[nagdu] Eames fought for rights of disabled

[Ginger Kutsch]

 Eames fought for rights of disabled 
Published online on Monday, Oct. 26, 2009
By Paula Lloyd / The Fresno Bee
 Ed Eames, who lost his sight at age 42, spent the rest of his
life advocating for the needs of people with disabilities.
 
Mr. Eames, 79, who died Sunday, worked to improve bus service for
the disabled, founded an organization for people who use
assistance dogs and lobbied for more sidewalks.
 
"He was a fighter, but he also was a thinker," said Fresno City
Council Member Henry T. Perea. "He knew the issues, but he did
his homework." 
 
Perea represents the city's District 7, in which Mr. Eames lived.
 
"I'll never forget the first time I met Ed," Perea said. "I was
campaigning door-to-door and he was one of the few people who
invited me in. We sat around his kitchen table and talked issues
for a good hour."
 
Sidewalks were a big issue to Mr. Eames, Perea said. He wanted to
see sidewalks throughout Fresno, even in county islands, because
they're easier for people who use wheelchairs to negotiate.
 
Mr. Eames and his wife, Toni, who also is blind, met while living
in New York when he was writing a book to guide dog schools.
 
He invited her to be a co-author on the book. "And one thing led
to another," she said. "He was my favorite topic" of
conversation.
 
The couple came to Fresno in 1987 shortly after they married to
team-teach a class at California State University, Fresno, on the
sociology of disabilities. Mr. Eames was on sabbatical from
Bernard M. Baruch College in New York City, but they fell in love
with Fresno and retired here.
 
Mr. Eames became involved in improving services to the disabled.
"He wanted a barrier-free Fresno," his wife said.
 
Mr. Eames founded and was president of the International
Association of Assistance Dog Partners. A memorial page on the
organization's Web site called him "one of our great champions."
 
He served on the Americans With Disabilities Act Advisory
Committee for Fresno Area Express.
 
"He was a mentor and a great guy," said Paul Kwiatkowski, manager
of Handy Ride, which provides transportation for disabled people.
 
"He certainly helped improve the lives of people with
disabilities in Fresno," Kwiatkowski said. "The city is
unfortunately going to miss him."
 
Mr. Eames inspired those who provide services to the disabled "to
realize we impact the people who need us the most," Kwiatkowski
said, and influence improvements to the Handy Ride system.
 
Mr. Eames was a member and past president of the North Fresno
Lions Club, said Steve Wakefield, who drove Mr. Eames and his
service dog, Latrell, to weekly meetings.
 
"He was such a great guy," Wakefield said. "I learned a lot about
the lives of the disabled from him."
 
Mr. Eames was an example of one person making a difference. Perea
recalled a demonstration Mr. Eames helped organize in which civic
leaders spent several hours as if they were disabled.
 
"It was my job to navigate City Hall and downtown in a
wheelchair," Perea said. "For me, it was a real eye-opener. He's
done a lot for the people of Fresno." 
Source: http://www.fresnobee.com/local/v-print/story/1687807.html
 


Ginger Bennett Kutsch
Morristown, NJ