Bob Dole Lived With a Disability for Decades. Here ’s How It Shaped His Life and Legacy

Bob Dole was just 21 years old when he suffered the injuries that would change his life. In April 1945, while stationed in Italy during WWII, the young soldier was struck by enemy fire. As a result of his wounds, Dole was permanently left without feeling in his right hand and arm, which measured more than two inches shorter than his left after reparative surgeries; part of his left hand was also left numb. Dole, who died on Sunday at the age of 98, would live with and be shaped by the aftermath of those injuries in the years that followed, including the 30 he spent as a U.S. senator from Kansas. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] While Dole, once a three-sport athlete, was initially left despondent by his injuries, he went on to speak about his disabilities openly over the years. In a 1969 speech to the Senate, Dole spoke passionately about the challenges faced by those with disabilities, calling the community a minority group that “has always known exclusion; maybe not exclusion from the front of the bus, but perhaps from even climbing aboard it; maybe not exclusion from pursuing advanced education, but perhaps from experiencing any formal education; maybe not exclusion from day-to-day life itself, but perhaps from an adequate opportunity to develop and contribute to his or her fullest capacity.” From then on, Dole worked to advance the rights and protections of individuals with disabilities, most notably through the passage of the Americans with Disabi...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized remembrance Second click Source Type: news