Deidre Davis Butler (September 26, 1955 – August 7, 2020), born Deidre Ann Davis, was an American
disability rights activist and federal official.
Early life
Davis was born in
, and raised in nearby
Linden,
the daughter of Hilton Davis and Bernice Jones Davis.
Her mother was a teacher and her father was a lawyer. In childhood, a spinal tumor and the surgeries to treat it affected her ability to walk; she used leg braces and canes as a girl, and a wheelchair later in life. She attended
Brandeis University as an undergraduate, and
Howard University School of Law
Howard University School of Law (Howard Law or HUSL) is the law school of Howard University, a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is one of the oldest law schools in the country and the oldes ...
, completing her
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
degree in 1980.
She was a member of
Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen stud ...
sorority.
Career
Davis worked in state and national disability programs as a young lawyer, beginning at
Rehabilitation International
Rehabilitation International (RI Global) is an international disability rights organization with member organizations in every region of the world. The RI secretariat is located in New York City.
Founded in 1922, RI is a network of people with di ...
in New York in 1980.
In 1987, she worked at the
United States Department of Education. She was involved in drafting the
Air Carrier Access Act and the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), among other important legislation for accessibility and disability rights.
"I was one of the very few people of color in the inner layers of helping to draft the ADA, implement it, enforce it from all different perspectives," she told
NPR's
Michel Martin in 2010.
Davis served in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel from 1995 to 2001, and was head of the ADA Technical Assistance Division at the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She traveled extensively, overseeing civil rights compliance at American embassies overseas. In 2005, she became director of ADA services for
Walmart.
She retired from Walmart in 2012.
Butler was founder of DYSability Dynamics, LLC, a disability law consulting firm.
She served on the boards of the
National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), the Howard University Center on Minorities with Disabilities, and the National Black Disability Coalition.
She was awarded NCIL's
Max Starkloff Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020, just before she died. The day before she died, she was listed as a featured panelist in an online event sponsored by the State of New Jersey, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the ADA.
"Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the ADA Striving for Equity and Inclusion"
Panel Discussion (August 6, 2020).
Personal life
Deidre Davis married Juan K. Butler in 2015. She died August 7, 2020, in Rogers, Arkansas.
References
External links
A video interview with Deidre Davis Butler from July 2020
conducted by the Center For Independent Living of NorthWest Florida in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the ADA; on YouTube.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Deidre Davis
1955 births
2020 deaths
People from Elizabeth, New Jersey
People from Linden, New Jersey
Disability rights activists from the United States
New Jersey lawyers
Brandeis University alumni
Howard University School of Law alumni
Alpha Kappa Alpha members