Disabled

The Schwarzenegger administration plans to close one of California's last large institutional care centers for people with profound developmental disabilities. The 82-year old Lanterman Developmental Center in Pomona, which houses 398 people with severe autism, cerebral palsy and other lifelong disabilities, could shut its doors within two years, said Terri Delgadillo, director of the state Department of Developmental Services. The population of the 302-acre campus has dwindled from a peak of nearly 3,000 in the late 1960s, when a change in state law discouraged housing the developmentally disabled in large institutions.

SAN FRANCISCO — Horatius A. Carney spent seven weeks in a military hospital after injuring his knee while in the segregated Army Air Forces. He first filed a disability claim in 1947. He is still waiting for a response. Lisa Scott, an Army communications specialist who served in Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm and Desert Shield, waited seven years for the Veterans Benefits Administration to approve her disability claim for post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Ari Sonnenberg served three tours in Iraq and came home with a traumatic brain injury, PTSD and internal injuries.

In response to "Minimally Disabled Have to Move Aside," by William T. Bolt, Commentary July 7: I am saddened and disturbed that someone as intelligent as Bolt would write such divisive, inaccurate, and hateful trash. He seems to believe only "severely disabled" people should be protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). That's like saying the Civil Rights Act of 1964 should cover only darker-skinned blacks! Let's be clear: The ADA does not give "special protections" to anyone!

For 18 years, Dora Sanchez Hernandez has fiercely protected her son. From the time Erik Esequizel was born prematurely at just 24 weeks, she has been there for him. Through 50 surgeries and two near-death episodes. Through the daily demands of feeding, bathing and dressing. Through abandonment by his father and advice from doctors to pull the plug. Now - in what L.A. County Superior Court Judge Michael I. Levanas called a "celebration of family" - Hernandez and 14 other families have been granted limited conservatorships over their disabled children.

Contrary to Earl Ofari Hutchinson (Commentary, Feb. 24), textbooks are beginning to decom- partmentalize ethnic and women's history. Disability history, however, is left out of the calendar, curriculum and textbooks, as if the disabled have no history, achievements or contributions worth knowing. Is that the lesson we want to teach our students? THURBER D. PROFFITT III El Cajon

Re "Picking the Pockets of the Aged, Disabled," column, May 15 Kudos to George Skelton for pointing out the abuse and inequity of a system that withholds money for those who need it most -- the aged and disabled. For the governor to say that we need to do this is a disgrace to all Californians. Revenue in the state is up, yet we are building a rainy-day fund at the expense of the disabled. Doesn't the governor realize that for those with disabilities, it is already pouring? LAURA LEVINSKY Mission Hills Levinsky is development director of a service organization for people with developmental disabilities.

Thanks to Jerry Hulse for including in his Aug. 23 Tips column the information on travel for the disabled from the Society for the Advancement of Travel for the Handicapped. I am the Western Region representative of SATH. I would be happy to serve the population here on the West Coast. My telephone number is (213) 654-0400. I specialize in cruises and groups. MARILYN RYBACK Hollywood

OAKLAND — What seemed like a routine slide into second base turned into a major injury for Vernon Wells , who will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb, a procedure that will sideline the Angels left fielder for eight to 10 weeks. "He thought it popped out and back in — that happens a lot, and guys usually work through it," Manager Mike Scioscia said of Wells, who was injured in the second inning of Sunday's 3-2 loss to San Diego. "But the next inning, there was no chance of him swinging a bat, and we knew it was significant.

SAN DIEGO -- Matt Kemp is expected to be ready to play again when he is eligible to be activated from the 15-day disabled list on May 29, according to trainer Sue Falsone. “That is our goal,” Falsone said. Kemp was placed on the disabled list Monday with a strained left hamstring. The next day, Kemp received an injection of platelet-rich plasma. He had blood drawn and spun to isolate the platelets, which clot and promote healing. The platelets were injected into the site of the injury.

When the Angels placed outfielder Torii Hunter on baseball's restricted list, it focused attention on a rarely used vehicle available to clubs in the major leagues. Unlike the more commonly used disabled list, which is used for injuries and requires a player to sit out a specified minimum number of days, the restricted list offers the broadest and most flexible option for a team and player. "It's meant to be a convenience for both the club and the player — the club not to play short-handed and the player to tend to his circumstances," MLB spokesman Mike Teevan said.

The list of injured Dodgers keeps growing, with Matt Kemp and Juan Uribe going on the disabled list Monday to join Jerry Hairston Jr. and Juan Rivera, among others. But the Dodgers' pitching staff, including Clayton Kershaw, their ace left-hander, largely has steered clear of injury, a key reason why the Dodgers have kept playing well early this season. Kershaw was stellar again Monday night in a duel with Arizona's Ian Kennedy, holding the Diamondbacks scoreless in seven innings of work as the Dodgers won, 3-1, at Dodger Stadium.

Left fielder Juan Rivera was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with what the Dodgers described as a "severe" left hamstring strain. "It's fairly major," said Manager Don Mattingly , who was told by the medical staff that Rivera would probably be sidelined for more than two weeks. Rivera's place on the active roster was taken by Scott Van Slyke , who was called up from triple-A Albuquerque. Van Slyke, the son of former three-time All-Star Andy Van Slyke , is in majors for the first time.

MINNEAPOLIS--The Angels placed reliever LaTroy Hawkins on the 15-day disabled list Monday because of a broken pinky finger on his right (throwing) hand, an injury he suffered while fielding Omar Vizquel's game-ending line drive in Sunday's 4-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Hawkins will be sidelined from four to six weeks, according to the Angels' medical staff. To replace Hawkins, who had a 1.08 earned run average in 10 games, the Angels called up right-hander David Pauley from triple-A Salt Lake.

Question: My son has severe allergies, including an allergy to cat fur. To keep him safe, I moved my family to a community that was advertised as pet free. Then, six months after moving here, I noticed a cat on my next door neighbor's balcony. When I asked the manager if the cat lived in the next unit, she said the community management had no choice because the cat was a companion animal necessary to mitigate that resident's disability. That may be great for my neighbor, but what about my son, who is in danger of needing emergency medical care if he has an allergy attack?

With the summer pool season approaching, a battle is brewing between advocates for disabled Americans and hotel owners over how to make public swimming pools more accessible to people with disabilities. At the center of the dispute is a new regulation that requires hotels and recreation centers that operate public pools and spas to install or order permanent lifts - costing between $2,500 and $6,500 each, plus installation - by May 21. The requirement also can be satisfied by pool ramps, which are much more expensive.