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Thursday, November 18, 1999 Page: 10A
Thank you for calling readers’ attention to the difficulty encountered by
9-year-old Ryan Taylor in his attempt to play soccer (Nov. 4). Although Ryan
faced discrimination in Lawton, Okla., the attitude and lack of information
that resulted in his fight to play are national in scope. People simply don’t
get it.
Using medical technology not required by other people to perform functions
is not only everyone’s right under the law, but it should also be what society
wants. It is wonderful our country has the Americans with Disabilities Act. It
is a shame we need one.
The John Heinz Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine knows the capabilities
and the possibilities of people with disabilities. We look forward to a
society that shares that view and makes fights like Ryan’s unnecessary. We are
working toward a society that not only lets Ryan play soccer but encourages
him to do so.
Thomas E. Pugh
Vice President
Rehabilitation Services
Allied Services
John Heinz Institute of
Rehabilitation Medicine
Wilkes-Barre Township