The new food guide pyramid recently published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture appears to miss its mark for people with disabilities. While it is wonderful to see exercise added to this much-needed revision, the representation of a person walking up a flight of stairs as a symbol for increasing physical activity gives the perception that everyone can walk, and more precisely, everyone can walk up stairs. Both of these presumptions are incorrect for millions of people with disabilities, including individuals who are unable to walk due to some form of weakness or paralysis, may have significant orthopedic problems such as back, hip or knee pain, or are unable to climb steps because of difficulty with balance.

Read the entire column at http://www.ncpad.org/274/1737/2005-05~Issue~~New~Food~Pyramid~Misses~Mark~for~People~
with~Disabilities.