Rest In Peace John Slatin

31 Mar 2008

I didn’t know how to start this post. Here were some of my attempts:

  • It is with great sadness that I learned of John’s passing.
  • Accessibility has lost a hero.
  • I was saddened to hear about the recent death of John Slatin

… but nothing does justice to the man he was and the effect he had on the accessibility industry. All I can do is talk about the man he was to me.

John was the person who stood up for me to the WCAG Working Group. Thank you. I never did tell you how happy I was to know you would be on the call and that therefore I would have my say.

John you were the person who told me to put my health first, before work and before the Working Group. I have only recently learnt this lesson. I hope that you learnt it too, but I fear that perhaps you didn’t. You continued on in the industry even while ill. We thank you for that. The email from you I received during my illness after the fateful Working Group face-to-face meeting was one of the most touching. I only wish I could find it to share with everyone.

Goodbye John. We will miss you.

For more see John and his wife Anna’s blog on: http://leukemialetters.blogspot.com