“¡Vivir sin límites! – A Reality for Latinos with Disabilities

“As the U.S. Latino population continues to grow, so has their need for health-related services and supports. While language, income, and cultural considerations continue to challenge Latinos who are in relatively good health, these obstacles pose an even greater challenge for Latinos who live with a disability such as paralysis.

In 2000, U.S. Census Bureau data showed that 24 percent of working-age Latinos in the United States had a disability, compared to 18.6 percent for the population at large. Working-age Latinos are becoming disabled from injuries in dangerous work environments. There is research to indicate that 37 percent of Hispanics know or have known someone who lives with paralysis, but more than half are not aware of the information and resources available to them in their communities. Many other people are born with disabilities, such as blindness or hearing loss, or have suffered injuries that escalated into serious problems due to inadequate medical care early on. Support and resources are available to help Latinos living with paralysis through organizations like the Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. The PRC has launched a new campaign — “vivir sin lí­mites” or “limit-free living”– to help Latinos with mobility-related disabilities. By providing comprehensive information on all types of paralysis, as well as resources and referral services, the PRC promotes the health and well-being of people living with a spinal cord injury, mobility impairment and paralysis. The organization has a free resource guide available in English and Spanish to link people living with paralysis and their families to a wide array of information, services and supports.

The PRC also provides grants and support to organizations that are dedicated exclusively to addressing the needs of Latinos like Proyecto Visión, a technical assistance center to increase employment opportunities for Latinos with disabilities, and part of the World Institute on Disability. Kathy Martinez, an internationally recognized disability rights leader and Project Director of Proyecto Visión, says that it’s important to address more than just the obvious difference in language when serving Latinos. For example, she says, “The idea of asking for help does not exist in our culture, and we don’t assume we can access health or services.”

Blind since birth, Martinez understands how Latinos perceive disability as a family issue that should be kept hidden. Many families don’t ask for help because they fear exposing the person’s disability to the public. It is also widely believed that a disabled person will never be able to work and will always depend on the family for care. “As a Latina who is blind, I have first-person experience with the low expectations and assumptions of the majority culture,” says Martinez. “I have seen many disabled Latinos live down to these diminished expectations. They become overwhelmed by isolation, are disconnected from the service delivery system and don’t have disabled Latino professionals to look up to or network with. I think things are changing for the better though. One of the things that is helping Latinos with disabilities the most is their increased awareness of the information and services available in their communities and in their language.”

Proof of the value of increased information and support is in the stories of those helped by organizations like the PRC and Proyecto Visión that are devoted to individuals with disabilities. Ramon Canellada is a shining example of how the right support can change the lives of those with disabilities. He developed paraplegia as a result of a tumor on his spinal cord. As the tumor grew it enveloped and squeezed the spinal cord and nerve endings, interrupting the messages to his lower extremities. At one point he became very depressed at his deteriorating mobility. But through support networks Canellada learned from others with similar experiences and soon found that his disability would not mean the end of a productive life.

Canellada’s life today is certainly productive. He works full time as a resource coordinator at Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital in Chicago, where he helps patients with spinal cord injuries reintegrate with the community. When he’s not working, Canellada competes in sled hockey, plays on a wheelchair softball team, travels and spends time with family and friends.

Canellada says, “Part of the reintegration process is education. I don’t mean getting a Harvard education. I mean education about the rights and responsibilities we have in society and the resources that are available so people of all abilities, colors and races have an equal opportunity to obtain their American dream.”

This is exactly why the PRC remains dedicated to paving the way for Latinos with disabilities to live life to the fullest. The possibilities and opportunities are limitless.

SIDEBAR: For more information about the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation’s Paralysis Resource Center, including how to order the Paralysis Resource Guide in English and Spanish, please visit www.paralysis.org (English) or www.paralisis.org (Spanish). The PRC’s bilingual information resource specialists can provide you with individual attention in English or Spanish when you call toll-free from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET at 1-800-539-7309. “

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