Kenneth Steele: Founder of the Mental Health Voter Empowerment Project
Ken Steele, one of America's foremost mental health advocates, passed
away on Friday, October 6, 2000 after a life he described as a "cross-country
schizophrenic odyssey." At age 14, he first started hearing voices. At
age 15, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. By age 17, the voices had
taken control of his life and convinced him to leave home. In 1994, with
the help of advancements in medication, Ken's illness became manageable.
Immediately, he started the Mental Health Voter Empowerment Project in
New York City, aiming not only to help his own recovery, but also to serve
other individuals living with mental illness.
In the six-plus years that Ken headed the Mental Health Voter Empowerment Project, he encouraged over 30,000 mental health consumers to register to vote and he delivered as many as 25,000 of these voters to the polls. Through his efforts, the project became a nation-wide campaign spearheaded by the National Mental Health Association.
Ken spent his final years in New York City where his efforts as an advocate were varied and far reaching. His myriad roles included: publisher of New York City Voices, a journal for mental health advocacy, host of "Awakening Groups" for people living successfully with mental illness, official spokesman and advisory board member for the National Mental Health Association's "Partners in Care" initiative, vice chair of the Mental Health Association in New York State, and chair of the Government Affairs Committee.
In the past two years, Ken was honored with several awards including the National Mental Health Association's Clifford W. Beers Award, the American Psychiatric Association's Psychiatrist's Community Service Award, the New York University/Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service Award, and the Alliance for the Mentally Ill/Friends and Advocates of the Mentally Ill (AMI/FAMI) Empowerment Award. Ken will be sorely missed by his many friends in the mental health community. Contributions in his honor may be made to New York City Voices, 464 9th Street, Brooklyn, New York, 11215.