Remembering the Life of Disability Activist Diane Coleman
Last month, renowned disability activist Diane Coleman passed away, leaving behind a decades-long legacy of advocacy for the rights of people with disabilities. Coleman, who had neuromuscular disabilities, worked to ensure that the inherent dignity of each person with a disability is recognized in our society. Her work fought against practices rooted in ableist, unacceptable ideologies.
Coleman, a member of disability rights group ADAPT, joined numerous protests to shed light on disability issues, including protests against the lack of accessibility in some public transportation systems. She was also the founder and president of Not Dead Yet. The national disability rights organization opposes the legalization of assisted suicide, decrying the practice as a form of discrimination against people with disabilities and health conditions.
Coleman contributed to multiple written works arguing against the legalization of assisted death, showing how the practice can lead to the unequal treatment of patients. “Legalizing assisted suicide means that some people who say they want to die will receive suicide intervention, while others will receive suicide assistance. The difference between these two groups of people will be their health or disability status,” she once wrote.
“It’s the ultimate form of discrimination to offer people with disabilities help to die without having offered real options to live,” Coleman told The New York Times in 2011.
Read more about Coleman’s life and legacy.
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