[NFBV-Announce] Black History Month Day 23

[jackibruce6 at gmail.com]

Hey NFB Family and Friends,

 

Our Black Empowerment Committee has another entry for us.  Read on and
enjoy!

 

Donald M. Fennell

Donald Fennell was born with muscular dystrophy and attended a school for
disabled children in Portsmouth, VA.  He had a strong desire to succeed in
life although he quickly learned that as an African American disabled
person, he had many barriers to overcome.  He realized that education was
the key for reaching his goal.  Upon graduation from high school, he
attended Tidewater Community College and Old Dominion University.  

 

Although he was faced with the barrier of not being able to access public
transportation which was not accessible for wheelchair users, he hitch-hiked
to and from college daily, which is no small feat for a wheelchair user.
Upon graduation from ODU, he was employed as a Peer Counselor with The
Endependence Center of Hampton Roads in Norfolk, VA.   

 

Donald was a quiet activist who often led the fight for equal rights for
people with disabilities.  He, along with several other disabled
individuals, sued Hampton Roads Transit Company to help bring about changes
in Virginia's transit policies for fixed route transit buses.  He also
helped to establish the Virginia's Statewide Personal Assistance Services
program (which still operates today).  He served as Executive Director of
Shenandoah Valley Center for Independent Living in Winchester, VA.  He
served as the Chairman of the National Council on Independent Living's
Minority Committee, Chairman of Handicaps Unlimited of Virginia, and
Chairman of the Hampton Roads Transit Transportation Advisory Committee.  He
received the James C. Wheat, Jr. Community Service Award in recognition of
his efforts to improve the lives of people with disabilities in Virginia.
He was also honored at the White House by President George H. Bush and
featured in an article in Ebony Magazine for outstanding efforts to improve
the lives of people with disabilities.

 

Not only did he work to improve the lives of people with disabilities in
Virginia, but he was also involved in national events to bring about changes
for people with disabilities.  He was arrested several times for
participating in demonstrations to address discrimination against people
with disabilities.  He was a quiet, determined, and effective leader for
people with disabilities in Virginia and the Nation.  He died in 2016.

 

Submitted by: Corlis Jones

 


Peace,

Jacki Bruce

Corresponding Secretary, National Federation of the Blind of Virginia
 <mailto:jackibruce6 at gmail.com> mailto:jackibruce6 at gmail.com
 <tel:(757)291-1789> tel:(757)291-1789
 <http://www.nfb.org/> www.nfb.org
 <http://www.nfbv.org/> www.nfbv.org

Follow us on Twitter @NFBVirginia
Find us on Facebook @NationalFederationoftheBlindofVirginia

Live the life you want.

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends
who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind. Every day we work
together to help blind people live the lives they want

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbv-announce_nfbnet.org/attachments/20210223/47d51c55/attachment.html>