The New York Times reported that a 22 year old man with CP was left over night on the disability bus. The bus matron knew he was still on the bus but wanted to get home. The police charged her with “felony reckless endangerment.”
According to the story published: January 1, 2009 “a 22-year-old disabled man spent a frigid New Year’s night alone, strapped in his seat on a bus parked overnight at a Brooklyn depot after he was left behind, the police said on Thursday.”
“The man, Edwin Rivera, who has cerebral palsy and has difficulty communicating, according to his sister Leslie Rivera, had been missing since about 3 p.m. Wednesday. He was found about 10:30 a.m. Thursday on the bus…”
One can hardly believe the story but it would not be an isolated case for a person with a disability to suffer abuse at the hands of a caregiver.
It’s no more reprehensible than government officials who consign the disabled to poor living conditions, no support or inadequate support. Many Islanders with moderate to severe disabilities suffer every day due to government inaction with the Disability Support Program reform.
“Some men kill you with a gun, some with a fountain pen” Woody Guthrie
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