We are very sad to report that our longtime friend and colleague, Neil Jacobson, died on May 10, 2023, at his home in Oakland, California. Neil was a committed disability rights advocate and a supreme optimist. When someone told him that something was too complex, expensive, or impractical, he unfailingly said, “Why?” He insisted that it was possible to achieve any goal by simply persevering and believing in the righteousness of its purpose. He ended every email and conversation by saying, “Go, go, go!” That drive, tenacity, and, yes, stubbornness enabled Neil to convince his wife and life partner, Denise, to marry him and to persuade the social service bureaucracy that they should adopt their son, David. Neil himself acknowledged that his life was filled with joy and happiness. During Neil’s memorial service, family members recalled him saying, “I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”
Neil with his son David and wife Denise
Neil grew up in New York before communities were accessible to wheelchair users and when kids with cerebral palsy and significant speech limitations like him were frequently institutionalized. Neil’s parents, themselves immigrants and Holocaust survivors, refused to follow the medical advice of the time, and he remained at home. He excelled in public schools and later majored in Computer Science at the University of California Berkeley where he encountered old New York friends, early leaders and activists in the Disability Rights and Independent Living Movements. This burgeoning social justice environment spurred him to co-found the Computer Training Program (CTP) at the Berkeley Center for Independent Living, which was later renamed the Computer Technology Program. The program, which became an international model, fulfilled in part his lifelong vision of preparing disabled people for professional employment and economic independence.
Neil went on to work at Wells Fargo Bank, rising in the ranks to become a Senior Vice-President of Information Technology (IT). In this capacity, his advocacy helped numerous disability groups, including DREDF, successfully solicit financial support during fund-raising campaigns. He also urged the bank to hire disabled people and acted as a liaison with groups helping people find employment. After a 29-year career with the bank, he retired in 2009. Although he was a banking professional for much of his life, he always remained a disability advocate. He served on the board of directors of the World Institute on Disability (WID) for many years and founded the non-profit Abilicorp after retirement Its mission was to initiate and promote Disabled Owned Businesses (DOBEs).
Dear old friend may your memory be a blessing.
Read more about Neil:
East Bay Times, Hometown Hero: Neil Jacobson, a leader in the independent living movement
Crip Camp. Directed by Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht.
I knew and worked with Neil at Wells Fargo in the 1980’s and was happy to have reconnected with him just last year. Neil was a great guy, I had a lot of fun with him.
RIP Neil.
I knew Neil in the early days of the 1980’s. He and I worked together. He was a passionate, brilliant man. I loved how he met and married the love of his life, Denise. Watching them perform the traditional Jewish marriage ceremony from their wheelchairs, was a delight.
I hope you found peace and happiness on the other side, Neil.
Your friend,
Fred Hudgin
I recently watched Crip Camp as a choice for an assignment in my college class. I was amazed at all the people involved and Neil was one of them. I admired their toughness, their ability to make changes, their successess, and the long-lasting friendships they made. I’ve been looking up the main people from the documentary and am sorry to read of Neil’s death. RIP — you did good here on earth and earned your heavenly wings.
I met Neil in CDR events years ago. He was a great advocate for the disabled. I missed him!