A celebration and remembrance of Clifford Poetz, a pioneer in the self-advocacy movement and lifelong disability rights activist, is 1-3 p.m. Sat, Nov. 5 at the Spirit of St. Stephen’s, 5011 31st Ave. S, Mpls, in the New Branches building. The service will include an opening and closing prayer, readings, a eulogy, and an opportunity to share stories. Refreshments will be served. The event will livestreamed on YouTube (https://youtu.be/JHpe4-eEWCA). 

Poetz not only defined self-advocacy, he set the example and opened the door for countless others to take up the cause of disability rights. At the time Poetz became an activist, about 200,000 Minnesotans were still living in institutions. 

Since 2001 Poetz served as community liaison with the Research and Training Center on Community Living within the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration (ICI). He was a past Access Press Charlie Smith Award winner.