Diane Coleman Transitioning to New Role as CEO of Not Dead Yet in August
Most readers of this blog and anyone else who is familiar with NDY knows that Diane Coleman is the founder and President of the group.
On August 1, 2011, Diane Coleman will transition to a new role as the full time President/CEO Chief Executive Officer of Not Dead Yet. She has served as its volunteer President since its inception, while simultaneously working first as the Executive Director of Progress Center for Independent Living in Forest Park, Illinois, and then relocating to Rochester in 2008 to serve as the Assistant Director of Advocacy at the Center for Disability Rights (CDR). She became CDR’s Director of Advocacy in March 2010.
This is a day Diane has worked for and dreamed about since 1996. The need for full-time outside employment means that the major contributions she’s made in terms of analysis, writing, organizing and teaching have all been done in her “spare time.” Until recently, she – and I – figured that her full-time devotion to NDY would have to wait for her “retirement.” Thanks to new contributions, including a very significant one from a donor who has been a strong supporter for several years, that dream will become a reality on August 1st.
Until now, Not Dead Yet has been able to afford only one staff member – me – to write NDY’s blog, maintain a general online presence and handle the bulk of NDY-related media work.
The complex politics of the assisted suicide issue placed serious limits on its financial resources. NDY’s initial concerns focused on the disability discrimination inherent in a society which labels some suicides as tragedies to be prevented, and others as “death with dignity” to be assisted, while denying people who are old, ill or disabled the long term services and supports they need. Proponents of assisted suicide have often claimed that their only opposition comes from “right wing religious, pro-life” groups, so NDY’s bylaws preclude it from accepting funding from such groups.
As health care policy has evolved, NDY has also addressed the issue of third party decisions to withhold life-sustaining medical treatment. “We’re especially concerned about health care providers who pressure people or even make unilateral decisions to withhold treatment,” says Diane. “It’s becoming increasingly urgent that we expand our efforts to educate and assist the disability rights community to weigh in on the public policy issues at stake. ‘Nothing about us without us’ is a matter of life and death in this context.”
CDR, Diane’s employer for the last three years, has long supported NDY. For example, ten Rochester disability rights activists attended the trial of Jack Kevorkian that put him behind bars. Largely unknown to the general public, the majority of Kevorkian’s victims were people with non-terminal disabilities. Since 2008, CDR has provided NDY its headquarters office as well as technology and administrative supports, and that affiliation will continue after Diane moves into her new role as NDY’s President and CEO.
All this means that there are major changes with NDY starting August 1. Some changes will be apparent fairly soon. You’ll see a little more of Diane on this blog. (Careful readers might have noted that this entry doesn’t sound like my usual “voice” – I’m working from a document written by Diane.)
Diane brings experience, deep understanding, institutional knowledge and analytical skills related to assisted suicide, euthanasia and other public policy issues to NDY on a full-time basis – including on this blog. .
At least for the first weeks, I’ll be trying to devote more of my time to expanding NDY’s online presence and look at ways to provide free materials and paid merchandise – things many people have been asking about. I’ll have more time to try to catch up from where I am in terms of the new social networking opportunities that present themselves for groups like NDY.
This is a very exciting time. Diane is getting to do the work she’s wanted to do – and that she is meant to do.
And I’ll still be here, too. –Stephen Drake
Congrats! I’m so glad for this new paid work! It’s fabulous that a CIL is so supportive and helped yall anyway they could. This may raise the bar so other CILS will host or assist NDY local chapters & part of their goals. Great job getting a funding stream to pay for both yall!
It always makes work better when paid to do such work. Yeah Yall! Hugs Zan
Fabulous! And just in the nick of time.
Hip hip hooray.