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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 Next, the foundation will lobby in Washington, D.C., Canose said, using the new survey numbers to help remove barriers that can frustrate those with paralysis from getting and keeping jobs and completing tasks of daily living.
Among improvements the foundation will seek, he said, are better adherence to the Americans With Disabilities Act, more support for the family caregivers of those who are paralyzed, and more and better-trained home health attendants.
The foundation, in the report and in other publications, tries to put a human face on the problem of paralysis. For instance, one person featured in the report, Joel Heifitz, defies the stereotype. He became a quadriplegic in a swimming accident while on vacation in Mexico in 2003.
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After intense rehabilitation, Heifitz, now 50, continues in his job as CEO of Concept Laboratories in Chicago, which makes health and beauty products.
"The big news [in the survey] is the numbers," Heifitz said. Once the new statistics sink in, the hope is that policymakers can be convinced that they need to make some changes, he noted.
"Rehabilitation services are not adequate, in many cases," Heifitz added. Neither is access to proper equipment to help those who are paralyzed complete tasks of daily living and get to work, he said. "You are already trapped within your life," he said. "Without the help of aid you are more trapped."
Breaking down barriers to employment and daily tasks such as dressing oneself, is crucial, agreed Betsy Volk of Cincinnati, now 34, who was paralyzed from the chest down in a 1996 motor vehicle accident. "There are so many barriers to employment we can't often become employed," she said.
But she overcome those barriers and works as a program analyst for the U.S. Department of Energy on diversity and civil rights issues. Still, she said, access to services often falls short, especially in the area of home services.
More information
To learn more about how those with paralysis can live a healthy life, visit the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.
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