We researchers can talk all we want about the effects of obesity on people with disabilities, but when you receive a personal email from someone who is experiencing it firsthand, it drives all the research out the window and the reality of it all strikes home. I have been saying for more than two decades that obesity is a greater health threat among people with disabilities than in the general population; it is much more difficult to perform energy-expending activities when options such as running, walking, biking, etc., are less available or not feasible. But no matter how much I speak about this issue in terms of its potential negative impact on health, function and quality of life among people with disabilities, this email speaks volumes about the crisis at hand.

To read this month's Director's Column, go to http://www.ncpad.org/789/4171/A~Personal~Story~on~How~Obesity~Affects~One~Person~with~
a~Disability.