Reeve, Wife Open Paralysis Center

.c The Associated Press

SHORT HILLS, N.J. (AP) - Actor Christopher Reeve and his wife helped open the country's first center devoted to teaching paralyzed people about living more independently, finding employment and other issues.

Gov. James E. McGreevey also attended Friday's opening of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center.

"One of the most disabling aspects of paralysis is the lack of resources and support necessary to get back into a world that has completely changed for the paralyzed individual - both economically and socially," said Reeve, star of the "Superman" films, who was paralyzed after falling from a horse seven years ago.

"When somebody is first injured or as a disease progresses into paralysis, people don't know where to turn," he said in a statement.

The center will house the nation's largest collection of paralysis-related publications, operate a self-help Web site and publish an extensive manual, "The Paralysis Resource Guide," due out this fall.

Dana Reeve said the couple wanted to help "people with mobility-related disabilities become more independent, more empowered and better able to live the lives they choose."

The new resource center is a project of the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, established by the couple, which encourages research on treatments for paralysis and has distributed about $22 million in research grants for neuroscientists.