Hi
It was with great sadness that we learned of the death last week in
Leeds of Swapna McNeill, advocate, community leader and disability
activist.
Swapna was great friend and colleague over many years who championed the
needs of black and minority ethnic disabled people, particularly as the
founder of the Association of Blind Asians in Leeds (for an account see
my paper in Disability & Society in 1995). Working together with Swapna
to establish this group in 1993 helped me to understand the significance
of locally-based community organisations run and controlled by disabled
people, and played a big part in my transition from working in 'rehab'
to working in 'disability studies'.
I was privileged to spend many hours in those years listening to
Swapna's own life experiences and those of the people for whom she
provided tenacious and creative forms of advocacy. Some of the most
powerful illustrations in her stories were about the transformative
power of meeting and sharing one's experiences with other disabled
people. On one of those days we chose to tape record her own 'journey of
discovery' which later became an autobiographical chapter in the book
'Disability and the Life Course: global perspectives'.
Swapna's tireless involvement was the driving force behind ABA over many
years, balancing high levels of activity with very limited funds. Her
loss is not only a personal one but a significant challenge for the
organisation's management committee, which now faces a difficult time. I
hope those who have contact with the group will be able to offer
whatever support they can.
Best wishes
Mark Priestley
Professor of Disability Policy
Centre for Disability Studies
University of Leeds
LEEDS
LS2 9JT
UK
tel: +44 113 343 4417
fax: +44 113 343 4415
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies
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