He’s remembered for 20 years of work at Beach Center

From the Lawrence [KS] Journal-World:

Jay “J.T.” Turnbull, 41, was the inspiration for research at the University of Kansas that benefits people with intellectual disabilities. He died at his home in Lawrence, Kansas, this week of natural causes.

Turnbull was diagnosed at an early age with multiple intellectual disabilities and worked at KU for more than 20 years, most recently as an office and clerical assistant at the Beach Center on Disability. The center was co-founded by his parents, University of Kansas professors H.R. “Rud” Turnbull and Ann Turnbull, in an effort to research support systems for adults with intellectual disabilities.

When Jay was hired, the Beach Center had been promoting the independence of people with intellectual disabilities, including their immersion into the working world, said Jean Ann Summers, research director at the Beach Center. It was an effort that was not as widespread as it is today, she said.

“If we were going to talk the talk, we were going to have to walk the walk,” she said. “He’s been a part of our family for all that time.”

Shelby Tasset, Turnbull’s job coach, said that the results were incredibly successful. He had his routines, and would always greet people with the same secret handshake – something he had picked up from a fraternity years ago.

Earlier post here.

(Photo from Lawrence Journal-World; Jay Turnbull, seated at left, with parents Ann and Rud Turnbull)

This entry was posted on Friday, January 9th, 2009 at 9:13 am and is filed under employment/jobs, independent living, intellectual/developmental disabilities, NOT2BEMISSED, obits. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.