Roland Sykes, the guy you never heard of

[tomc]

Roland Sykes passed yesterday after a long illness. You never heard of him and it is to you loss that you did not.

Before there was an ADA, or cross-disability activism. When civil rights mention for PWD was an obscure footnote in the Vocational Rehabilitation act (of 1974); there were guys like Roland chopping curb cuts into sidewalks so he could eat or shop.

He was instrumental in creation of dimenet and labored ceaselessly for our (and your's though you don't know it yet) right to be in public and retain your status as a human being.

A great warrior has passed this day.

[johno]

..."and yours though you don't know it yet..."

Tom, I take this to mean that we will most of us one day find ourselves disabled to some degree?

[sandbar]

I knew that name seemed familiar and a brief search turned up this website that I visited just a few weeks ago:

www.adapt.org/adapt/top1.html

I teach our 4th graders Ohio History and ran across that site while searching for pictures of our state capital. He seems to have been very driven and dedicated to his cause. Hope it continues on strongly in his absence. Lots of good changes have occurred as a result of his (and others) efforts.

I'm sure he left an awful lot of friends behind.

[Alan]

Sounds like a great guy, I hope his work continues on despite his passage from this world into his new reality. Thanks for the heads up and it's a sad loss for everyone.

[tomc]

Yes, I do expect that ust about everybody will live to have parents, children or to grow old themselves. I personally will miss Rolands profound audacity and sponteniety (sp?).

He really did take a car jack and break open bathroom doors at a very early IL (independent living) conference that had several hundred attendee's and not ONE single bathroom that a wheeelchair could enter.

www.dimenet.com/memorial-roland.sykes.php