Disability dos and don'ts.

• Author: Shpiner, Ruthanne
• Position: Letters to the Editor - Letter to the editor

I have been a subscriber to The Progressive for more than ten years. I have been disabled (spinal cord injured) and a disability rights activist for more than twenty.

The Progressive has faithfully covered disability rights protests in its On the Line section, but I was thrilled to see a full-length feature article that addressed disability rights ("Medicaid Loses Out and the Disabled Take the Hit," by Kai Wright, August issue). Unfortunately, progressives often do not see the civil rights struggle for people with disabilities in the same way as people of color, women, and gays and lesbians are viewed.

Wright's piece hit the mark. So many people with disabilities are forced to choose not to work so they can receive health care, necessary equipment, and at-home care. The descriptions in the article I...