Mona Winberg, CM (27 January 1932 – 19 January 2009) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

journalist and disability rights activist. Concerned over policies that discuss disabilities or promote accessibility and independence, Winberg began writing for the Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy and eventually became the first disabled person to serve as president of the organization. In the 1980s, she approached the ''

Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices is located at Pos ...

'' about the lack of media coverage on disability issues and they hired her to write a weekly column. She was honored with the King Clancy Award and was inducted into the

Terry Fox Hall of Fame The Canadian Disability Hall of Fame (formerly the Terry Fox Hall of Fame), recognizes "outstanding Canadians who have made extraordinary contributions to enriching the quality of life for people with physical disabilities". It is run by the Canadia ...

by the Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons and a recipient of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

Early life

Mona Fleur Winberg was born on 27 January 1932 in

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, Ontario, Canada to Sarah (née Sadie Keller) and Max Winberg. She was the fourth and final child in the family. Her father, a farmer, was born in Poland and her mother, a telephone operator, was born in Hungary. Both were Jewish. Soon after birth, Winberg was diagnosed with

athetoid cerebral palsy Athetoid cerebral palsy, or dyskinetic cerebral palsy (sometimes abbreviated ADCP), is a type of cerebral palsy primarily associated with damage, like other forms of CP, to the basal ganglia in the form of lesions that occur during brain developm ...

and her parents were encouraged to place her in an institution. Her mother refused and raised her at home and though Winberg had mobility problems and limited speech and hearing, she attended Wellesley Orthopaedic School. Her father died in 1944, requiring her mother to take a job in the office of the

Young Men's Hebrew Association A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social, and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish culture and heritage through holiday celebrations, ...

. Her widowed maternal grandmother, Fannie (née Weis) Keller, moved in with the family to help raise the children. After completing eighth grade, Winberg was refused entry to high school, until Central Commerce High School agreed to allow her to

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classes part-time, as long as she did not appear on the official school roster. Completing her high school studies in 1952, she enrolled in journalism courses through the extension program of the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

, which she completed in 1954.

Career

That same year, Winberg began her career working as a payroll clerk for Corbrook Sheltered Workshop, a recreational center and supervised work center for adults with cerebral palsy. She remained there for fourteen years. At the beginning of the 1960s, Winberg began contributing articles to the Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy's newsletter. In 1972, she became the first disabled person to serve as president of the organization. In the mid-1970s, she worked as the editor of ''Contact Magazine'' and became known for her advocacy of self-reliant living for disabled people through her many speaking engagements throughout the country. By the 1980s, she was advocating before the

Canadian Parliament The Parliament of Canada (french: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, the ...

for equal rights for the disabled community and pressing for improved accessibility to public facilities. Because little mainstream media coverage was devoted to disability issues, Winberg contacted the ''

'' in 1986 and proposed writing a weekly column. The newspaper accepted her proposal and her column ''Disabled Today'' appeared in the Sunday edition of the paper for the next decade. In 1988, she was honored for her column when the Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons bestowed the King Clancy Award upon her. In 1995, she was inducted into the

Canadian Disability Hall of Fame The Canadian Disability Hall of Fame (formerly the Terry Fox Hall of Fame), recognizes "outstanding Canadians who have made extraordinary contributions to enriching the quality of life for people with physical disabilities". It is run by the Canadia ...

. Her last ''Disabled Today'' column was written in 1999, and in 2002, she was awarded the

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

Adrienne Clarkson Adrienne Louise Clarkson (; ; born February 10, 1939) is a British Hong Kong, Hong Kong-born Canadian journalist who served from 1999 to 2005 as Governor General of Canada, the List of Governors General of Canada#Governors General of Canada, 1 ...

. She spent the next several years working on a compilation that would bring together the articles she had published in ''Disabled Today'' and her life story.

Death and legacy

Winberg died on 19 January 2009 from complications with pneumonia. Posthumously, her book ''Solitary Courage: Mona Winberg and the Triumph over Disability'' was published by Blue Butterfly Books.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Winberg, Mona 1932 births 2009 deaths Activists from Toronto University of Toronto alumni Canadian disability rights activists Members of the Order of Canada Canadian people of Hungarian-Jewish descent Canadian Disability Hall of Fame Canadian women journalists Journalists from Toronto Writers from Toronto Canadian people of Polish-Jewish descent Canadian women activists Toronto Sun people Canadian columnists Canadian women columnists 20th-century Canadian journalists 20th-century Canadian women writers