James "J.T." Templeton

KAYE BENEKE

James 'J.T.' Templeton

Longtime advocate for those with disabilities died Monday.

By Christina Rosales

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Updated: 12:31 a.m. Friday, Jan. 29, 2010

Published: 9:56 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010

James "J.T." Templeton, born with cerebral palsy and housed for 30 years in a Texas mental institution, wished for an ordinary life. But his advocacy for those with disabilities made his life extraordinary, his friends said.

Templeton died Monday . He was 59.

"Working with him helped develop and open my eyes to the civil rights struggle that people with disabilities are fighting," said Spencer Duran , a project specialist with the Accessible Housing Austin advocacy group.

Templeton moved out of the Austin State School in 1986, following a landmark federal lawsuit filed in 1974 against what was then the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. In the 1990s, he was part of a group that sued the City of Austin to make parks and facilities more accessible. He joined protesters who took over former Gov. Ann Richards' office in September 1991 to urge lawmakers to spend money for state schools on community-based initiatives for the disabled instead.

His close friend Stephanie Thomas said Templeton spoke to numerous lawmakers, including a U.S. Senate committee, and became a "voice for those with disabilities."

Templeton had numerous health problems, including respiratory infections. His partner of 14 years and fellow activist, Karen Greebon , died in 2005.

"He taught me a lot about how people with speech disabilities are not paid attention to," Thomas said. "Anyone can have opinions about how they want to live. They might not write a doctoral thesis about it, but they can make decisions for themselves."

Thomas said Templeton had a fierce activist spirit but a gentle soul. Duran said Templeton was the voice of reason and experience in pushing for affordable housing on Accessible Housing Austin's board of directors.

"People with disabilities are thought of as a barrier to affordability," Duran said. "They have been excluded in the development process."

Thomas said Templeton shared his story of being dependent on and discouraged by workers at the Austin State School who told him he could not make it in the "real world" so lawmakers could see how their decisions affect real people.

"His advocacy for himself and other people and getting out of the state school was an uphill battle," Thomas said. "He looked toward what he wanted to do and kept working for it."

crosales@statesman.com; 445-3766

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