An Interview with Fred Fay, Leader in Disability Rights Movement

Fred Fay has been a passionate and prolific advocate for the rights of people with disabilities for over 50 years. He was instrumental in the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in addition to countless other progressive developments for the disabled community.

At age 16, Fred sustained a cervical spinal cord injury in a trapeze accident, and started using a manual wheelchair for mobility. At age 37, a cyst formed in his spinal cord, making it impossible for him to sit upright. Since then, Fred has used assistive technology, much of which he designed himself, to give him increased mobility and allow him to continue his important advocacy work.

In this short film, friend Janna Zwerner interviews Fred about his life and achievements, both personal and professional.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Fred
• Fay
• disability
• rights
• movement
• Americans
• with
• Disabilities
• Act

[MarcyMarchello]

Wow - I can' t believe I didn't know about Fred until recently. What an incredible human being! I'm passing the word about the PBS special coming up!

[jbeyer1126]

Fred’s life is one of several being featured in a PBS documentary scheduled to be shown Oct. 27 on Independent Lens, 10 p.m. Fred died August 20, 2011. Check concord.patch.com, search for Disability Policy Advocate Remembered, in the space bar top right for information on his life and work. Sharing the column & video will help people understand what dedicated individuals accomplish. Curb cuts and ramps are what we see, but there is much more.

[steamvirus]

Yes great inspiration man

[IamBennyBlanco]

Fred is the man!