Advocate for the disabled
Lived experience is a popular expression these days, but disability rights advocate Sir Robert Martin exemplified this expression long before it came into fashion.
A tireless advocate for disability rights, he in no way let his own intellectual disability get in the way of achieving what he wanted to achieve.
When Sir Robert George Martin was born in Whanganui in 1957, he suffered a brain injury due to a difficult birth.
Few expected then that the young boy would become a knight of the realm and a representative of the United Nations, but Sir Robert was no ordinary man.
His childhood was largely unhappy, and much of it was spent in institutions as part of the state. In John McRae's Becoming a Person: the biography of Robert Martin, he described in disturbing detail the inhumane conditions in which he lived and the continued abuse in places like Lake Alice.
It was stark testimony that he would later repeat during his testimony at the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry – a forum he had championed for decades.
In 1972, Sir Robert was released from care and returned to Whanganui, before leaving home to work under the care of IHC New Zealand.
Sir Robert soon became more than an employee. He began educating himself and asserting himself as an advocate for others with learning disabilities. He led protests and became a rallying figure for campaigns to recognize and protect the rights of disabled people.
IHC chief executive Ralph Jones said Sir Robert's contribution to the community was second to none.
“I have known Sir Robert for many years and his achievements have been remarkable. We have served together on the Council of Inclusion International for many years.
“He has made a real difference to the lives of people with disabilities, both in New Zealand and abroad. It is an incredible legacy.”
In the mid-1990s Sir Robert became a traveling advocate for IHC. He was also a key member of the international group Inclusion International.
He became a councilor and in 2003 was appointed representative of Inclusion International to the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee “to consider proposals for a comprehensive and integral international convention to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities” .
Remarkably, Sir Robert was the only person with a learning disability involved in the proceedings.
People First NZ national committee chair Ronnie Sione said Sir Robert was one of the organisation's first members and led by example.
“People First members and people with intellectual disabilities in New Zealand and around the world have sadly lost their leader.”
A life member, Sir Robert told RNZ in 2019 that he wanted a leader who looked and sounded like him, and when that wasn't available he decided to fill the gap.
“That's why I've fought tooth and nail for people like People First, the only organization in New Zealand that speaks for and on behalf of people with learning disabilities.”
In 2016, Sir Robert became the first person with a learning disability to be elected to a United Nations treaty body, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In 2020 he was elected for a second term.
Becoming A Person was published in 2014 and around that time his life story was also told in a TV documentary series.
In 2008 he was made a Member of the NZ Order of Merit and in 2020 a Knight Companion of the NZ Order of Merit for services to people with disabilities.
At the time, Sir Robert said he was both proud and humbled to receive a knighthood for his services to people with disabilities.
Sir Robert Martin died on April 30, aged 67. — RNZ and Mike Houlahan