Laura Hershey: Difference between revisions
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'''Laura Hershey''' (1962-Nov 26, 2010) was a poet, a journalist, a popular speaker, a feminist, and a disability rights activist and consultant. Known to have parked her wheelchair in front of buses, Hershey was one of the leaders of a protest against the paternalistic attitudes and images of the disabled inherent to [[Jerry Lewis]]'s MDA telethon.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16726649|title=Laura Hershey, 48, championed disability rights|publisher=[[Denver Post]]|date=2010-11-28|accessdate=2010-11-30}}</ref> She was a regular columnist for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, ''Crip Commentary'' and was published in a variety of magazines and websites. She was admired for her wit, her ability to structure strong arguments in the service of justice, and her spirited refusal to let her own spinal muscular atrophy define the parameters of her life as anything less than a full human existence.<ref>[http://media-dis-n-dat.blogspot.com/2010/11/laura-hershey-renowned-disability.html Laura Hershey, renowned disability rights activist, writer and consultant, dies], by Beth Haller, November 27, 2010</ref> She was also the mother of an adopted daughter. <ref> [http://sexuality.about.com/b/2010/11/29/laura-hershey-1962-2010.htm Laura Hershey (1962-2010)], by Cory Silverberg, November 29, 2010</ref> |
'''Laura Hershey''' (August 11, 1962-Nov 26, 2010) was a poet, a journalist, a popular speaker, a feminist, and a disability rights activist and consultant. Known to have parked her wheelchair in front of buses, Hershey was one of the leaders of a protest against the paternalistic attitudes and images of the disabled inherent to [[Jerry Lewis]]'s MDA telethon.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16726649|title=Laura Hershey, 48, championed disability rights|publisher=[[Denver Post]]|date=2010-11-28|accessdate=2010-11-30}}</ref> She was a regular columnist for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, ''Crip Commentary'' and was published in a variety of magazines and websites. She was admired for her wit, her ability to structure strong arguments in the service of justice, and her spirited refusal to let her own spinal muscular atrophy define the parameters of her life as anything less than a full human existence.<ref>[http://media-dis-n-dat.blogspot.com/2010/11/laura-hershey-renowned-disability.html Laura Hershey, renowned disability rights activist, writer and consultant, dies], by Beth Haller, November 27, 2010</ref> She was also the mother of an adopted daughter. <ref> [http://sexuality.about.com/b/2010/11/29/laura-hershey-1962-2010.htm Laura Hershey (1962-2010)], by Cory Silverberg, November 29, 2010</ref> |
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==Personal Life== |
==Personal Life== |
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Revision as of 17:53, 30 November 2010
Laura Hershey (August 11, 1962-Nov 26, 2010) was a poet, a journalist, a popular speaker, a feminist, and a disability rights activist and consultant. Known to have parked her wheelchair in front of buses, Hershey was one of the leaders of a protest against the paternalistic attitudes and images of the disabled inherent to Jerry Lewis's MDA telethon.[1] She was a regular columnist for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, Crip Commentary and was published in a variety of magazines and websites. She was admired for her wit, her ability to structure strong arguments in the service of justice, and her spirited refusal to let her own spinal muscular atrophy define the parameters of her life as anything less than a full human existence.[2] She was also the mother of an adopted daughter. [3]
Personal Life
Born in Colorado, Hershey lived in a wheelchair (later a powered chair) and was a poster child for Jerry Lewis's Muscular Dystrophy Association when young. She grew up to protest the MDA's telethons, arguing they projected an image of people with muscular dystrophy as pitiful people whose lives are not worth living. [4]
Hershey and her partner of 20 years, Robin Stephens, had adopted a 14-year-old daughter. Hershey died November 26, 2010, after a short illness.
Education and Activism
Hershey earned a BA in History in 1983 from Colorado College, where a number of classes had to be relocated so she could attend them because some of their buildings were not accessible. On her graduation, she received a Watson Fellowship, which allowed her to travel and write and led to her involvement in the global disability rights movement. [5] She went on to get an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University Los Angeles.
She twice attended United Nations conferences on women's rights, one in Nairobi, Kenya, and one in Beijing.
Colorado College awarded Hershey an honorary doctorate in recognition of her achievements in 1993.
Writing
Columns
- 1993 From Poster Child to Protester
- Aug 25, 2010 Independence and Interdependence: Equally Important Values, Huffington Post
- Nov 24, 2010 The Good and Bad of Gratitude
Poetry
- "You Get Proud By Practicing"
- Spark Before Dark, a collection of poems (Finishing Line Press, upcoming)[6]
Awards
- 2010 Lambda Poetry Fellowship
References
- ^ "Laura Hershey, 48, championed disability rights". Denver Post. 2010-11-28. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
- ^ Laura Hershey, renowned disability rights activist, writer and consultant, dies, by Beth Haller, November 27, 2010
- ^ Laura Hershey (1962-2010), by Cory Silverberg, November 29, 2010
- ^ Laura Hershey, 48, championed disability rights, By John Ingold, The Denver Post
- ^ Success: Laura Hershey cached copy from Nov 17, 2010
- ^ Denver post
External links
- Laura Hershey's website
- Not Dead Yet (Hershey served on the Board of Directors]