Beryl Potter was a British-born Canadian disability rights activist. She was involved in many disability rights organizations in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

including the Trans-Action Coalition, the Scarborough Recreation Club for Disabled Adults, the Ontario Action Awareness Association, and the Coalition on Employment Equity for Persons with Disabilities (CEEPD). Potter was a triple

amputee Amputation is the removal of a limb or other body part by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is ...

and was blind in one eye as a result of complications due to a fall at work.

Career

Prior to becoming an amputee, Potter worked as a manager at a Kresge's department store and, later, the Women's Bakery at St. Clair Avenue in the

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

suburb of

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

Activism

In the early 1970s, Potter was involved in demonstrations lobbying for " parallel transit" in Toronto as part of the Trans-Action Coalition. Potter helped to organize a volunteer service of converted, wheelchair accessible vans to provide door-to-door transit for disabled persons. She later lobbied for the

Toronto Transit Commission The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the primary public transport agency in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operating the majority of the city's transit bus, bus and rail services. It is the oldest and largest of the urban transit service providers ...

(TTC) to take over the program with appropriate funding, trained drivers, and dedicated vehicles. This initiative evolved into Toronto's WheelTrans program in 1975. The TTC did not officially take over the WheelTrans program until 1989. Potter stepped down as chairperson of the Trans-Action Coalition in 1989. Potter formed the Scarborough Recreation Club for Disabled Adults in 1976. Potter was a co-founder of the Coalition on Employment Equity for Persons with Disabilities (CEEPD). She was also the founder of the Ontario Action Awareness Association, an association also referred to as Action Awareness. In April 1986, Potter led activists from across Canada to protest the inadequacies of the federal employment equity legislation known as Bill C-62 in Ottawa. Potter was forcibly removed from the gallery of the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

after a verbal outcry against claims made by

Flora MacDonald Flora MacDonald (1722 – 5 March 1790) is best known for helping Charles Edward Stuart evade government troops after the Battle of Culloden in April 1746. Her family had generally backed the government during the 1745 Rising, and MacDonald l ...

. MacDonald, speaking on behalf of then-Prime Minister

Brian Mulroney Martin Brian Mulroney (March 20, 1939 – February 29, 2024) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studi ...

, claimed that the government had attempted to consult disability rights organizations, including sending a letter to Potter. Potter, from the back of the gallery, yelled "My name is Beryl Potter and I've received no such letter!".

Politics

In 1985, Potter was approached to run in the provincial election in Ontario. She declined due to commitments to her involvement with Action Awareness. In 1990, Potter ran as the liberal candidate in Beaches-Woodbine to be a Member of the Provincial Parliament (MPP) of Ontario. Potter lost to NDP candidate

Frances Lankin Frances Lankin, (born April 16, 1954), is a former Canadian senator, former president and CEO of United Way Toronto, and a former Ontario MPP and cabinet minister in the NDP government of Bob Rae between 1990 and 1995. From 2010 to 2012, she ...

Personal life

Potter was born in Liverpool, but lived most of her life in the Toronto district of

, after moving there in 1954. She had three children with husband Victor Carter: Dianne Juda, Victor Carter Sr., and Dennis Potter. Potter was a triple

. She had both legs and one arm amputated after complications due to

blood clots A thrombus ( thrombi) is a solid or semisolid aggregate from constituents of the blood (platelets, fibrin, red blood cells, white blood cells) within the circulatory system during life. A blood clot is the final product of the blood coagulati ...

from a fall while working at the bakery and subsequent

phlebitis Phlebitis (or venitis) is inflammation of a vein, usually in the legs. It most commonly occurs in superficial veins. Phlebitis often occurs in conjunction with thrombosis (clotting inside blood vessels) and is then called thrombophlebitis or ...

due to a car accident. Potter also became blind in one eye as a result of doctors using iodine, which Potter was allergic to, to treat an infection. During the six-year period in which Potter was undergoing surgeries to deal with these health conditions, Potter became addicted to pain killers and was left by her husband. Because her legs were not amputated at the same length, Potter later developed uneven wheelchair posture and ensuing complications with pain and swelling. Potter died on May 1, 1998, at the age of 71.

Awards

Potter was made a member of the

Order of Ontario The Order of Ontario is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the Advice (constitutional), advice of the Executive Council ...

in 1988 for her work as a disability rights activist. The same year, Potter was awarded a

King Clancy Francis Michael "King" Clancy (February 25, 1902 – November 8, 1986) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, referee, coach and executive. Clancy played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Ottawa Senators and Toronto ...

Award for her contributions to disability rights. In 1994, Potter was inducted into the Terry Fox Hall of Fame alongside Arnold Boldt, Rev. Robert Rumball, and William Cameron. Potter was made a

member of the Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

in 1996.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, Beryl 1998 deaths 20th-century Canadian women Members of the Order of Canada Members of the Order of Ontario Activists from Liverpool People from Scarborough, Ontario Canadian Disability Hall of Fame Canadian amputees Canadian blind people Ontario Liberal Party candidates in Ontario provincial elections Women in Ontario politics English emigrants to Canada Canadian wheelchair users Canadian activists with disabilities Canadian disability rights activists