Justin Clark, a man of extraordinary perseverance and courage, dies at 58

Justin Clark, a man who never learned to take no for an answer, died Thursday at the age of 58.

Born in 1962 with cerebral palsy,  unable to walk or talk, he leaves a legacy few Canadians will ever match.

Clark became a pioneer in the fight for the rights of disabled people–determined that they should be treated as full-fledged human beings.

After spending his youth at the now-closed Rideau Regional Centre in Smiths Falls, Ontario, he decided that he wanted to control his life.

He sued his parents for the right to leave the institution they had placed him in as a child.

“The 6 day trial began in November 1982 in Perth, Ontario,” writes Anoop Kalsi in her review of the proceeding, published in Dec. 2018.

“Justin testified by pointing to a board filled with symbols, a bliss board, which read his answers aloud. This was the first time a bliss board was used in a Canadian court,” writes Kalsi, a paralegal at Baker Law in Toronto, whose senior partner David Baker had represented Clark.

“When Justin finished his testimony, his parents stood up from their seats and applauded,” writes Kalsi, adding: “You can read Justin’s testimony in the unpublished manuscript written by Audrey Cole and Melanie Panitch in PDF here and in text here.”

The ramifiations of the stand Clark took and the decision Judge John Matheson made nearly 40 years have had a profound effect on–and for–Canadians.

Following the ruling, guardianship laws were re-examined, and in some provinces, rewritten. 

Disabled people are no longer “put away.”

And more and more, a disabled person–not his guardian–gets to make the important decisions that affect his or her life--though that fight continues.

And anyone who ever met him or had their life changed because of him is not about to forget Justin Clark and his victory in that courtroom back in 1982.

Here’s something from the website of British Columbia’s Community Ventures Society.

“The example Clark set is one that we should all be thankful for,” says the post.

“He took a bold step to change the course of his life and the lives of many others. He has clearly experienced the benefits of this and we’re sure many others have as well.”

In November 2018, Clark was the subject of a radio feature by Montreal-based CBC journalist David Gutnick. 

“Today, at 56, Clark is thriving. He has travelled widely — to Germany, Switzerland, France and to visit a brother in the United States. He sees his siblings and friends regularly, and corresponds with them by email,” Gutnick reported.

“He loves his job at ComputerWise, where he designs greeting cards and calendars. Once or twice a week, he plays bocce at the gymnasium of an Ottawa rehab centre.”

Clark leaves an extraordinary legacy.

In an obituary and tribute to Clark published Friday in the Ottawa Citizen, Kelly Egan quotes Clark’s dear friend Robbie Giles, who first met Clark when he was a 10 and living at the Rideau Regional Centre.

“I just fell in love with the wonderful soul that he was. You just knew, there is something going on behind those eyes.,” Giles told Egan.

Egan continues:

“For most of his adult life, he lived in a group home called Ottawa Foyers Partage in suburban Ottawa. Despite having to use a heavy motorized wheelchair, he travelled all over Canada and the world — trips that usually had a hiccup or two.

“He was a frequent speaker at conferences or church groups, using a combination of video and audio to tell his story. Remarkably, he was not bitter about his station in life or the way he’d been separated from his family as a child.

“’I know he was a happy person,’ said Giles, noting that Justin liked the odd rum and coke. ‘I think he had to struggle with what he was dealt with. But I think of the trips we went on, the hilarity. He loved being with people, experiencing everything that life could give him.’”

“‘In fact, ‘I go forward’ was a phrase he often used, a kind of life motto.'”

With files from CBC News (David Gutnick), Ottawa Citizen (Kelly Egan)