Sometimes the stories that reflect or have impact on persons with disabilities, or on our individual and collective wellness are more complex and have more layers than can be explained in a single headline or
story.
For that reason, this is where you'll find the topics that require a more in-depth approach to fully understand all the issues and nuances than can propel us forward in advancing inclusion and equality as basic rights that no human being should ever have to beg for.
Persons with disabilities are already, statistically, the most at risk of being physically, mentally, sexually or financially abused and recent media coverage has detailed an increasing incidence of violent hate crimes against the most vulnerable in society.
It is there that our series of Special Reports begins. We hope you visit often as new content is added, and also hope you will add your voice about your own experiences, or those of someone you know or simply offer your thoughts on our coverage by writing to us at info@LauraAndWagner.com .
| SPECIAL REPORTS INDEX |
 Pope under fire for ignoring abuse at Catholic institutions for the disabled _____________________________ Institutional abuse of the disabled is only one form of the horrible ways the most vulnerable in society are subjected to ongoing abuse. Persons with disabilities are also becoming the target of hate crimes & disabled kids are being bullied at school.  |  Our series on Disabled Attitudes and the efforts to 'Disable the 'Dis' _____________________________ Coping with a sensory, physical or learning disability can be difficult enough, but can also be even more frustrating because of the 'disabling' attitudes of others. In this series, Laura Meddens interviews several disabled persons about this. |  Crush injuries trigger thousands of amputations and a crisis of disability _____________________________ In a country where babies born with a disability are abandoned in the streets and sewers, a new attitude towards the disabled will need to be part of the rebuilding effort in Haiti, which trails Chile in its support for the disabled. |
 Scientific American's New Frontiers series @ PBS highlights disabilities _____________________________ Alan Alda brings new insights into the challenges faced by persons who are living with a disability. This 2001 series stands the test of time by opening our eyes to some incredible people coping with extraordinary circumstances & what they teach us. |  This New York Times series lets us hear directly from the 'patients' _____________________________ Autism can mean many things, and is sometimes a far too simplistic label for persons who live with a condition that can range from mild to severe. Judy Endow, in the photo above, is an autism consultant who was, herself, diagnosed as autistic. |  What will Health Care Reform mean for 52 Million disabled Americans? _____________________________ In the same way political debates over health care reform have been fueled by partisan divisions and rhetoric, the debate over the fate of millions of persons living with a disability have suffered the same fate. We try to sort things out. |
 Is this flu still a threat and is there a danger of disability from it? _____________________________ The worst appears to have passed from the fears of this flu which has also been called the Swine flu and Mexican flu. Or has it? As of May cases are still being reported in the Caribbean and in Africa. What have we learned about this flu? |  Hot on the heels of the Vancouver Olympics and changing attitudes _____________________________ A few weeks after the 2010 Olympic Games brought the attention of the world to Vancouver, thousands of Paralympic athletes were also in Vancouver's spotlight. Did these games and the beautiful setting help change 'disabling' attitudes? |  Despite coming home from a war with a disability, the battle isn't won _____________________________ How would you feel if, after serving your country in the military and coming back from a war with a disability, you were denied the very benefits that are supposed to help you survive? Learn how vets are fighting this ongoing battle. |
