Disability must be defined before debated By Wendy McElroy The
heart-wrenching death of Terri Schiavo has made the issue of
disability a matter of debate. Discussions range from living
wills to analyzing the quality of a disabled person's life. Two
questions should lay the foundation for any deliberation: What
does it mean to be disabled? And how should "normal" people
react to those with disabilities? What it means to be disabled
is the focus of a controversy in the Midwest that has attracted
national coverage in a recent issue of the Washington Post. In
early March, Janeal Lee, Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin, was stripped
of her title because of a newspaper photo that showed her
standing. Lee, who has muscular dystrophy, uses a scooter for
mobility but teaches part of her high school math class on her
feet. Before entering the pageant, she explained to the
pageant's state coordinator that she was able to stand for 10 or
15 minutes "on a good day." Now the de-crowned Lee states, "I've
been made to feel as if I can