This article first appeared at KY Forward.
This story is taken from Steve Flairty’s 2008 book, “Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes. Marie Braun continues, five years later, to actively advocate for those with disabilities, both around the city of Covington and on a state level. She will soon be enrolling in Gateway Community College to pursue an associate arts degree while continuing her employment at the Salvation Army.
Marie Braun learned long ago that life’s playing field is not always level.
Born with quadriplegic cerebral palsy in rural Sebastion Branch, in Breathitt County, some 54 years ago, little Marie Louise Miller soon became a case for the child welfare system and was placed into the Old Frankfort State Hospital in Frankfort.
She had wished for something more fulfilling in her life than having her brothers push her around in a banana box at a very young age, but she got an institution in Frankfort instead, a place, Braun said recently, where “people put their children in this home because they thought that they were ‘retarded’ and could do nothing for themselves.”
She hoped that she could find foster parents who would love her unconditionally, even though she had a urinary problem which caused her to wet on herself, plus, she had a propensity to be overweight. As she aged, she prayed for the day she could move out of the sterile confines of an institution.
Marie long dreamed of a day when she would someday meet a soul mate and be intimate—both emotionally and physically. Mostly, Marie just wanted the chance to breathe the invigorating air of opportunity that she saw others enjoy everyday.
At least in part, her wishes came true. She now owns a high-tech wheelchair that works well when she hasn’t overworked it. During her teenage years, she gained the parental-like love of an aging, saintly couple from Lexington, the late William and Pearl Ann Lowenthal.
Then, with a life-changing and inspirational boost from her now deceased soul mate and husband, Bill Braun, Marie escaped institutional life and today lives in an apartment by herself in Covington. These personal advancements have, for Marie Braun, led to an insatiable desire to make life better for other persons who share similar challenges. She has become an effective advocate for the disabled.
In the last 25 years, Braun has spoken publicly about such issues as the education of special education children, personal attendant care for the disabled, Medicaid and employment issues. Besides being a persistent voice for change around Covington, Braun has carried her message to rallies and hearings in Frankfort and Washington, D.C.
“Disabled people are human like everyone else,” said Braun. “They have the same wants and desires and want acceptance in society.”
That said, it sometimes takes dramatic measures to show the able-bodied world more needs to be done, as when she led the mayor of Covington, along with other officials, on a “wheelchair tour” of city streets, pointing out many wheelchair accessibility issues. “One of the commissioners fell out of a wheelchair,” she grinned.
As a result of Braun’s proactive stance, positive changes were soon implemented on Covington‘s streets. Next came the public transit system, and Braun’s influence helped there, too. Her cerebral palsy makes voice articulation difficult, but it hasn’t stopped Braun from being effective and expanding her advocacy skill levels.
“Advocacy is long and hard work,” she noted, “but sometimes it pays off. All the advocacy I have done throughout the years, whether it was in attending workshops, various meetings, or public hearings have helped me learn a lot about advocacy and how to go about it. Talking with and writing letters to my legislators, and writing letters to the newspaper editors and appearing on television and videos as an advocate hopefully have helped those in the community to learn to speak out for themselves and others.”
Another long-time community activist in Covington, Bennie Doggett, is impressed with Braun. “At city government meetings, I’ve seen her wheel her chair right up to the faces of the officials,” she laughed. “That woman is beautiful inside.”
Her spirited desire to do something for others might have lain dormant if not for Bill Braun, whom she met in 1977 at Ridgeview Nursing Home, in Covington. Against the advice of others, they were married in 1980. With the urging of Bill, who had formerly been labeled “mildly retarded,” they left Ridgeview to start an independent life in the Covington community.
Bill’s recurring message to Marie, “you have rights and you need to fight for them,” soon was indelibly written in her psyche. She gradually began to throw off the fear of facing the outside world.
The sight of Marie in her wheelchair and Bill pushing her along Covington’s streets became a common occurrence. Besides going about their daily living activities, the couple found themselves involved in proactive ventures to help others with disabilities.
The Kentucky Post wrote in a March 1, 2004 column by David Wecker: “They signed up for committees. They were elected to boards. They wrote letters to their congressmen, their state rep, the mayor. They found out where various resources were, and they used them. Marie says she was an advocate before she knew she was an advocate.”
Bill Braun died in 1994. Marie still grieves, but pushes onward in speaking out for her rights and the rights of the disabled population. Close friend Vickie Cimprich, who met Marie over 35 years ago, called her “the consummate extrovert.” Marie has staked her active membership in the Covington Human Rights Commission, the Disability Coalition of Northern Kentucky has been the chairman of the Kentucky Developmental Disabilities Council.
Currently, besides her volunteer work, Marie works part-time for The Salvation Army. She sits by the “kettle” and rings the bell proudly and sells the magazine of inspiration called The War Cry. She talks to all who listen about the rights of the disabled. She tells people bits and pieces of her own story. Some day, she hopes to publish her 96-page manuscript about her life, called “Any Way: My Stories of Advancement and Advocacy.”
Transcribed by Vickie Cimprich, Marie Braun tells of her difficult childhood, those who uplifted her and those who encouraged her. She relates in authentic detail her failures, her successes, her hopes and dreams. Her message can be summed up in a few “don’t” phrases. “Don’t let people tell you you can’t do it. Don’t be afraid to follow your dreams.”
Steve Flairty is a lifelong Kentuckian, teacher, public speaker and author of five books: a biography of Kentucky Afield host Tim Farmer and four in the Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes series. All of Steve’s books are available around the state or from the author, including his most recent, Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes #3. Steve is a senior correspondent for Kentucky Monthly as well as being a weekly KyForward contributor. Watch his KyForward columns for excerpts from all his books. He will soon be a member of the Kentucky Humanities Council’s Speakers Bureau. Contact Steve atsflairty2001@yahoo.com or “friend” him on Facebook. (Steve’s photo by Ernie Stamper)
Photo: Marie Braun/RCN file
