The disability rights community mourns the loss of Dick Harris, a passionate advocate for independent living who dedicated his life to supporting others, drawing from his own profound personal experiences. Harris has died at the age of 71, leaving behind a powerful legacy of breaking down barriers.
From Institutional Beginnings to a Pioneering Life
Born in Wrexham, north Wales, to an unmarried teacher, Edna Harris, Dick never knew his father. He was born with cerebral palsy and, due to the social attitudes of the time, was not put up for adoption as was typical for children in his situation. Instead, his childhood was spent within institutional settings.
He grew up at Penhurst school in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, run by the National Children's Home, and later at a Leonard Cheshire home in Banbury. While he recalled these as happy years, he acknowledged they were institutional by modern standards.
A New Dawn of Independence in Camden
A pivotal moment arrived in 1979 when Harris seized an opportunity to move into a groundbreaking development of purpose-built flats in Camden, north London. This project was designed to empower people with disabilities to live independently.
For Harris and his neighbours, this was a revolutionary experience. It was the first time they could make their own choices and manage their own finances. Famously, he spent his entire first week's food budget in a single night at the pub, a testament to his newfound, and fiercely enjoyed, autonomy.
It was during this period that his extensive voluntary sector work began, organising holidays for disabled people across the UK and Europe. On one such trip, he met Angi Donnelly, a volunteer who would become his wife.
A Lifelong Career in Advocacy and Support
After marrying in 1981 and starting a family, Harris's commitment to disability services became his career. He worked as a volunteer co-ordinator at the Islington Disabled Association before the family relocated to Coventry in 1987.
There, he began a long tenure at the Spastics Society, which later became Scope, working in various roles for almost 20 years. In a poignant full-circle moment, he returned to Leonard Cheshire in 2005, with his job interview taking place at the very Banbury home where he had lived as a young man. He remained with the charity until his retirement in 2020 and continued volunteering locally until this year.
Throughout his life, Harris had to persistently fight for the funding and care resources, such as the Access to Work scheme, that enabled him to maintain his independent life, work, and raise a family. He taught countless carers to become his "arms and legs," a collaboration that allowed his wife, Angi, to pursue her own career.
In a late-life discovery, a DNA test revealed he had a half-brother, Sandy. Sadly, Dick became ill with kidney cancer shortly after this discovery and they were unable to meet. He is survived by Angi, his children, three grandchildren, and his brother, Sandy.
