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October 16, 2006
By Allan Appel Scripps Howard News Service

Jerry Lewis invokes quite a bit of controversy within the disability community. While nobody challenges his motivations, some disability rights advocates take issue with his methods and the message they believe he delivers about people with disabilities.

To them Lewis appears to be a guy who seems to believe that, when it comes to raising money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the end justifies the means. If parading patients on the telethon and into ourliving room motivates people to donate, so be it.

And the latest telethon last month produced more than $61 million for his cause. Over the past four decades or so, MDA telethons have raised more than $1.3 billion.

Yes, that's billion.

Jerry Lewis is a big believer in using pity to make us reach for our wallets. Like it or not, that tactic seems to work. Many advocate a more dignified approach, one they hope would do more to promote empowerment of the disabled than to further a mentality of charity. But, then, empowerment doesn't always translate into cash donations. Other advocates believe Lewis has not done enough to further the cause of better housing, accessibility for the disabled and wider employment opportunities.

But while the telethon does periodically feature some of these advances, there is a distinction that needs to be drawn.

Most issues for the disabled are year-round efforts. Connecting with the non-disabled community is a consistent and steady campaign. The MDA telethon is a 21.5 hour blitz for cash. It is not meant to be a steady stream of communication with the American people.

And while some of Lewis' remarks can be insensitive, it does not appear to be his purpose to cultivate a relationship with the disability community. Instead, his goal is to find a cure for muscular dystrophy in his lifetime. And at age 80, his fuse is getting shorter.

The only real difference between Lewis and his critics is a timing issue. Lewis doesn't have the time and the patience for a longer-term campaign. On the other hand, he's been at it for a long time.

Perhaps everyone needs to step back and take a timeout. There is already enough polarization in this country. Jerry Lewis is in our face one day a year. Maybe the disability community needs to concentrate more on the other 364.

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