Change in Command for the Commander in Chief

According to the U.N., 650 million people – or 10 percent of the world’s population – live with disabilities, a number that designates people with disabilities as the world’s largest minority.  The 54 million of us who live in the US will be greatly affected by the efforts of the incoming administration to make good on its message of inclusiveness.

As the co-founder of Disaboom, an online resource for people with disabilities, and someone who has lived and worked with a wheelchair for the past twenty years due to a spinal cord injury (SCI), I believe it’s imperative that we remove obstacles and provide opportunities for everyone, regardless of disability, to actively participate in – and contribute to – our society. Yes, it’s the right thing to do, but it’s also the economically smart thing to do.

The Obama campaign’s Plan to Empower Americans with Disabilities - http://www.barackobama.com/issues/disabilities/ - committed to three goals: 1) provide educational opportunities to Americans with disabilities; 2) end workplace discrimination and promote equal opportunity; and 3) support independent, community-based living for Americans with disabilities.

In addition to these three important goals, we hope to see these changes:

Healthcare Accessibility and Affordability

Two separate issues, because currently even if people with disabilities are able to afford healthcare, often doctors’ offices (and diagnostic equipment) are accessible only to able-bodied patients.

Resolving Disabled Veterans’ Issues

These include ongoing access to quality medical care; financial assistance for retrofitting existing homes to accommodate newly disabled vets; vocational rehabilitation and employment support, which includes training; financial support for education, training, and small business start-ups; and accelerating the process for granting “100% disabled” status.

Wheelchair-Accessible Public Transportation

Millions of individuals with disabilities are prevented from working, socializing, or enjoying other everyday activities due to a lack of accessible transportation.  A 2002 study from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation found that six million people with disabilities still have difficulty obtaining the transportation they need.  We cannot contribute if we cannot participate. 

While an undergraduate in Biomedical Science at Texas A&M University, Dr. House had a skiing accident which resulted in a broken neck and complete spinal cord injury. At twenty, he lost the use of his legs and hand dexterity.



Instead of letting the incident end his dreams of a medical career, Dr. House (now a C7 quadriplegic) became the first student in a wheelchair to graduate from the University of Washington School of Medicine. In addition to training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. House also specialized in Spinal Cord Injury Medicine at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation. He is Board Certified in both Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Spinal Cord Injury Medicine.



In addition to being the co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Disaboom, Dr. House is also the Medical Director of the Center for Neuro & Trauma Rehabilitation at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs, CO.