2007 In Memoriam: Jeff Thompson

I met Jeff Thompson through BCIL where we were both advocates. He was a good guy learning how to fight for his rights, whether at college or regarding sidewalk access. We spoke sometimes on the phone about shared personal experiences, in a way that people with spinal cord injury often do. Just a few weeks before he died, he had sent me his thoughts about brick sidewalks (he hated them), which we were going to make up into a storyboard. When I get a picture, I will post it.

The following appreciation was written by Tony Horne.

I met Jeff at BCIL while working on access issues in our neighborhoods and the MBTA. Being the only males in our group we bonded quickly. He impressed me with his passion to the cause of access and his dedication to BCIL as a volunteer there. Persons of his drive are invaluable to the inclusion of all. Jeff and those like him make our community a better place.

Jeff and I had the same level injury and both attended UMass Boston, giving us plenty to talk about. I enjoyed chatting with him as he was a sincere humorous man, caring and interested in a variety of subjects. Jeff’s wry humor always came through and brightened our talks. Any topic might come from him - from his take on a school issue to the ways we adapted to frustrations of our personal situations. No matter the content, our conversations always were heartfelt.

Jeff always rose to the challenge, be it a tough academic course or managing the struggles of our daily existence. I felt his integrity and love for life. He had come far in his new world and was succeeding in school, making his loss all the more difficult for those of us who shared time with him.

Our connection is one that will always stay with me, and no doubt, will buoy me through rough waters at some point. Thank you my friend. I will miss you and the hope you gave many.

2007 In Memoriam: Kia Scott

Kia Scott of Dorchester died in November. I got the chance to talk to her a little bit at an action Karen Schneiderman of the Boston Center for Independent Living organized in Fields Corner. She was very sweet, but could not stand the fact that people were always parking their cars in front of curb cuts. Uncleared snow and brick sidewalks -- they were painful for her rheumatoid arthritis -- excluded her from city sidewalks.

The following appreciation is written by Karen Schneiderman.

My friend Kia Scott died this month. It wasn’t fair. Her health wasn’t great but a wheelchair repair service flipped her into the next world, if there is one, and she was much too young too die.

I was invited to her house when I was trying to recruit Dorchester folks for a neighborhood meeting. She not only let me in but she offered the building’s community room for meetings. She had never been an activist but she was active in her life. She was looking for work, fixing up her apartment, and applying for a working dog, which she did get and whom she loved very much.

I was so thrilled when the “shy” activist agreed to file an access complaint when the City ripped up her street leaving her no way to get around without riding in the street. For the first time she filled out the form and even took pictures.

My favorite memory of Kia was the night of the great Target sting, where she, Alyson Perry (and Saddle, her guide dog) and I strolled through the store because two blind consumers had been tossed from Target for bringing in their dogs. Alyson and I were used to causing trouble but Kia was new at it and she was great. She was great that night and it fills me with sadness to think of all the great things she would have done for herself and others in the future.

I miss you, my friend.

2007 In Memoriam: Betsy Laitinen

Betsy Laitinen, whom the Boston Globe described as an "indomitable advocate for those with disabilities," died in October at age 45. She worked the last 20 years helping ensure that people with disabilities could live independently, first at the Boston Center for Independent Living, then at Neighborhood Health Plan.

I met her back in the 1980s at BCIL, and she was a neighbor of mine for a few years in the Fenway before she got married to Peter Laitinen. She was socially graceful, smart, and down to earth. She was fun to work with.

In addition to her obituary in October, the Globe published an article about the trip she took with her friend Barbara Hantz to Hawaii in 2005.

The following appreciation is written by Liz Casey.

When Betsy Laitinen came into a room, all were touched by her warm hello, her steady manner and intelligence, and her ticklish wit.

Part of the independent living movement in its early days, she worked at BCIL for many years in many capacities. It was there she met her loving husband of 10 years, Peter Laitinen. After she experienced a stroke in 2001, Betsy fought her way back from a collapsed lung, and then endured the loss of Peter, all in the same year. The sustenance of family, friends, colleagues, and her home (and doggie), which Betsy maintained a deep commitment to, then had a chance to give back to her.

Over the last several years, Betsy held the rudder as Chairperson of the Board at Boston Community Medical Group, where she will be sorely missed. With a degree in business from Bentley College, she would sort out the details for those of us less inclined. And she would keep us laughing.

She also worked as a Standardized Patient Educator at Tufts New England Medical School, teaching medical students about disability awareness.

Watching Betsy the last night I visited with her, sharing a glass or two of Chardonnay, and having a howl over something or other with her niece and our PCAs, I thought "this woman seems indestructible". And now I know she is. Betsy's light is going to shine on us for many many years to come.