[Colorado-Talk] A Great Statement on Scott's Passing by Colorado Cross Disabilities Collision

[Yolanda Thompson]

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CCDC Statement on the Passing of Scott LaBarre   Inbox
Add star  Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition Team<hjorgensen at ccdconline.org>
Mon, Dec 12, 2022 at 8:28 AM
To: ylt999 at gmail.com
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CCDC Logo, Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition

Dear Community,

The Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition is devastated to learn of the
passing of National Federation of the Blind Leader and disability
rights attorney extraordinaire Scott LaBarre. Scott passed away
Saturday December 10, 2022, after a short illness.  Scott led the
Colorado Chapter of the NFB for decades and also served as counsel to
the National Federation of the Blind.  Scott practiced disability
rights law privately and never hesitated to help our community.
Scott was at the helm of many of our joint legislative victories.  He
worked closely with Carrie Lucas, yet another champion of disability
rights and friend and colleague to CCDC who left us to early as well,
to pass a bill that forced the county departments of human services to
stop using disability against parents in child abuse investigations.

Many years ago, CCDC Civil Rights Legal Program Director, Kevin
Williams, had the pleasure and distinct honor of co-counseling a
lawsuit that went to trial on behalf of a blind woman who simply
sought fertility treatment services so she could become pregnant. She
faced all of the same discriminatory attitudes that so many parents
and parents to be face by those who would believe our community cannot
parent children. At that very time, Scott had married and had children
of his own who could have served as exhibits in the case of how well.
blind parents can parent children. Although the case was a loss in the
end, it served as a constant reminder of the need for work done to
educate the general public and the medical profession in this area.

Scott fully embodied the NFB model that being Blind is not a tragedy,
at times maybe an inconvenience but that Blindness need not stop
anyone from living their full lives.   In addition to being a busy
lawyer, an activist, he was active in political causes (always showing
up to support the politicians that support us) as well as being a
devoted husband and father.

In addition to the many leadership positions Scott held in the Blind
community, particularly the NFB and the Colorado Center for the Blind,
he held many positions with the American Bar Association and always
supported other blind lawyers and law students, as well as lawyers and
law students with other disabilities.

As a fellow leader in the disability rights community I looked up to
Scott and have always had the highest level of respect for the
organizing he has led in the Blind community.  He has made room for
many other leaders who will carry forward his legacy.   He modeled and
practiced inclusiveness.  In the parental rights legislation, Scott
and Carrie practiced inclusion and made sure that parents with
disabilities who have other intersectional identities would be
protected by the legislation as well.  In other parts of the country
organizations focused on one disability do not always work with the
larger community.  Scott always welcomed collaboration and always made
sure that NFB positions took into account the needs of people with all
types of disabilities and from all kinds of backgrounds.     He was
involved in successful fundraising to support many younger blind
people, often women, and people of color, to get scholarships to have
the best possible chance of success.   Attending NFB conventions and
hearing from current and former scholarship winners is an experience
everyone should have.

CCDC will post news about services when we have information and will
work with NFB leaders and elected officials on a formal Senate
memorial and notify people when that is happening.   Our love is with
his wife, children, and NFB/CCB family.   If you want to honor Scott’s
memory please consider donating to the NFB of Colorado.  NFB's full
statement appears below and it includes a video tribute to Scott.  On
their website you will see Scott’s influence with their legal program
and scholarship program and commitment to Braille, and much more.



Here is NFB's statement:

The following message is from the National Federation of the Blind,
the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado, and the Colorado
Center for the Blind.
It has been a difficult year of loss for the circle of friendship we
share in our movement. We regretfully share the devastating loss of
Scott LaBarre, who passed away surrounded by his family on Saturday,
December 10. Most recently serving as our national general council,
Scott has been a longtime Federationist, a fierce leader in our
movement, and a great friend to so many of us. The outpouring of love
from the Federation family was deeply felt by Scott, but his
challenging medical condition could not be overcome. More details
about services for this extraordinary individual, along with
information about how we can support his wife, Anahit, and children,
Alex and Carter, will be coming soon.
We are overwhelmingly grateful for the decades of work that Scott did
for the blind of his generation and beyond, from arguing in the courts
on behalf of blind people who experienced discrimination, to his
service as president of the Colorado affiliate, to the close personal
mentorship he freely gave to hundreds of individuals—all while raising
a family. Scott was a lawyer who ran his own private law practice in
the areas of employment law, disability rights, and international
copyright policy. He held several leadership positions within the
American Bar Association and the organized blind movement. He served
as chairman of the Colorado Center for the Blind, led the National
Association of Blind Lawyers, and helped establish and guide the
Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium. His impact will continue to ripple
across the world because of his leadership in securing the Marrakesh
Treaty, an international agreement permitting the sharing of
accessible books, which was just one among the many ways he created
positive and lasting change.
The National Federation of the Blind of Colorado presented a Tribute
to Scott at the 2021 state convention that shares more about his story
and enduring influence, and we will continue to celebrate his life and
service. Per the request of his family, memorial contributions should
be directed to either the Colorado Center for the Blind or the
National Federation of the Blind for the work to empower blind people
to live the lives they want, to which Scott gave so much. We send our
love and gratitude to him and his family.