The TED fund:
Helping students with disabilities achieve their dreams
Donna Pistell was surrounded by friends when she passed away at her home in Sidney, BC in 2010. She was 80 years old and living independently in her own condo— something doctors in 1940 declared would never be possible, due to the brain injury she sustained at birth that resulted in severe cerebral palsy.
Those same friends, who had been at her side for many of Donna’s ups and downs, decided to memorialize her remarkable story in a 24page graphic biography Wings on my Wheels. It chronicles Donna’s journey from a child who struggled to communicate, to a confident, adventurous adult who attended university, wrote and spoke publicly, advocated for other people with disabilities, took sailing lessons and travelled locally and internationally.
As advances in technology became available to her, Donna’s mobility, independence and social connections increased. Later in life, she was able to achieve many of the dreams she’d had since childhood. During her 40s, Donna studied anthropology at the University of Victoria (UVic) and worked as a research assistant for one of her professors. Attending classes at UVic with people who had an equal curiosity in the subject was a huge dream fulfilled for Donna. Finally, at age 70, she achieved another dream of a trip to Greece, where she spent a month visiting museums and archaeological digs.
In her will, Donna created a legacy fund to facilitate this kind of travel experience for UVic students with severe disabilities. She named it the TED Fund in honour of her parents, Ted and Eleanor (plus Donna), but also to express the fund’s purpose: travel experience for disabled persons. “The whole idea of the award was 100 per cent Donna. The details of it and everything,” says Sachi Tamura, Donna’s friend of 50 years. “And I think she was just thinking of this person that she had been, that didn’t have the opportunities… Its true gift will shine through because it will meet the needs of the person who receives it.”
Donna continually defied people’s expectations of her, living a life rich in learning, travel and friendship. Her legacy lives on through her friends, the graphic biography, and the endowed fund at UVic that will help other students achieve their travel dreams.