she had spent her $10,000 lifetime coverage limit on her temporary limb and that the company wouldn’t pay for a permanent one……more here

Comment: On the one hand society promotes a body image and a social environment that seems to make legs essential (most places are still not set up for non-leg modes of movement), and on the other hand they are not willing to enable one to have the legs.
Technorati Tags: legs, prosthetics, insurance, payment, ableism, disablement,

So Goeth the Autism Epidemic

Kristina Chew, over at Autism Vox, has an interesting recent post with this title. It nicely supplements Biella’s post on What Sorts last week around the related issue of the new autism rights movement, and with the same focus on Roy Grinker’s book Unstrange Minds. Chew closes her post with the following reflection on the book and the issues it covers:

The book provides much needed historical and cultural background and context behind the current interest—some might say fascination—-with autism. Personally, the main reason I like the book … is for the story of the diagnosis, education, and growing up of Prof. Grinker’s daughter, Isabel, and for his own account of the effect of all this on himself and his family. Much as I strive to know as much as I can about research, treatments, and the latest issues regarding autism, it’s the personal stories of autistic individuals, parents, teachers, and others that I’m most drawn in by. Whatever you might think about the “autism epidemic” and about vaccines, Prof. Grinker’s account of his daughter is more than worth reading. Theories commeth and goeth, and good stories about great kids growing up endure.

Go and check out the whole post over at Autism Vox if you’re interested.