Louis Arthur Michaux

MICHAUX, Louis Arthur, 74, died Tuesday, October 21, 2008, at his home in Richmond, Va. He was the beloved husband of Carol Wilson Michaux. Born October 6, 1934 in Richmond, he was the son of the late William W. and Nancy Arthur Michaux, who were determined, in spite of being born with Cerebral Palsy, to give him as normal a childhood as possible. Having a facile and inquisitive mind trapped in an unresponsive body, he eagerly attended St. Christopher's School on an oversized tricycle, known throughout his Westhampton neighborhood as "Michauxmobile," fabricated for him by his father. The elder Mr. Michaux, an inventor, also fabricated, over Louis's electric typewriter keyboard, a metal covering perforated with a finger-sized hole above each key enabling him to type his school papers, one finger and one letter at a time. In 1953, several months before graduating from Thomas Jefferson High School, he won first place in Virginia in the National Employment of the Physically Handicapped essay contest, and shared fourth place in the national contest. On April 22 of that year, he traveled with his family to Washington, D.C. to receive his share of the prize money. It was the first year that a Virginian had placed as a prize winner. His essay "The Physically Handicapped - A National Asset" stressed the contribution that 18,000,000 handicapped Americans can make to the national economy and life, proving his point via an Office of Vocational Rehabilitation study in which 98% of employers reported that the handicapped had either the same or a lower accident rate than the able-bodied. He earned a degree in journalism from Richmond Professional Institute, now Virginia Commonwealth University in 1957. Four years later, he earned a master's degree from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education ...all without being able to hold a pen. He enjoyed saying that he was the world's only college graduate who could not write his own name. It was the combination of his steel-trap mind, pluck and determination that gave him the ability to achieve that which to others would be unachievable. The transition from life as a student, to that of an adult with no prospects, transformed him into a champion for the rights of the disabled, wherever and whenever he could. By 1967, he had created and organized the Adult Development Center for the Physically Handicapped, domiciled initially in the basement of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, and had convinced St. Paul's and the United Way to fund the bulk of its financial needs. The Center was his solution for enabling physically handicapped adults, who languished with nothing to do after finishing their schooling, to leave their homes each week day and within his or her physical handicap realize and achieve his/her greatest human potential, including the restoration or development of a sense of self-worth. The Center, as he envisioned it, was to provide two important components missing in the lives of many adult handicapped: activities, which are not only recreational, but also therapeutic, and friends of all ages. He continued for many years to battle for the disabled both as Program Director for the Center, and in the early 80's by writing a book to raise awareness of the importance to the handicapped of graded corner curbs, handicapped accessible vehicles, ramps, electronic- opening doors, and removing all architectural barriers. In the 25 intervening years, most of the improvements for which he advocated have come to be standard. He also was a candidate for Richmond City Council. Mr. Michaux's
This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.