Christopher Reeve?s death this week has been the occasion for the kind of media coverage usually reserved for heads of state.

While he was a fine actor, albeit not a legendary one, the praise has come for his courage and leadership after a riding accident in 1995 which left him paralysed from the neck down.

And he deserves the praise. Too often, paralysed people are shunted off into the background and forgotten about. Christopher Reeve refused to be forgotten.

This week, The Guardian in the UK said: ?He subsequently became a role model for disabled people in the way he refused to allow the condition to conquer his spirit as well as his body, and for the tireless way he campaigned on disability issues.

?If his death gives a boost to stem cell research, for which he lobbied so enthusiastically, then he could have no more fitting a memorial. Stem cells taken from embryos (as opposed to adult stem cells) have the ability to develop into different types of tissue offering hope to sufferers from Mr. Reeve?s condition and numerous others, including incurable diseases such as muscular dystrophy, congestive heart disease and Alzheimer?s.

?The Bush administration permits federal research funding into adult stem cells but has prohibited the use of such funds for embryonic stem cell research. The argument is that it destroys human life, even though an early stage embryo (under 14 days old) is smaller than a pinhead.

?Last week, John Kerry, to his credit, stood by his earlier support for embryonic stem cell research despite the risk of alienating some religious groups in the last month of the presidential election campaign. Appropriately, he quoted Christopher Reeve, a friend of his, in support of his point of view.?

Coincidentally, Bermuda also saw the passing this week of a champion for the disabled.

Former Mayor of Hamilton Cecil Dismont accepted a challenge from the Bermuda Physically Handicapped Association to experience life for a day in a wheelchair in his city.

The experience changed him, and as a result, Hamilton is a much more accessible city for the physically handicapped than it was when Mr. Dismont took up office.

Mr. Reeve and Mr. Dismont may seem to be worlds apart. But both made enormous efforts on behalf of people who have been immobilised either as a result of genetics or from accidents or illnesses.

Mr. Reeve put most of his efforts into finding a cure. Mr. Dismont tried to make every day life easier. Neither fully succeeded, but both made a difference.

This is important for Bermuda, where bike accidents in particular mean that many people suffer paralysis in the prime of their lives.

If medical research can literally put victims of paralysis back on their feet, then that will be a stupendous achievement.

In the meantime, Mr. Dismont?s work is not done. Hamilton may be more wheelchair-accessible than it was, but it remains a difficult city to navigate. Government could create no more fitting a memorial for Mr. Dismont, Hamilton?s first black Mayor, than to make the House of Assembly accessible to the physically handicapped. Until then, it will be a symbol of Bermuda?s indifference to their plight.

And President Bush and the US Government could and should drop their foolish ban on embryonic stem cell research.