Contacts & Publisher

Subscription Form

Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published August 18, 2006

Detroit – Roger McCarville signs off his radio show with the phrase "Get up, get out and get involved."

His laundry list of accomplishments and recognitions shows that he's taking his own advice to heart, not letting himself be slowed after he lost a leg in a boating accident 31 years ago.

McCarville, 69, produces a PBS program, "Disabilities Today," as well as a Sunday morning radio show of the same name. On a recent radio show, for example, the member of St. Anne Parish in Ortonville was host to Debbie Wilson, of the Michigan Commission for the Blind, and Francia Malone, of the Flint Area Albinism Network, to speak about their disability, ocular albinism, about which McCarville freely admitted he'd known nothing before that show.

Photo by Kristin Lukowski | The Michigan Catholic Roger McCarville discusses ocular albinism on a recent Sunday-morning radio talk show, Disabilities Today. He uses his radio and television shows to raise awareness of and share information about various disabilities.

Since his accident, McCarville has been an advocate for the disabled, working to make life more accessible and bringing information to light, as with the TV and radio shows. And although he's had rough times, he considers himself blessed in his life's work – which often shows in his quick smile and quick laugh, and how he points upward when talking about his blessings.

"If I could change anything, I wouldn't change a nickel," he said.

McCarville will be at the Archdiocese of Detroit's third annual Mass for Persons with Disabilities Aug. 27.

Before the boating accident, McCarville, was in sales. When he fell from a boat in 1975, his legs were severed by the propeller.

His right leg was reattached, but complications made doctors doubt he would be able to keep it. Hearing the news, McCarville started making calls to have a priest visit him, when a housekeeper came into his hospital room and noticed an object on the ground.

The object was a scapular of Fr. Solanus Casey, which helped give him the boost in faith and strength he needed. The leg ended up healing, and he is still able to use it today to get into his wheelchair or with a cane, depending on where he's going and what he's doing, he explained.

And over the years, he hasn't forgotten about Fr. Casey. "We don't get that far away from him," he said.

A few years after, McCarville went to a White House conference on disabilities, although he jokes that he was so new to being disabled "I couldn't spell it when I got there." He found that when people come together, they do have an impact and can even change minds.

Mass The Mass for Persons with Disabilities will be held 10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 27 at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, 9844 Woodward Ave., Detroit. A reception follows. (313) 237-5778

Following that conference, he threw himself into his work with disability concerns, helping found the Oakland Handicap Association, several area Centers for Independent Living, and being named as representative to several commissions and associations.

He bought a van and started his own business taking those with disabilities to medical appointments. When he realized that some people still couldn't get into a building, he started a construction company building handicapped ramps.

He had to take a break from his involvement in 1995 after he was diagnosed with leukemia. Later, he was diagnosed with colon cancer, and in 1997, pneumonia. After taking more time to recover, he was back to work, this time driving around women religious staying at Guest House, a dependency treatment center.

He's been honored for his work various times over the years, and in 1997, he was grand marshal in Detroit's St. Patrick Day parade. A break in the parade allowed him to discuss with a television representative how there were no programs geared toward those with disabilities.

Years later, "Disabilities Today," on PBS, just finished its sixth season. His radio show started broadcasting in January.

He sees both his television and radio work, in part, as a way to continue to be an ambassador for those with disabilities. And although some bad things have happened to him, he insists he's the luckiest guy alive because of the people he gets to meet.

"It just restores your faith in God," he said. "He doesn't leave you hanging."

Faith plays a big part in his life, he said, and when talking about the blessings he's received or how he made it through a difficult time, he simply points upward as a way of explanation. "You need something in your life you can believe in," he said. "You just got to trust the Lord."

McCarville lives with his wife, Doris, in Ortonville. They have six children and seven grandchildren. He also plays guitar and banjo and sings in a band, The Irish Wakes and Weddings Band, with several of his children.

The television show "Disabilities Today" airs at 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays on WTVS (Channel 56). The radio program airs 11 a.m. Sundays on WDTK (1400 AM).