AAPD and Friends Remember Fred Fay

 September 12, 1944- August 20, 2011

From AAPD (8.25.2011):

Dear Friends:

By now many of you have received the sad news that Fred Fay passed away this past weekend.   Our movement has lost a fighter, an innovator, and a problem solver.  We have also lost a friend. 

Through the assistive technology he developed or the legislation he championed, Fred changed our lives and our world in tangible ways.  When Fred was invited to the White House in 1964, his wheelchair had to be bumped up the steps because the White House was not accessible.  It is accessible today, and that means more than just being able to attend a signing ceremony or go on a tour.  It means having the opportunity to make our case to the highest levels of government.  We owe this opportunity in no small part to Fred, who fought with equal passion for access to education and employment and who inspired so many people to fight alongside him.
 
It would be impossible to give a complete recitation of Fred’s accomplishments in this letter.   We are posting links to some of the articles that have been published in the past few days.   We’re also pleased to share letters from Yoshiko Dart and Becky Ogle. 

We believe that the best tribute we could pay to Fred is to use Justice for All —which Fred co-founded and loved—as a forum to share our thoughts about Fred’s life and about how to continue our civil rights work together.    Please submit your comments below to join in the conversation about taking this work forward with the same passion that Fred brought to it.

Sincerely,

Mark  Perriello      Helena Berger
President and CEO    Executive Vice President and COO

Related links 
On October 27, PBS will air A Life Worth Living, a film about Fred's life and his role in the Disability Rights Movement, is scheduled to air on PBS on October 27.
http://concord.patch.com/articles/disability-policy-advocate-remembered http://www.wrightslaw.com/nltr/10/al.fred.fay.htm

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From Yoshiko Dart (8.25.2011):

 
Yoshiko Dart remembers Fred Fay:

“I am with you always. I love you. Lead on. Lead on.”

Justin Dart, Jr.

August 22, 2011

Dear Trish, Family, and Friends of Fred Fay:

Please accept our deepest condolences for the recent passing of Fred.  Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you for your peace, comfort and strength to live through this difficult time.  You all did a magnificent job assisting him to live a life of quality to his fullest.  Hats off to you!

Justin and I had the privilege of working closely with Fred for many years on the ADA, Justice For All, political campaigns of/for/by the disability constituency and more.

When Fred received the 1997 Henry Betts Award at the Library of Congress via Satellite, Justin stated,
Congratulations to Fred Fay, one of the greatest human beings I have ever known.  He has been a pioneer of the international movement to liberate the hundreds of millions of people with disabilities from subhuman status.  He has been an outstanding leader in research, philosophy, advocacy and politics.

His every act has communicated the courage to stand for principle, and the profound love for every person that has characterized the truly great moral leaders of history.

He has made monumental contributions to the quality of my life, and to the quality of the lives of millions in present and future generations.

Fred, Yoshiko and I are so proud to be associated with you.  We love you.  Lead On!

The monuments to Fred Fay will live and grow as increased quality of every human life as long as humans exist.

Fred, we love you.  We cannot replace you, but we will multiply our passion and our actions to achieve the golden Dream that we share – the individualized empowerment of all human beings to live their full personal potential.

Beloved family members and friends of Fred, we love you.

FAY FAMILY POWER!  POWER OF FRED’S LOVING AND FIGHTING SPIRIT!  POWER OF DISABILITY PRIDE AND DIGNITY!  POWER OF GLOBAL SOLIDARITY!

Leading On Together No Matter What!

Yoshiko Dart and the family

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From Becky Ogle (8.25.2011):

 
Becky Ogle’s tribute to Fred Fay:

Dr. Fred Fay was many things to many people.  I could write about how proud he was to be a father of a bright and talented son and how proud he was of his wife Trish and her accomplishments as a business owner and wife, but my writing would not do justice to either so I will stick to what I knew best about Fred; his talent, commitment to disability rights and friendship to many.

Fred Fay, like those who left before him; Ed Roberts, Justin Dart, Jr., Mark Smith to name just a few, was a pioneer in every sense of the word.  Fred managed to lead one of the most impressive, productive and meaningful lives all the while being flat out on his back 24-7.  Some people who are upright won’t come close to accomplishing all Fred was able to accomplish flat out on his back.  Granted Fred was fortunate to have Trish and others in his life who supported his goals and desires, but they will be just as quick to dismiss their own contributions and give full credit to Fred.

