Becky Llewellyn – Author of ‘Handicapped’

Becky Llewellyn, the wife of the late great South Australian disability advocate Richard Llewellyn AM, has recently released her first book, ‘Handicapped’.

When polio struck 20-year-old Richard Llewelyn in 1957, he had a year in an iron lung to figure out how to live. In ‘Handicapped’, professional composer Becky Llewellyn, Richard’s wife and carer, reveals the inside story of her 32 years with Richard in a time before support services and basic human rights for people with disability.

Her memoir brings out the rich, but unknown history of Australian disability activists starting in the 1970s and 80s who fought to create a more open society and began to shrug off the ‘handicapped’ label that had kept them down.

Becky, the inaugural Chair of Access2Arts and Director of Disability Consultancy Services in Adelaide, chatted with us about her educational and inspiring book:

Tell us a bit about ‘Handicapped’

I was married to Richard Llewellyn, a name familiar to you in South Australian disability arts, but who was he? ‘Handicapped’ fills in a lot of gaps about Richard and my 32 years married to him.

Richard had a colourful story, coming from a year in an iron lung as a young man 95% paralysed with poliomyelitis. Released from Northfield Infectious Diseases Hospital, he found there was no access, no education, no employment and certainly no independent living options. He created small businesses at first with his first wife Kate and then we fell in love in 1972. From the late 1970s, Richard and others formed a local disability advocacy movement that had major impacts on the national stage.

What was the main inspiration for writing ‘Handicapped’?

I’ve given the book an intentionally provocative title to make people think about who actually has the limitation. Most minority groups around the world take a strong interest in their origin story and their early leaders, how they began to organise to improve their situation and highlight disadvantage to the wider society. Do we know that story around disability activism?

Many of our friends with disabilities whose contributions deserve to be known had shortened lives, so I wrote a story bringing these leaders to life, weaving it into my 32 years with Richard. ‘Handicapped’ is a detailed social history of the capable group of South Australians with disabilities in the 1970s and 80s who raised awareness and changed limiting institutional paradigms. This is a story told by me as both a witness and a participant.

What do you hope that readers who don’t identify as disabled take away from your book?

It is a kind of double memoir of both Richard and myself. Depending on your perspective, it shows what it was like to live with severe physical disabilities and the adaptability needed to be a carer before support services started. It is also a story of family life, which is not much written about by people living with disability. Early readers have found it brought laughs, tears, inspiration and insights – so something for everyone.

And what do you hope that disabled readers take away from your book?

Of course, everyone’s story is different. This is our story, told by me twenty years after Richard died. I hope that disabled readers can identify with the everyday struggles of life and take pride in the early pioneers who worked to break down barriers in all aspects of life. I also hope it gives a sense of roots to people today to know their local story of disability advocacy and provides a springboard of passion to continue creating change.

How do you see the future of disability arts?

Richard believed that the most interesting art came from the edges of society, from artists who lived with discrimination and marginalisation. Given all the barriers he faced, Richard felt most at home with artists. He had a real sense of belonging in the arts community which included him and encouraged him to be more himself. I am a long-time supporter of the wonderful creativity found in all disability artforms. There is still much for artists with disabilities to reveal, provoke, surprise and delight, and I look forward to what emerges in the future.

‘Handicapped’ is available in print at Dymocks and as a digital book on Amazon and Kobo.

You can learn more about Richard Llewellyn here.