Related Research Articles
Emmett Matthew Hall was a Canadian lawyer, civil liberties advocate, Supreme Court of Canada judge and public policy advocate. He is considered one of the fathers of the Canadian system of Medicare, along with his fellow Saskatchewanian, Tommy Douglas.
Geraldine Ann "Geri" Jewell is an American actress, stand-up comedian, diversity consultant, and motivational speaker, noted for roles on the 1980s sitcom The Facts of Life and the mid-2000s western Deadwood. She is known as being one of the first people on a TV sitcom with cerebral palsy, and she has helped advocate for the disabled throughout her career. She has also been an advocate for the LGBTQIA community since publicly coming out as lesbian in her 2011 autobiography.
Mat Fraser is an English rock musician, actor, writer and performance artist. He has thalidomide-induced phocomelia. In 2017, he was cast to play Shakespeare's Richard III at the Hull Truck Theatre as part of Hull City of Culture 2017.
Niko von Glasow is a German film director and producer.
Without Pity: A Film About Abilities is a 1996 American television documentary film narrated by Christopher Reeve. This documentary celebrates the efforts of those with disabilities to live full, productive lives. It originally premiered on HBO on October 8, 1996.
Artist Dan Keplinger was featured in the Oscar-winning documentary short, King Gimp. Born with cerebral palsy, he lives in Towson, Maryland, where he continues to paint.
Terrence 'Terry' Wiles was one of the most disabled thalidomide babies born in the UK. He has since become known internationally through the Emmy Award winning television drama On Giant's Shoulders and the best-selling book of the same name.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the use of thalidomide in 46 countries by women who were pregnant or who subsequently became pregnant resulted in the "biggest man‐made medical disaster ever," with more than 10,000 children born with a range of severe deformities, such as phocomelia, as well as thousands of miscarriages.
Robert Daniel Steadward, is a Canadian retired sports administrator, professor, sports scientist, and author. Steadward helped organize the first Canadian wheelchair sport national championships in 1968, and later coached Canada in wheelchair basketball at the Summer Paralympics. He became a professor at the University of Alberta in 1971, later served as chairman of the Department of Athletics, and published more than 150 papers about disability sport. He was the founding president of the Alberta Wheelchair Sports Association in 1971, founded the Research and Training Centre for Athletes with Disabilities in 1978, served as president of the Canadian Paralympic Committee from 1984 to 1990, and later became a member of the Canadian Olympic Committee.
The Canadian Disability Hall of Fame, recognizes "outstanding Canadians who have made extraordinary contributions to enriching the quality of life for people with physical disabilities". It is run by the Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons and located at Metro Hall, 55 John St., in downtown Toronto. The Hall is named after Terry Fox, a cancer research activist who attempted a run across Canada, dubbed the "Marathon of Hope".
Colette Bourgonje (ber-gon-yah) is a Canadian Paralympic cross-country skier and athlete of Métis heritage. She has won four bronze medals in Summer Paralympics and medals in Winter Paralympics for skiing.
This disability rights timeline lists events outside the United States relating to the civil rights of people with disabilities, including court decisions, the passage of legislation, activists' actions, significant abuses of people with disabilities, and the founding of various organizations. Although the disability rights movement itself began in the 1960s, advocacy for the rights of people with disabilities started much earlier and continues to the present.
On Giant's Shoulders is a 1979 BBC television film about the early life of thalidomide victim Terry Wiles, with Wiles playing himself. The drama also starred Bryan Pringle and Judi Dench and won an Emmy Award in 1980.
Inspiration porn is the portrayal of people with disabilities as being inspirational to able-bodied people, on the basis of their life circumstances. The term "inspiration porn" is by analogy with pornography, in that the material is perceived as objectifying disabled people for the benefit of the able-bodied. Inspiration porn is a form of ableism. An example of inspiration porn might be photo of a child with a disability taking part in an ordinary activity, with captions targeted towards able-bodied people such as "your excuse is invalid", "before you quit, try" or "they didn't let their disability stop them".
We're the Superhumans is a television advert which was produced by Channel 4 to promote its broadcast of the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
John D. Robinson is a congenital quadruple amputee, author, entrepreneur and disability advocate from New York. He is the subject of a public television documentary, “Get Off Your Knees: The John Robinson Story”, along with a companion autobiography, “Get Off Your Knees: A Story of Faith, Courage, and Determination”, published in 2009.
Mercédes Benegbi is a Canadian disabilities activist who has been recognized for her advocacy for the rights of disabled people. In 2000, she was honored by the Council of Canadians with Disabilities and in 2014, she drove a successful initiative to gain support for the survivors of thalidomide. Her efforts resulted in life-time compensation for Canadian "thalidomiders", as well as a special fund for specific medical treatments or modifications to homes and vehicles to accommodate their disabilities.
Evelyne Jobe Villines was an American disability rights advocate and political activist who had Poliomyelitis. Villines worked for both the state of Iowa and the federal government as an advocate. The Des Moines Register called her a "nationally known spokeswoman for the disabled" in 1992.
David Shannon, CM, OOnt is a Canadian disability/human rights activist, lawyer, politician, actor, university lecturer, author, and adventurer. After breaking his neck in a rugby scrum at the University of Waterloo in 1981, he was rendered a quadriplegic. Subsequently, Shannon finished law school and became a disability rights activist. His Dave Shannon Cross-Canada Tour in 1997 gained national media attention as he became the first quadriplegic to trek across Canada in a motorized wheelchair. Shannon has held positions in academia, law, social services, and human rights in both Thunder Bay, Ontario, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. In the late 2000s, Shannon became the first quadriplegic to reach the North Pole and to parachute out of an airplane at an altitude of over 25,000 feet. Shannon has won numerous prestigious awards and honours, such as the Order of Ontario and the Order of Canada for his work advancing the rights of the disabled and other minority groups in Canada and abroad.
Spencer West is an American motivational speaker and disability advocate. West became an amputee after being born with sacral agenesis. He speaks about overcoming adversity and uses social media to advocate for the disability justice movement and the LGBT community. His speaking fees range from $10,000 to $15,000.
References
- Alvin Law. Alvin's Laws of Life: 5 Steps To Successfully Overcome Anything. ISBN 0-9739450-0-1.
- Lynne Swanson. "Alvin Law: Every Reason to Celebrate Life". Abilities, No. 59, pp. 14–15, Summer 2004.
- Alvin, His Best Foot Forward. Television documentary, 1978.
- Broken Promises (later renamed Extraordinary People). Television documentary.
