COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) -- A new study from Ohio State found that people with intellectual or developmental disabilities are less likely to receive an organ transplant, despite anti-discrimination laws.
Gary Tonks, a longtime disability advocate with the Arc of Ohio, said the study affirms what he's seen for decades.
"It's no different than if we didn't provide a heart transplant because of the religion you had or the color of your skin; it's the same issue for us," Tonks said. "The diagnosis I have, the label I have, shouldn't really matter when it comes to medical procedures."
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Ohio State Associate Professors Brittany Hand and Austin Schenk focused their research on kidney transplants. They found patients with disabilities were significantly less likely to be evaluated for a transplant, and those who were evaluated were nearly 40% less likely to actually receive a transplant.
"That tells us that at a couple of different points in this transplant care pipeline, these patients are falling through the cracks," Hand said.
Forty states, including Ohio, have laws p...