Paralympian sailor given AAPD leadership award

From Marblehead, Mass., Reporter:

MARBLEHEAD, Mass. - Maureen McKinnon-Tucker of Marblehead has been chosen as a winner of the American Association of People with Disabilities’ prestigious 2009 Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award.

“There is nothing more important to the future of the disability community than leaders who inspire the next generation of our movement,” said AAPD President and CEO Andrew J. Imparato.

He added that McKinnon-Tucker and her fellow winners, Stephanie Enyart and Victor Pineda, “are leading the charge in educating, empowering and organizing people both inside and outside of the disability community.”

McKinnon-Tucker was chosen by a national advisory committee for the award, which is given to emerging leaders within the national cross-disability community, and she will receive a cash award of $10,000 to further her work in the disability community. She and California residents Enyart and Pineda will be presented with their awards at the 2009 AAPD Leadership Gala March 4 at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

McKinnon-Tucker (pictured with her sailing partner Dan Tucker) won a gold medal in sailing at the 2008 Paralympic games as the first woman to represent the U.S. in sailing at the games. McKinnon-Tucker, who wants to increase access to sailing recreation for both disabled children and adults, works as an adaptive sailing coordinator at Piers Park Sailing Center in East Boston and is a six-time member of the U.S. Disabled Sailing Team.

“I’m very honored to be considered a leader in the disability community,” McKinnon-Tucker said. “I’m also glad that by winning the award, this concept of empowerment for people with disabilities through the sport of sailing will hopefully get some traction for sponsors on a nationwide level because I truly believe it’s the perfect sport for people with disabilities.”

She has also served as a board member of the Boston Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association since 1997, was the founder of the Marblehead Disability Commission, was the interim co-director of the Boston Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association in 2003 and worked as a peer visitor and mentor for newly disabled paraplegics at Boston area rehab hospitals.

Since 2000, AAPD has administered the award, which was named after one of AAPD’s founders, Paul G. Hearne, a strong advocate and visionary leader with a lifelong disability who achieved success as a nonprofit executive, foundation president, federal agency director and mentor to countless people with disabilities.

AAPD, the country’s largest cross-disability membership organization, organizes the disability community to be a powerful voice for change — politically, economically and socially. AAPD was founded in 1995 to help unite the diverse community of people with disabilities, including their family, friends and supporters, and to be a national voice for change in implementing the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To learn more, visit http://www.aapd.com/.