Ken's passing is sad indeed, and a personal loss too. Ken (and Maggie)
gave generously of their time and encouragement to shape and inform the
ideas for my PhD thesis and the book that resulted from it. It was with Ken
that we worked out the practicaliteis of how to place a disabled people's
organisation in charge of an academic research project (Ken's written
contract and all!) and thereby developed my understanding of negotiating
control over the social relations of research production.
Ken's commitment to the ideals of the movement, his understanding of
historical process and political opportunity, provided me with invaluable
insights into the emergence of the local, national and international struggles
that shape our understanding of disability and independent living today.
Several quotes from those conversations found their way into the book and
they seem as relevant on my lecture slides now as they were then. Above all
he believed in the significance of bringing people together, to share their
stories and experiences, where the personal could become political in the
mobilisation of a movement.
Learning from his first-hand accounts about the histories of UPIAS, Grove
Road, the 'seven needs', the Derbyshire Coalition and DCIL grounded
disability theory in real lives and in the real-politic of implementing grand
ideas in practice.
Two quotes that I remember... in Ken's words:
"...you could talk...for ever and a day...and you never knew whether you were
getting anywhere. Nothing ever seemed to change. But once we got stuck
into Grove Road and trying our own solution it was a very different matter.
You know it was about engaging with people and arguing through strictly
practical outcomes... And we found that really that was more influential on
people's attitudes after the place was built than any of the thousands of
words... "
"I mean to get a mass movement you had to be much more open, able to
engage people where they were in their own situation and somehow give
them a feeling, a reason, you know, to want to come together. All sorts of
people came into contact with the Coalition, took part in the early discussion
groups and teach-ins as we called them. And releasing things for the first
time and having the opportunity to do this on common ground, and growing
in understanding as they went along. It wasn't about imposing your own
political ideas on people, because you couldn't do that."
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