Fred Fay embodied all that is good and true in life.  Fred was instrumental in mobilizing the grassroots during the ADA, political actions and of course his infamous role in Justice for All.
Fred and I had a limited relationship prior to the creation of JFA, but this changed dramatically once JFA was up and running.  Fred was the Moderator of JFA, which was no small undertaking, especially given the newness of the technology and the end users (me).  Fred had spent many years building his own list of email addresses and it continued to grow it as JFA gained popularity.  Few individuals at this point in time had the technological grasp Fred possessed and we all benefited greatly for his knowledge, because without his participation nothing got posted.

Many days Fred and I spoke as many as a dozen or more times.  Usually our discussion began with my terrorizing Fred and threatening to roll up to MA to beat him senseless for not posting my alerts.  Fred’s responses to my rants were always the same; he laughed.  This incited me more, which only caused Fred to laugh more.  I finally learned that Fred would always come through, but on his own time and not mine or others.  Thankfully Fred’s timing never impeded people receiving alerts in a timely manner. 

Little did I understand how Fred worked his magic during all the years of JFA, but this changed when Fred and I met in October, 1996 during the re-election campaign of Clinton-Gore.  An opportunity presented itself for my being in the general vicinity of Boston for the campaign. I took advantage of it to meet this mystery man behind the voice I heard multiple times on a daily basis.  Knowing a bit about Fred and his background did not prepare me in the least for our actual in person encounter.

Again, it was 1996 and technology was in its’ infancy for many, but not Fred Fay.  Fred had his life wired into three different computers that hung from the ceiling enabling him to see them all at once.  One computer was set-up for work related activity, another controlled his telephone and allowed him to play scrabble with his son and others.  The third mounted computer appeared to give him total control over the surrounding environment allowing full independence.

The real shock for me came when Fred escorted me outside to choose where he wanted to place the Clinton-Gore yard sign I had brought for him.  I had no idea the contraption/bed that held him flat on his back would also motor him out into his yard.  No big deal or so it seemed to the neighbors driving by and waving as we planted the political sign.  Apparently the only one surprised by Fred being outside was yours truly.

I had heard stories about Fred and his legendary relationship with Senators Kennedy and Kerry, and how often Senator Kennedy paid visits to seek out Fred’s advice.  Legend held that Senator Kennedy came to Fred’s house on many occasions to discuss disability policy.  The Senator took his cue from Fred and the assembled group of activists that Fred rounded up.  Fred could have easily kept his visits with Senator Kennedy to just the two of them, but that was not in Fred’s nature.  He invited everyone in the area interested in disability policy to attend every meeting he and the Senator conducted at Fred’s home.  Pretty impressive, but you’d never know it from talking to Fred, because he never boasted or tooted his own horn the entire time I knew him. 

Our community has seen its’ fair share of loss in terms of leaders leaving us way too soon and it is a given that many more will follow.  It is my sincere desire that for those that knew nothing of Fred Fay’s contributions to our community you may have learned more here.  I cannot do justice to all Fred gave, and hope others’ will take it upon themselves’ to add in their own perspective.  The Dr. Fred Fay I got to know was a fine human being, and deserves to be remembered for all he did. 

--Becky Ogle

Comments

[Shyla Patera]

The disability community has lost a great leader in Dr. Fred Fay. He inspired many in IL. Godspeed and peace to his family, friends, and colleagues.

[Patricia Sprofera]

May these words, of Sister Joyce Rupp, osm, bring some comfort to Mr. Fay's family, friends and colleagues: "The love we have known in the life of someone who dies, can be carried on in our life. It is this love that makes our difficult farewell endurable and our grief consolable."

[Dale S. Brown]

Fred and I really connected deeply and I will miss him. He tried to understand the details of my learning disability and supported me in so many ways. I will be thinking deeply about community- the disability community, the extent to which we are a community and the extent to which we need to be closer and better connected.

[Charlie Carr]

Together, as a community, we celebrate the life of Fred Fay. The accolades are many and the accomplishments are self-evident of a man who changed the way people with disabilities lived, worked and played. He was a prominent pioneer in the earliest days of organized disability rights in this country. His work in transportation and barrier removal preceded independent living centers and other disability related organizations. Just his work in assistive technology as a way to organize alone was a monumental achievement. Fred never really cared for the limelight but wasn't afraid to use it if it was necessary. He is the true definition of a gentle giant. We've lost a great leader but we have to move on.

[Wade Henderson]

Fred Fay was an extraordinary individual who devoted his life to one of the greatest civil and human rights challenges of our time in seeking to secure and expand the rights of people with disabilities. Working with Congress and several administrations, Fred helped bring about landmark legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which eliminated barriers and opened new doors of opportunity for millions of Americans. Fred represented the best of the civil and human rights community, and his spirit and his achievements will not soon be forgotten.
- Wade Henderson, president & CEO, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

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