[Colorado-Talk] Colorado civil rights attorney Kevin Williams, who fought to improve lives of people with disabilities, dies at 57 After a diving accident that left him paralyzed, Williams became a lawyer for the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition

Tue Feb 13 03:10:08 UTC 2024

Thank you Jess and thanks Gary for posting this.

Julie Reiskin

On Mon, Feb 12, 2024, 7:57 PM Jessica Beecham via Colorado-Talk <
colorado-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> This is another devastating loss for our community. I am sending my love
> to his family and to our friends at CCDC who are certainly feeling this
> deeply right now.
>
> Best Wishes
>
> Jess
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Feb 12, 2024, at 7:01 PM, Gary Van Dorn via Colorado-Talk <
> colorado-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
>  It is with sadness that I share the obituary of Kevin Williams from
> yesterday’s * Denver Post*.  I knew Kevin and highly respected him.  I
> know Scott LaBarre respected him too.  We already miss Scott and shall miss
> Kevin too.  I am sure they are enjoying a nice drink together wherever they
> may be.
>
> Gary
>
> Colorado civil rights attorney Kevin Williams, who fought to improve lives
> of people with disabilities, dies at 57
> After a diving accident that left him paralyzed, Williams became a lawyer
> for the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition
>
> Bruce FinleyFebruary 10, 2024 at 4:48 p.m.
> Civil rights lawyer Kevin Williams, left, leads paralympic athlete Scot
> Hollonbeck, right, away from federal court in Denver on July 28, 2003.
> Williams and other attorneys had filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Olympic
> Committee claiming discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act
> and the Rehabilitation Act. (Denver Post file photo)
> Civil rights lawyer Kevin Williams, left, leads paralympic athlete Scot
> Hollonbeck, right, away from federal court in Denver on July 28, 2003.
> Williams and other attorneys had filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Olympic
> Committee claiming discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act
> and the Rehabilitation Act. (Denver Post file photo)
> Colorado civil rights attorney Kevin Williams died this week after 26
> years of fighting to improve the lives of people with disabilities. He was
> 57.
>
> Williams died Tuesday after a short illness, according to colleagues at
> the Denver-based Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, where he launched the
> legal program in 1997 upon graduation from law school.
>
> A quadriplegic paralyzed from his chest down following a diving accident
> at age 19, Williams steadily increased access for disabled people by filing
> lawsuits — pressing for enforcement under the Americans with Disabilities
> Act, the Rehabilitation Act, the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act and the
> Fair Housing Act.
>
> He began this work as a third-year law student at the University of
> Denver. Shortly before his graduation, he sued his law school. The issue
> was compliance with the ADA. He prevailed, leading to required
> improvements, including a wheelchair-accessible graduation venue.
>
> Often serving as the plaintiff, Williams repeated that feat again and
> again, expanding access for Coloradans with disabilities in stores,
> restaurants, public transit systems, theaters, arenas and travel pathways
> around the state. For example, his litigation compelled the operators of
> Red Rocks Amphitheatre to provide accessible parking, seating and ticketing.
>
> He also led other lawyers into disability rights work.
>
> Williams grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland.  He made Colorado his home
> in 1990, the year President George H.W. Bush signed the ADA into law. He
> enjoyed drives in the mountains, attending concerts and visiting local
> breweries and distilleries.
>
> Friends this week remembered him as passionate in his pursuit of civil
> rights.
>
> “Kevin was contemplative, thorough and certain not to leave any stone
> unturned, especially in litigation,” said Andrew Montoya, who worked in the
> coalition’s legal program as an assistant and then was inspired to attend
> law school.
>
> “Even seemingly mundane legal issues could occupy hours of lively
> discussion ranging from interpretive case law to contemporary and
> historical politics to litigation strategy to the meaning of life, and back
> again,” Montoya said. “His passion for civil rights, both in general and
> specifically those of people with disabilities, clearly animated his work,
> both in the courtroom and in the rest of the world.”
>
> He also had a knack for making light of difficulties. Friends recalled his
> adaptation of the Beatles’ “Let It Be” — a rendition that he titled “Let Us
> Pee.” (“When I find myself in times of trouble; The bathroom door is
> two-foot-three; Whisper words of wisdom; Let us pee, let us pee.”
>
> “He was intense, passionate, focused and very analytical. What kept him
> motivated was seeing people with disabilities face discrimination and
> knowing that the laws that are supposed to protect us are being violated,”
> said Julie Reiskin, co-executive director of the coalition.
>
> “What bothered him was the blatant violation of the law, especially by
> those who should know better, such as courts and lawyers that made excuses
> rather than working to fix the problem.”
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