Lewiston Man Nominated for Advocacy Work

By Lindsay Tice

LEWISTON – A local disability rights advocate has been nominated to the National Spinal Cord Injury Association’s hall of fame.

Mike Reynolds, 34, of Lewiston is one of eight media-based activists nominated for the honor. Reynolds has written and produced two independent documentaries on disability rights and maintains a blog about disability issues, politics and culture.

Although Reynolds doesn’t have a spinal cord injury, he does have cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that causes speech problems and sometimes forces him to use a wheelchair. The disorder, he said, taught him to push for what he wanted.

“My mom told me, Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something,’” he said.

A childhood friend with muscular dystrophy, he said, showed him that “do something” often meant “do something to help others.”

“He taught me a lot about life and what was wrong and what was right,” he said.

Reynolds was raised in Lewiston and graduated from the University of Maine in Orono with a degree in English and minors in disability studies, multimedia graphic design and creative writing.

He wrote and produced his first movie in 2000. The low-budget documentary focused on the assisted suicide fight in Maine.

He wrote and produced his second movie in 2005. Entitled “Million Dollar Bigot,” the 19-minute documentary focused on the response to Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-winning “Million Dollar Baby,” which involved the assisted suicide of a disabled athlete.

John Hockenberry, an award-winning journalist who served as a correspondent for Dateline NBC and now works for WNYC, appeared in Reynolds “Million Dollar Bigot.”

In a phone interview, Hockenberry called Reynolds an “indefatigable, relentless advocate.”

“There is just nobody who is a more passionate advocate for disability rights than Mike Reynolds. He’s just unstoppable,” said Hockenberry, who uses a wheelchair.

Reynolds was nominated for the hall of fame by friend Tim MacLeod, who thought it was time Reynolds was recognized for his grassroots activism, which has included trips to Washington, D.C., to advocate for the disabled.

“When he sets his mind to something, when he decides that’s a very important issue that’s not getting enough press and not getting enough recognition, he just goes all out, calls everyone he can to get it done,” MacLeod said. “He has a lot of perseverance.”

Voting for the hall of fame closed Friday. Nominees will learn the results next week. The winners will be publicly announced at an induction ceremony in New Orleans on Sept. 25.

Knowing his competition, Reynolds said he wouldn’t be surprised if he isn’t the one chosen.

“I’m in very, very, very good company,” he said. “My thinking is it’s an honor to be nominated.”

Originally published by Staff Writer.

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