Honours for an Activist

Bonnie Sherr Klein Receives Honorary Doctorate In the majestic Ryerson Theatre, before 2,000 graduates, faculty, family and friends, Bonnie Sherr Klein received Ryerson University’s highest award, an Honorary Doctor of Laws. Sitting astride her scooter, she was hooded by the chancellor and photographed with the president. It was a solemn moment, but coupled with great excitement.

Bonnie singled out the “new kids on the block” – the first nine graduates of Ryerson’s visionary program in Disability Studies. Looking beyond the stage to the single row they occupied, she spoke directly: “I share this honour with you!”

Born in the United States, Bonnie came to Canada with her husband to protest American involvement in the Vietnam War. What riches lay in store for Canadians as she brought her filmmaking talents and inquisitive mind north of the 49th parallel! Over two decades, she produced and directed 21 films for the National Film Board in Montreal. A lifelong activist, her films were characterized by her feminism (“Not a Love Story”) and passion for the eradication of nuclear weapons (“Speaking Our Peace”).

When, in 1987, a stroke transformed her life, Bonnie was cast, as she herself has described it, in “a leading role in a new documentary,” a new creative project, which, like the best of documentaries, “had no script.” Over the years she has chronicled that project in personal journals, a compelling book (“Slow Dance: A Story of Love, Stroke and Disability”), a CBC Radio series (“Gladys and Me,” about her scooter), public lectures and what she has called the “blossoming of a new culture of disability.”

In my citation I described her as a “passionate activist, a woman with a fierce thirst for life, an educator with a deep belief in social justice, and an artist whose vision encompasses unique intersecting angles of the human experience.” Bonnie then drove her scooter forward to receive the degree.

Just 24 hours earlier, a dilemma had presented itself: how would Bonnie and her scooter get on stage?

At the rehearsal the previous day, as Bonnie proceeded down the aisle and arrived at the stage, she was confronted by eight steps. One option was to park the scooter, and use the railing and the president’s arm to walk up the stairs. But, ever the activist, she was determined to be recognized in this prestigious event as a disabled woman on her scooter. She discovered she could use her scooter if she came in through the back of the stage. However, she would be trading the grittiness of backstage for the dignity of being part of the procession.

Fortunately, three university officials responsible for making sure convocation ran smoothly were present at the rehearsal. One suggested that Bonnie could be part of the procession if the entire party for this particular convocation entered backstage. And so, in the wings of the theatre, amongst the lighting equipment, props and paint cans, the dignitaries could be found on June 10, 2003, waiting until all the graduates had filed into their seats. They included the president, the chancellor, the chairman of Ryerson’s Board of Governors and the about-to-be-Dr. Bonnie Sherr Klein.

With the citation over and the degree conferred upon her, Bonnie turned her attention to the graduates. Here are a few highlights of her address:

“When we help others, we are at our most human; we feel good about ourselves. But that kind of satisfaction on its own will not sustain you over the long haul…A two-way relationship with the people you seek to help will bring you both insight and joy. There is wisdom in all those marginalized populations you serve, the perspective that comes precisely from being outside the centre or mainstream. When you see your client in a wheelchair dancing with her partner on her lap, you may recognize how much you can learn. As the midwives know, it is the birthing woman who is the leader, and the professional who follows…”

“I’ve learned, with difficulty, to slow down. And you know what? Slowing down is not a bad thing. Speed is not inherently a valuable goal. Those of us with limitations are forced to live a more conscious, more balanced life. It’s a trade-off for which I’m frankly grateful…”

“People with disabilities have enormous gifts to contribute to society when we are fully included, supported and welcomed to participate and lead. We have come to value diversity, not as a corporate PR slogan, but as the very essence of our lives. While others may see us as deficient or broken, we see ourselves as different – deliciously different. Our variety challenges dull standards of uniformity, false notions of perfection. Difference means options to explore… We know how to adapt. Besides being aesthetically pleasing and intellectually stimulating, variety is ecologically healthy and necessary. Our very survival as a species and ecosystem depends on it…”

Read Dr. Bonnie Sherr Klein’s full address on Ryerson’s website, www.ryerson.ca.