Power Grid Blog
Honoring Paul Hearne's Legacy
November 29, 2011 | Power Grid Blog Team
It’s that time of year again – no not elections, or football, or leaf raking – it’s time to consider Paul Hearne Award candidates. The Hearne Award acknowledges emerging leaders in the disability community -- but, who was Paul Hearne?
Paul was my first disabled friend. We met as teenagers. He had osteogenesis imperfecta, a brittle bone disease, was dwarfed, in a body cast and used a gurney to ambulate in a reclining position. But he could drive, had a car, a great family, an infectious (or obnoxious depending on your perspective) laugh and a great sense of humor. He was home schooled until he was thirteen yet he was worldly, comfortable with adults and had dozens of friends.
He was elected student body president at Hofstra University, on Long Island beating Norm Coleman, who some of you may remember became the Mayor of St. Paul and then U.S. Senator from Minnesota. Both Paul and Al Franken beat Norm Coleman.
After college, Paul hitchhiked alone through Europe. My parents thought he was charming. So did waitresses, bartenders, law school deans and Bob Dole.
Paul went on to Hofstra Law School after college and he and I worked together at a poverty law program in NYC where we wrote a grant proposal together to provide traditional legal services to disabled poor people. When we opened our doors people with disabilities overwhelmed us – new lawyers – with systemic discrimination issues as well as welfare, landlord/tenant and domestic relations problems. I remember one day saying to Paul, “You do Employment, I’ll do Transportation.” Our lives kind of evolved that way as if it was just that simple, he would fix the employment problems of people with people with disabilities and I’ll fix the transportation problems. That was 34 years ago.
Paul left New York for Washington DC where he was Executive Director of the National Council on Disability, then the Director of the Dole Foundation for Employment of People with Disabilities and then formed, along with other notables including Justin Dart, John Kemp, Lex Frieden (and some less notables such as me) the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). Paul believed that advocacy and consumerism by people with disabilities in a cross-disability organization could change America and he made others believe it too.
Paul died 13 years ago at age 48. I miss him but every year when we consider the Hearne awardees’ accomplishments I recall his vision, appreciate it again and am excited about the future.
James Weisman, SVP and General Counsel
United Spinal Association
