Greg Smith —“the wheelchair dude with attitude”— passed away on June 2 at age 52. He dedicated his life and career to increasing disability awareness through the media and public speaking.

Smith’s Encyclopedia.com entry reads, “As one of two children, Gregory Allen Smith was born to Jim and Adelia Barnes Smith on March 25, 1964 in Bay Springs, Mississippi. His mother was a language arts teacher; his father had been an All-America quarterback at Alcorn University and later coached high school sports and became an business executive. When Smith was 3 years old, the family moved to upstate New York after his father completed his master’s degree and went to work for Corning Glassworks. When Smith was in the fourth grade his father was transferred to Chicago, and Smith spent the rest of his childhood and teen years there.”

Broadcasting Pioneer

Smith was a pioneering disabled broadcaster who discovered his love for radio in high school while working as a play-by-play announcer for football, basketball and baseball games on the student radio station. Smith later attended Arizona State University, where he earned a bachelor of arts in broadcasting and became the sports director on the campus radio station. After graduation, Smith worked as the research and sales promotion director for KTAR/K-Lite Radio in Phoenix, and hosted Cardinal Talk, a call-in show that aired after NFL Cardinals games.

In 1992, Smith started On A Roll which began as a local AM radio show in Phoenix and despite significant obstacles and, at times, blatant resistance from mainstream media, expanded to air on more than 70 national stations over the next 11 years. In 1999, Smith spoke at the Congressional Black Caucus on disability issues for African Americans and started a web-based discussion group to discuss unique issues facing “double minority” groups. Smith was actively engaging in intersectional advocacy before most people were aware of the concept.

In June 1998, Smith caused a stir among the disability community by having Christopher Reeve, who had just been named vice chairman of the National Organization on Disability, on as a guest. Reeve, who had been paralyzed in a horse riding accident just three years earlier, was a controversial figure in the disability community at the time for his emphasis on curing paralysis rather than giving attention to larger societal and systemic concerns.

Smith told Ragged Edge that representatives for Reeve, who had made the request for Smith to conduct the interview, were concerned that “activists would call in and blast Chris. I assured him that I wanted this to be a bridge-building opportunity. … Activists ‘flamed’ me on the internet for even having Reeve on the show, but I think some people are too impatient. He’s only been a crip for three years. If given a chance to evolve, Smith surmised, “I think he’ll shift some of that media spotlight on the true disability experience, on disability rights, legislative issues and things that matter to the lives of all people with disabilities.”

Smith’s instincts were correct.

Award-Winning Commentator

His public radio commentaries — which aired bi-weekly on WYSO in Yellow Springs, Ohio for a year — won second place in the Public Radio News Director’s National Award for Smith’s December 1999 commentary about the animated film Toy Story 2, where a broken toy is rejected by the child who had previously adored it.

Smith later authored two books, his bestselling memoir, On A Roll: Reflections from America’s Wheelchair Dude with the Winning Attitude and Shut Up! Silencing the Negative Voice Within. A candid documentary detailing his life as a broadcaster, advocate and parent, On a Roll: Family, Disability & The American Dream aired on PBS stations around the nation in conjunction with Black History Month in 2005.

During celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26, 2015, Major League Baseball requested that all broadcasts of games that day highlight fans with disabilities in the stands, a campaign initiated by Smith.

“I have been watching baseball on TV my whole life and I have never seen one shot of a fan with a discernible disability,” Smith told The Washington Post. “This gesture by MLB is being celebrated by the disability community as a key milestone. TV time and acknowledgement of our community are important for us to develop disability pride and … put our spin on pop culture.”

On October 6, 2015 Smith had a stroke followed by two cardiac arrests that literally killed him. After resuscitation via CPR, the Mississippi Medicaid Waiver program rejected his request for financial assistance to fund 35 hours per week of personal care assistance because Greg once helped pay for his daughter’s tuition. While in intensive care, Greg was unable to respond to queries from Social Security Administration about income he earned as a speaker and the SSA suspended his benefits.

At the time of his passing, Smith was working on establishing a non-profit organization in Phoenix to serve as his production facility and residence. He wanted to leave a legacy that would continue producing disability-centered media and be made available to people with disabilities in need of transitional housing upon his death.

Greg Smith’s commitment to helping others develop their own disability pride and his trailblazing efforts as a disabled broadcaster and radio host have earned him a unique place in disability history — a history that he played a valuable role in both chronicling and shaping. He is survived by his parents, Jim and Adelia, two sons, Gregory Allen Smith, Jr., and Donovan James Smith, and a daughter, Berkeley Renee Smith.

---

Support New Mobility Wait! Before you wander off to other parts of the internet, please consider supporting New Mobility. For more than three decades, New Mobility has published groundbreaking content for active wheelchair users. We share practical advice from wheelchair users across the country, review life-changing technology and demand equity in healthcare, travel and all facets of life. But none of this is cheap, easy or profitable. Your support helps us give wheelchair users the resources to build a fulfilling life.