NPR reports the sad news that disability rights activist Katie Beckett died last Friday from health complications. I’ve written previously about Katie and how, as a child with a complex medical condition facing permanent institutionalization because Medicaid wouldn’t pay for home care services, she earned the attention of the Reagan administration and won the right for her and countless other children with disabilities to remain at home while receiving the care they require. She made a profound difference in the lives of kids like me who might have otherwise spent our childhoods in medical facilities apart from our families. My life is immeasurably better because of what Katie accomplished and her friends and family should be deeply proud of her legacy.
