Honoree works hard for people with disabilities

By Theresa Hogue
Corvallis Gazette-Times

In 2001, Corvallis lost a major advocate for disability access. Keith Billings, facilities manager for the city from 1995 to his death in 2001, was considered a watchdog for people with disabilities by groups such as Access Benton County.

His memory is now honored through the Keith E. Billings Award, which is given each year by Access Benton County (ABC) to a person or organization who has made an impact in improving access for those with disabilities. This is the fifth year that ABC has given out the award, and the first year it was given to an individual.

Wayne Yarnall was given the award for his years of work, including advocacy, education and his role as former chair of ABC. He has also started a nonprofit business to improve access for people with disabilities.

Yarnall moved to Corvallis in 1987 for a job at CH2M Hill, although he first visited the city in the mid-1970s while working with a computer company.

After three years with CH2M Hill, Yarnall resigned due to illness associated with muscular dystrophy, but he remained in the area because he loved it, and because he had a large support system of friends to surround him. Meanwhile, he devoted himself to access advocacy.

“When I went on disability in 1990, I felt I should do something for the community,” he said.

At the time, he worked with a group proposing to build a hotel and convention center near the confluence of the Marys and Willamette rivers. His role was to make sure the project took disability access into consideration.

Although that project was never realized, it focused Yarnall’s work and eventually led to the creation of ADA Build-It-Right, an educational non-profit Yarnall created with his brother, Robert, a building inspector in North Carolina.

“I realized building codes were a local way to deal with access,” Yarnall said, instead of focusing on changing federal laws or regulations.

Working with the Corvallis Building Department and Parks and Recreation was always a positive experience, he said, and the fact that several city employees are required to attend ABC meetings is important.

“That’s a real tribute to the city,” Yarnall said.

A year-and-a-half ago, Yarnall and his wife Nancy moved to Vancouver, Wash., to be closer to his extended family, and to be in a larger city with a more expansive mass transit system. However, he still visits Corvallis frequently.

Jim Smith of ABC had a long list of reasons Yarnall deserved the award this year.

“Since becoming a person with a disability, he has worked very hard to improve architectural access for Oregonians and citizens of other states too,” Smith said. “His engineering background has prepared him to be a very good advocate.”

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