Remembering Stephen Hawking

When Stephen Hawking and I first met through our families’ common interest in autism, I respectfully addressed him as Professor Hawking. To be immediately (or as immediately as his then technology would allow) corrected: “Call me Stephen”. I soon learnt to be patient in awaiting his side of the conversation. It was always worthwhile.

At that time, he already had his manually operated adenoidal computer voice; and was able – clumsily – to shake hands and sign his name. His signature degenerated as his disease slowly progressed until there was just his fingerprint which – most appropriately – became the logo of the Stephen Hawking Foundation.

Stephen was an iconic role model for disability and set a world record in surviving with ALS (otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s disease after the famous baseball player); with his wicked sense of humour and the twinkle in his eyes he confounded all the negative stereotypes of disability. No one could have better represented people with disabilities.

He used his profile to advocate equal rights for people with disabilities; signed the Charter for the Third Millennium on Disability and starred in the opening of the 2012 Summer Paralympics. As he said then “… we share the same human spirit. What is important is that we have the ability to create… However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at…”

Stephen met and corresponded with a number of disabled people and was active in several charities: Founder Patron of Sky Badger (for disabled children and their families); Patron of the Motor Neurone Disease Association (whose website crashed when Stephen died, the interest was so huge); and, inevitably, the Stephen Hawking Foundation.

He was amazingly philosophical; and a legendary example of not giving up but rather having pride and hope – a brilliant scientist who also happened to be disabled. He was without doubt the most prominent disabled person in the world. Happily, he also found fulfilment, enjoyed a variety of friends and was very much alive right to the end.

One day I asked Stephen how he thought his life would have been, had he not been disabled. After the usual long pause he replied that were it not for the compromises of politics, he could have become Prime Minister! And for once I don’t think he was joking.