Evelyne Jobe Villines

Evelyne Jobe Villines (February 11, 1930 – September 30, 2017) was an American disability rights advocate and political activist who had Poliomyelitis. Villines worked for both the state of Iowa and the federal government as an advocate. The Des Moines Register called her a "nationally known spokeswoman for the disabled" in 1992.

Early life Villines was born in Siam, Iowa. She had a brother named Ronald Jobe. At the age of 3, she contracted Poliomyelitis. When she first went to school, she was sent home with a comment from the teacher who said, "I don't have time to teach a handicapped child." Her father was the mayor and her uncle the president of the school board, both of whom helped her stay in school. At the hospital, she was punished for crying. She, and other patients in the hospital were "paraded naked in front of medical students 'as the possessors of warped and crippled bodies.'" She had 14 surgeries to improve her chances of being able to walk while she was a teenager.

Life and career Villines served for multiple committees during her career. From 1965 to 1975, she was the executive secretary of the Iowa Governor's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped. On the committee, she worked to educate others about what people with disabilities can do and also to work towards greater public accessibility. She was elected president of the Iowa Rehabilitation Association in 1968. In 1971, she named the chair of the women's division for the Easter Seal Campaign in Polk County. She was honored with the National Award of Gallantry from the Easter Seal Society in 1977.

She then became the Director of Development at Iowa Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines until 1979. After that, she transferred to the Easter Seals Society of Iowa, Inc. as the Director of the Client Assistance Program from until 1991. During her time at the Easter Seals Society of Iowa, Inc., she became a motivational speaker, presenting her famous "In the Name of Love" speech to various international organizations. In 1994, President Bill Clinton assigned her to be a member of the Purchase from People Who are Blind or Severely Disabled, where she remained for 5 years before being reassigned for another 5 years in 1999. She was invited by President George H. W. Bush to the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to be a witness. Villines died on September 30, 2017, at the age of 87. She spent 20 years helping a non-profit organization that helps people with disabilities get jobs called SourceAmerica.

Personal life Villines had 2 daughters named Chris and Julia. Her son, Wes Ferguson, died in 2009. Villines has shared that the first time "she felt whole, not disabled" was when she held her first child in her arms after giving birth. In 1994, Iowa state placed her into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame. In 2000, she was recognized as the Woman of the Year by Metro Women's Network of Greater Des Moines. Also in 2000, she was awarded the Medtronic Full Life Award.