Jen Powley served as Regional Representative for TWUC’s Atlantic Region with dedication and focus for both her region and for all writers living with disabilities. This remembrance of Jen was written by Suzanne Rent; a longer version was first published in the Halifax Examiner.
Jen Powley, author and advocate for people with disabilities, died on September 18, 2023. She was 45.
Powley wrote two books, Just Jen: Thriving Through Multiple Sclerosis (Fernwood, 2017), which won the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award for nonfiction. Her second book, Making a Home: Assisted Living in the Community for Young Disabled People (Fernwood, 2023), documents Powley’s fight for young disabled people to live in the community rather than being institutionalized in nursing homes.
Powley advocated for people with disabilities to be able to live outside of institutions in the broader community.
Carrie Ernst, executive director of Independent Living Nova Scotia (ILNS), recalled her work and friendship with Powley:
Jen’s legacy was her primary concern that people with disabilities were treated equally, that they were engaged in community, and you saw beyond what their disability was. I think her legacy is that we were able to have the hard conversations with government. Jen has left me with the strength to deal with the hard questions. We would be dealing with government and she would ask the hard questions, and I would think, “Jeez Jen, why did you ask it that way? Why don’t we see if we can finesse it?” But she was the one who always asked the hard questions, and she wasn’t scared of that.
Eventually, the Nova Scotia government committed to having people with severe physical disabilities under the age of 65 moved out of institutions to live in the broader community. Ernst said there are 200 people who will be moving into the community because of Powley’s advocacy.
The only thing I can summarize is that the sun was duller today because Jen is no longer with us. She was a beautiful person.
Ernst said while the title of Powley’s first book was Just Jen, Powley was far more than “just Jen”: “At the end of the day, what we need to realize is that Jen was larger than being an advocate for the disability community. I think her gift to everybody is the fact that we need to take a moment and pause during our day and not get caught up in the fact that we’re busy, busy, busy. But look at what’s around, appreciate what’s around us, and appreciate the people who are around us... She was so empathic. I have a hole in my heart, I can tell you that.”
Powley’s roommate, Vicky Levack, wrote:
“Jen Powley accomplished more in her 45 years of life than most people have in double the amount of time. She was an eloquent writer, staunch supporter of refugees with her work with the Rainbow Refugee Network, as well as spending several years as chair of the Ecology Action Centre.
Jen was a strong believer in doing what was right, not only for herself but for others around her... She used her considerable voice, even when it wasn’t auditory, to make sure the people with disabilities in this province as well as many others got access to the things they needed to live the best life possible with dignity.
She used her stubbornness and sassy demeanour to light a fire under the people in power and gently show them the way to do their jobs better. After receiving a degree in creative writing at King’s College, she wrote down her life story in her memoir, Just Jen. Giving a real honest, hilarious and sometimes dark glimpse into her life that helped many people see people with disabilities as full human beings, and not just a diagnosis...
She changed the landscape of the future and for that we are truly thankful. I would say rest in peace, but if there is a heaven, she is already up there causing a ruckus.”
