In Memoriam

Please join us in mourning the death and celebrating the life of Fred Fay. His impact on the lives of people with disabilities has been huge. Fred passed away at the age of 67 on August 20. He will be missed by everyone who knew him, and many more who were touched by his work.

Fred Fay became a role model and activist after he fell from a trapeze at the age of 16 and injured his spinal cord. He worked hard to become independent, from driving himself around (including getting from his wheelchair to the car and then stowing the chair), to attending the University of Illinois. From then on, he was unstoppable.

Photo at right shows Fred Fay with Senator Ted Kennedy and Connie Garner.

When President Johnson invited Fred to the Rose Garden for the signing of the the Urban Mass Transportation Act in 1964, his wheelchair had to be bumped up the steps - the White House was not accessible.

Here is a subset of his many accomplishments:

• In 1963, Fred and his mother (a formidable advocate herself) founded the Washington Architectural Barriers Project, which led the drive to make the D.C. subway system accessible to all.
• His legislative activism was instrumental in winning passage of the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1975.
• He was instrumental in passing of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.
• In 1974, he co-founded the Boston Center for Independent Living.
• For 3 years starting in 1977, he was Director of Research and Training, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Tufts University-New England Medical Center.
• He co-founded the Massachusetts Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities, and the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities.
• In 1978 at the the age of 33, he received a Ten Outstanding Young Americans Award for his contributions to "Human Improvement"
• He launched the Justice for All forum.
• He was a pioneer in the development of "Assistive Technology," particularly in the use of computers to empower people with spinal cord injury and other disabilities.
• In 1998, he won the Henry B. Betts Award for "flat-out advocacy".

Dear friends, colleagues and participants,

We are very sad to inform everyone about the passing of our beloved Founding Board Member, Ellen Gilbert. She was a co-founder of the Northeast Independent Living Program, Inc. (NILP) in 1980, and a tireless supporter of our agency ever since then. Ellen'’s grassroots volunteer leadership was instrumental in the creation of NILP and her strength of conviction, her unwavering fight for the rights of persons with disabilities was relentless. She was a colleague, a peer, a mentor, a teacher, a friend and an advocate.

Ellen M. Gilbert, 65, of Lawrence passed away Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010 at the Kindred Hospital in Peabody. She was born in Lawrence and was the daughter of the late Ralph and Helen (Ferris) Wolfendale. Ellen was a lifelong resident of Lawrence and was a graduate of Lawrence High School and the University of Connecticut. She worked as a physical therapist, and then later worked at the Greater Lawrence Vocational Technical High School as an Allied Health teacher and Administrator for thirty years.

She is survived by her husband, Raymond Gilbert with whom she shared 29 years of marriage; sister, Marilyn Hale of Lawrence and many nieces and nephews and two godsons. She was also the sister of the late Ralph Wolfendale, Jr.

Dear friends, colleagues and participants,

The NILP community is saddened to learn about the sudden passing of Joseph Burke, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Independent Living Program Coordinator.

Northeast Independent Living Program organized a well-attended gathering to honor and celebrate Joe's life January 6th at the Lawrence Elks. Dozens of friends, family, and co-workers got up to the microphone to share their fond memories of Joe, and more than 120 people from all across the state came to express their support, and caring for Joe, and The NILP.

In response to several requests we have received regarding donations in his memory; Northeast Independent Living Program has established a fund in his honor to be used specifically for our Deaf/Hard of Hearing Consumers. In particular, this fund will continue Joe's legacy and personal commitment towards making assistive technology available to our Deaf/ HoH consumers.