Loretta Claiborne, just like the half dozen or so speakers before her, started to read her testimony to Sen. Ted Stevens.

Loretta Claiborne, a Special Olympics athlete, testified Monday at a U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee hearing at the Sheraton Hotel about the problems she has faced being poor and mentally retarded. (Fran Durner / Anchorage Daily News)

"I want to tell you a little bit about my life, because I believe that it paints a picture of how difficult it is for persons with mental retardation to get good health care," she began.

"I remember only too well the visits to clinics and doctors. I remember being afraid of and unsure about what would happen or not happen every time I saw a doctor."

Then the 47-year-old Pennsylvania woman, who has earned a fourth-degree black belt in karate and run more than 25 marathons, stopped speaking.

"I'm going to stop reading this document right at this time," she said after a moment, looking up at Stevens from her notes. She began speaking from the heart.

Hundreds of people were attending the special U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Monday in a crowded Sheraton Hotel ballroom, timed to coincide with the 2001 Special Olympics World Winter Games. While many were there to listen to well-known speakers such as actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, Claiborne held them in rapt attention.

Claiborne talked about visiting a doctor as a young girl. She had trouble walking because of problems with her feet. One doctor's prescription was this: "Take her home. Smack her on the butt a couple of times. She'll walk fine."

Claiborne's mother searched for better advice. She took her daughter to other doctors and waited until they took care of Claiborne.

Claiborne still demands better treatment. Five years ago, she noticed she was gaining weight in her abdomen. Doctors told her she was putting on pounds because she was getting older; she wanted a better answer and finally got the correct diagnosis - a tumor growing inside her stomach.

Claiborne said many people with mental retardation cannot advocate for themselves like she can.

At a U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, journalist Maria Shriver, her husband, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Special Olympics board member Jay Emmett laugh as Sen. Ted Stevens tells Schwarzenegger that his testimony will "terminate" the hearing. One of Schwarzenegger's box office hits was "The Terminator." (Fran Durner / Anchorage Daily News)

"I grew up, my mother passed away and here is Loretta fighting for herself," she told the audience.

Claiborne asked Stevens what is being done for the health needs of people with mental disabilities. She answered her own question.

"Hardly anything."

When Claiborne finished her speech, the crowd burst into a round of applause, ignoring repeated requests from Stevens to abstain from clapping, which is not allowed in Senate hearings.

Stevens called almost a dozen speakers to talk at Monday's hearing and received a 200-page report by Special Olympics Inc. and the Yale University School of Medicine that summarizes the relatively scant information on mental disabilities. He promised to read the report.

Statistics in the report and from several witnesses detailed how many people have needs addressed in the health care report. Almost 170 million people worldwide have developmental disorders. Between 2 million and 7.5 million of this group live in the United States. An estimated 11,000 to 18,000 live in Alaska.

Timothy Shriver, president and chief executive officer of the Special Olympics, said he thought the hearing was the first time any Senate committee received testimony exclusively about the needs of people with mental disabilities.

"We are here on behalf of a population that has no lobbyists in Washington," Shriver said. His testimony addressed the Special Olympics report and its examples of shortfalls in health care, including a shorter life expectancy for those with mental disabilities. Only 30 percent of people with developmental disabilities receive medical care from specialists, although more than 90 percent have needs that require such care.

Health-care professionals do not always have adequate training for treating patients with disabilities, witnesses said. Their needs are often neglected, and if they are met, insurance doesn't always cover the expenses.

While Alaska was one of the first states to close all its institutions for people with disabilities and return them to their communities, the state still shares other health issues with the rest of the country, said Karen Perdue, commissioner of the Department of Health and Social Services. Medicaid in Alaska and elsewhere doesn't provide adequate coverage for adult preventative dental care. People with mental disabilities worry about losing Medicaid coverage when they get a job, she said.

Jeff Jessee, representing the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, called for more health aides to address mental health issues in rural Alaska. Shriver said government agencies, such as the Surgeon General's office and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, need to study people with disabilities and collect data.

Satcher said he was prepared to respond. During his visit to Anchorage, Satcher met with mothers of children with mental retardation. He said he wants to hold a similar meeting on a national scale. He discussed his plans for a surgeon general's workshop for parents and medical professionals. Satcher said he would produce a report outlining the workshop's findings.

After listening to two hours of testimony, Stevens said he wasn't surprised by the statistics, partly because he grew up with a cousin who had developmental disabilities. Stevens said he would do his best to make sure Congress hears about the testimony.

In her prepared testimony, which she submitted to the committee, Claiborne offered her own solutions to substandard health care.

"I want everyone to know that while I and others like me may learn slower or in different ways, that does not mean that we are stupid or that we do not care about our health. When you design health education materials, think about us," she wrote.

"When you teach doctors about caring for patients, think about us."

Reporter Ann Potempa can be reached at apotempa@adn.com or at 257-4581.