John Williams, pioneer writer on disabilities, dies at 74

John M. Williams, a pioneer writer on disability issues and a 22-year member of the National Press Club, died on Feb. 24. Williams, who lived in Fairfax, Va., was 74.


He was the founder and former publisher of  Assistive Technology News, a tabloid newspaper that covered assistive technology products and disabilities issues.  Williams started writing about disabilities in 1978 and in 1982 coined the phrase "assistive technology" to describe products designed to benefit persons with disabilities.

 He wrote more than 2,000 articles on disability issues and helped raise awareness of disability issues and the benefits of assistive technology to an international level.  In 2000, he received the Charles Van Riper Lifetime Achievement Award for his writing about stuttering and his leadership in promoting opportunities for people with speech impediments.  In 2008 he received the Dr. Fred Strache Award from California State University for leadership in using technology to help persons with disabilities. 

Williams wrote columns for Action Magazine, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and Business Week on-line.  He interviewed prominent politicians and personalities on disability issues, including George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, Clint Eastwood, Newt Gingrich and Mel Tillis.  His articles appeared in a wide variety of publications, including The Washington Post, New York Times, Houston Post, Los Angeles Times, The London Times, People Magazine, Newsweek Magazine and Nation’s Business.

He was a speaker at disability conferences in the U.S., Canada and Europe, and in 2004 was the featured speaker at a Beijing U.S./China Conference on Educating Students with Special Needs.

Chris Manfre, a childhood friend, said Williams "dedicated his life to the less abled."  Mark McDonough, a former classmate, said "we are so proud of the work he has done to help so many in our society and marvel at his writing skills."He graduated in 1967 with a BA in philosophy from King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

      
William's interests went well beyond disability issues.  He edited two books on the environment, one on poetry and a   NASA publication on sunspots. He published two short stories and a dozen poems.  In 1976 he wrote a merit badge book for the Boy Scouts of America on space exploration.  He taught journalism at Trinity University in Washington, D.C., from 1989-to-1992.

       
Survivors include his wife, Lisa, and three children.  

Click here to visit the "30: In Memoriam" page.