Paul Longmore: Giant of the Disability Rights Movement (1946 – 2010)
Posted on August 10, 2010
The international disability rights movement lost a brilliant leader and great thinker on August 9, 2010 when Paul Longmore died unexpectedly at his home in San Francisco. Longmore, Professor of History and Director of the Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University was a thoughtful and visionary scholar, disability studies pioneer, fierce advocate and role model to many.
In it’s tribute to Paul, Not Dead Yet has posted a youtube video of Longmore’s talk about the disability rights movement at the ADA 20th Anniversary celebration in San Francisco last month. Paul got the greatest applause when he said the following:
“Great leaders do not create great movements. Great movements give rise to great leaders. . . No movement can exist without in this case millions of ordinary men and women asserting themselves to demand dignity and their rights. So that’s what our movement is all about. That’s our past. That’s our present. That’s our future. — Paul Longmore, July 2010
Read the Not Dead Yet tribute to Paul Longmore
Personal Remembrance
Paul Longmore was both an activist and a scholar, and was generous with his time. Because of this, thousands [...]