Paul S. Miller, a lawyer and disability rights advocate, passed away on October 19 at his home on Mercer Island, Washington. The cause of his death was cancer. Miller was 49.
Miller, who was born with dwarfism, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Law School. He was a commissioner at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for ten years and an advisor to Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
Miller was a professor at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he directed the disabilities studies program. He was also an expert on genetic science who wrote about social and ethical issues in the Human Genome Project. Miller was born in New York and grew up on Long Island.
James Weisman, general counsel for United Spinal Association, met Miller shortly after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), when Miller’s job was to recruit people with disabilities into the Clinton Administration. The last time Weisman saw Miller was at a 20th anniversary celebration of the ADA.
“He was an amazing example of never underestimate people with disabilities. He was brilliant and funny with a very ironic sense of humor,” said Weisman. “He could have gone out and been a zillionaire. He dedicated his life to making the world a better place.”
Andrew Imparato, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the American Association of People with Disabilities, said Miller was dedicated to alternative dispute resolution and networking within the civil rights community.
Imparato, who worked for Miller for three years at the EEOC, credits Miller with bringing leaders from the disability community into key positions in the Clinton and Obama Administrations.
“Paul really made sure there were appointees with disabilities all over the administration. A lot of the good stuff that happened during the Clinton Administration happened because of those roles,” he said.
“He just did a very good job at building and cultivating a network not just in the disability community but also the civil rights community,” Imparato added.
Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, extended his condolences to Miller’s family and friends.
“Paul’s influence in the area of disability law and employment discrimination was far-reaching and profound,” said Henderson. “Instead of accepting the role that society had defined for him, Paul dared us to better ourselves and to recognize the tremendous contributions that people with disabilities have and will continue to make to this country. For that, we are deeply grateful.”
President Obama released a statement saying, “In a world where persons with disabilities are still too often told ‘you can’t,’ Paul spent his life proving the opposite. He dedicated his life to a world more fair and more equal, and an America where all are free to pursue their full measure of happiness – and all of us are better off for it.”
Miller leaves behind his wife, Jennifer Coletti Mechem, his daughters, Naomi and Delia, and several sisters and brothers.
This article was published in the December 2010 issue of Able News. Photo by the University of Washington.
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