Write With Dignity
Rush helped prepare this media guide on respectful reporting about people with disabilities for the League of Human Dignity.
Bill Rush combined determination, journalism and advocacy throughout his life. Born with cerebral palsy, he developed ways to communicate, earned a journalism degree with distinction, wrote about disability and independent living, and became an influential voice in Nebraska’s disability-rights community.
A life built around communication
Rush was born in Omaha and later lived in Lincoln. Encouraged by his parents, James and Lois Rush, he pursued writing from an early age and learned to use his journalistic skills both to tell his own story and to advocate for others.
He graduated with distinction in journalism in 1983. His professional and volunteer work included writing for the League of Human Dignity newsletter On the Level, peer counseling through the Independent Living Center, producing public-information materials, and serving in disability-rights leadership roles in Nebraska.
Rush married Christine Robinson in 1999 after working to change state rules that could otherwise have forced him to choose between marriage and Medicaid coverage for essential disability-related services. Together they designed an accessible home in Lincoln.
Advocacy through journalism
Rush described disability issues as both personal and professional. He worked with individuals and families, prepared materials for public use, served on the board of Nebraska Advocacy Services, and participated in state-level work related to service coordination and developmental disabilities.
“I have enjoyed using my journalistic expertise to empower people with disabilities and their families.”— William L. Rush
Autobiography
Journey Out of Silence
First published in 1986, Journey Out of Silence follows Rush from childhood through his graduation from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The book places his experiences in the larger context of social attitudes, accessibility, education and the struggle for full participation in society.
A second edition returned the book to print and preserved Rush’s account for a new generation. An audiobook edition was released in 2022. The third edition is now available.
Resources
Our Life Our Way
Rush continued documenting his life after Journey Out of Silence. That later work became Our Life Our Way: A Memoir of Active Faith, Profound Love and Courageous Disability Rights, written with Christine F. Robinson and published after his death.
Additional links
William Louis Rush — Wikipedia
Biographical overview, bibliography, selected articles and references.
Lincoln Journal-Star 2004
William Rush, quadriplegic activist, dies at 49
Nebraska Authors — William Louis Rush
Author profile from the Nebraska Authors collection.
Legacy
Rush’s work joined personal narrative with practical advocacy. His writing focused attention on the barriers created by public policy, inaccessible systems and social expectations while emphasizing independence, dignity and the right of people with disabilities to direct their own lives. His books and advocacy continue to document an important period in the disability-rights movement before and after passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.