Eunice Mary Kennedy Shriver was a key figure in the Kennedy family, known for her philanthropy. She founded the Special Olympics, a sports organization for those with physical and intellectual disabilities, earning her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984 for her dedicated efforts.
Irish campaigner for the welfare of the blind
Not only was she one of Britain’s first ‘police women’, she was also a pioneering teacher of deaf children, and a passionate suffragette determined to change women’s lives for the better.Hare’s vision for auditory/oral education. In her will Mary Hare wrote ‘my efforts on behalf of the Deaf have been my greatest joy in life.’
Sally Sainsbury established herself a leader in the field of disability and social policy in the UK.
Irish paediatrician and disability campaigner
Her research focused on cerebral palsy in Australia and she published major articles that dealt with aspects of the disease in children, seeking to promote the potential of cerebral palsy sufferers to lead useful and independent lives. She formed the Australian Cerebral Palsy Association in 1952 and chaired its medical and educational committee.
Australian artist, author, disability rights activist and filmmaker
She was involved in the early committees that eventually led to the establishment of Women With Disabilities Victoria (WDV) and Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA).
In addition to her work as a disability activist, Rhonda Galbally has been outspoken in health and social causes such as tobacco companies’ sponsorship of sport.
June Opie was a polio survivor, clinical psychologist, writer and broadcaster who overcame discrimination against the disabled to achieve professional and personal success. Her memoir, Over my dead body (1957), was an international best-seller and brought her widespread fame.