Paul Hunt (1937 – 1979) was an early disability rights activist and leader of disabled people's campaigns in the UK against residential institutions and for independent living. He was born on 9 March 1937 in Angmering, Sussex, with an impairment and he died aged 42 years in London, on 12 July 1979. His work and political influence is now cited in academic and political writings.
Hunt disliked having his photograph taken and shunned publicity. It was only after his death that the impact of his writings, campaigning, leadership, and achievements began to be documented.
Early life
Paul Hunt had six sisters. His mother taught him to read, and he attended the local church primary school for girls, followed by a mixed junior school. When he was eleven years old he was moved to start living in institutions. The first of these was St Mary's residential School for Handicapped Children in Bexhill-on-Sea. In 1951, aged 14 years, he broke a leg outside the family church while at home from school on the summer holiday. His father improvised his first wheelchair and he continued living at home for a few months, but soon he was moved to stay full-time at the Queen Mary's Hospital in Carshalton where he took his 'O level' exams two years later. Aged 16 years and no longer classed as a child he was moved again, to an adult hospital in London.
"Founded on Failure", BBC
By the age of 18 years old Paul Hunt had been living in a "chronic" ward in St John's Hospital in Battersea, London, for two years, being left in bed most days - "amongst dying people, with no apparent future", and "He was surrounded by young lads dying ... and old men", wrote Judy Hunt (in archive papers, 2002, 2016).
It was here that he saw the Le Court residential home for disabled people being featured in a BBC TV documentary programme ("Founded on Failure", BBC, Tues 27 September 1955, 19:30hrs). There was also an accompanying article in the Radio Times, which included the statement that Le Court was a place where "discarded wrecks regained their self-respect". Despite such attitudes, Paul Hunt saw his chance to escape and he pressed hard for the authorities to transfer him there.
Le Court
Le Court, now demolished, was near the towns of Liss and Petersfield in Hampshire, UK, and it was a residential institution run for disabled people. It was founded by Group Captain Leonard Cheshire after the Second World War, later becoming the Cheshire Foundation charity.
Paul Hunt became a resident (initially known as "patients" when he first arrived) at Le Court. He arrived there when he was 19 years old in July 1956 and by November that year he had been elected the treasurer of the Patients Welfare Committee. For eight years he was the chair or vice-chair of the Le Court Residents Committee. He left Le Court in 1970, after living there for 14 years and, with other residents, having changed its ethos substantially. He was 33 years old.
Early campaigning
Within two years of arriving at Le Court, aged 21 years, Paul Hunt was actively involved in campaigning for the rights of disabled people. Papers in his archived Collection show he is negotiating for "patients" rights with the Chair of the Management Committee of Le Court in July and August 1958. In the 1960s he is involved with the Disablement Income Group (DIG) including a rare press photograph of him leading a DIG march and rally at Trafalgar Square, and he is in correspondence with the National Campaign for the Young Chronic Sick and with the General Secretary of the National Council for Civil Liberties (as was). Judy Hunt noted later (archive papers) that in the early 1960s Paul had a particular interest in the Civil Rights Movement run by Black people in the US, and that he found this analysis of discrimination and oppression to be a useful social tool.
Books
Paul Hunt edited a book - Stigma - with chapters written by twelve disabled people which was published in 1966 by Geoffrey Chapman. Paul Hunt wrote the last of the chapters - A Critical Condition. In letters in 1964 asking certain disabled people to contribute a chapter each, Paul Hunt wrote:
"The book is intended as a forum where disabled people can reflect in depth on their situation. We are asking not for details of living with a particular disability or of practical difficulties connected with it, but rather for a discussion of what the basic fact of being disabled means in terms of personal and social problems, of relations with 'normal' society, and so on." (quoted in Stigma Review, Judy Hunt, 2007 - archive papers)