David McDonald 1953-2026 – A life worth living
Everyone at Imtac is saddened to hear of the death of our friend and former colleague David McDonald.
David served on our predecessor committee, the Transport Advisory Committee, before becoming a founder member of Imtac in 2006. He served on the Committee until 2012, returning after a break to serve again until finally stepping down in 2019. He was a member of our board, serving as both a Working Group Convenor and our Treasurer. As a Imtac member David was fiercely committed to making our transport and places accessible to everyone. His passion and commitment reflected his values, a firm belief in the social model of disability, and a conviction that change is driven by Disabled people working together.
At his heart David was activist, he believed in acting not talking. He leaves a legacy of achievement. He founded The Omnibus Partnership in North Down, a Disabled People’s Organisation run by and for Disabled people. Omnibus fought for accessible public transport in the 1990s and were successful in bringing the Easbus Services to Bangor. David led the campaign for audio visual announcements on buses, leading the way to their introduction on Metro buses in Belfast, the first buses outside of London to have these facilities. When the introduction of additional rights around using transport were delayed in Northern Ireland after their introduction in Great Britain, it was David and the Omnibus Partnership that successfully campaigned for their introduction.
It was not just transport were David made his mark. He was equally passionate about independent living. He worked with the Housing Executive to reform and improve accessibility standards for housing. He worked with the Health Service to reform wheelchair services, ultimately frustrated that positive policy change was not implemented. As a recipient of the Independent Living Fund, he was part of a successful campaign to retain the Fund in Northern Ireland in the face of Westminster cuts. David was also an effective Disability Equality Trainer, delivering social model based training to many people and organisations over the years.
In his final years David was part of the Co Design Group for the Disability Strategy, attending numerous meetings during the pandemic. He was part of a team that organised the first Disability Parliament at Stormont, a groundbreaking event where participants and organisers were all Deaf and Disabled people. He was also the driving force in the creation of the Department for Health Regional Disability Forum.
The man focus of his final years, however, was campaigning for the reopening of the Independent Living Fund to new applicants. As a recipient David was very much aware of the benefits of fund and conscious that as existing recipients died the ILF diminished and would eventually disappear. The failure of Northern Ireland to follow Scotland in reopening the ILF to new applicants despite overwhelming evidence of its benefits was a source of huge disappointment and frustration to David.
We join with David’s family and friends in mourning his passing. He was an exceptional person and leader, demonstrating that we as Disabled people drive change in our lives. He will be greatly missed by us all.
We also take time to celebrate David’s life and his achievements. We should also celebrate his legacy, the changes he campaigned for, recognising that his legacy is incomplete.
Imtac has in the past supported David’s campaign to reopen the ILF. We urge the Minister for Health to reopen the Fund as a lasting legacy and tribute to his life.