Kirby Lambert Shaw, a fixture in Hawaii’s disability rights movement and head of the state’s Disability and Communication Access Board, died Nov. 22 in Honolulu at age 66. For more than 30 years he drew on his own spinal cord injury to push for real-world accessibility upgrades and stronger civil-rights protections. Colleagues say his calm, results-first approach quietly reshaped state policy. Shaw is survived by his wife, Madeleine Shaw, and his sister, Melanie Moore. Funeral arrangements are still pending. Madeleine Shaw told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser she “never saw him as ‘somebody in the wheelchair,'” and recalled his steady focus on helping other people.
From an accident to advocacy
Just weeks after graduating from high school in 1977, Shaw suffered a neck injury while doing somersaults on a beach in Kāneʻohe that initially left him quadriplegic. He later learned to write with his left hand and regained partial use of that hand after a year of rehabilitation, according to the Hawaii Department of Health. Using a power wheelchair, he went on to build a career in public service and the law, returning to the Disability and Communication Access Board in 2015 as coordinator of program and policy development. His own experience with disability informed the way he pressed for more accessible transportation, buildings, and services.
At the helm of DCAB
Shaw was appointed executive director of the Disability and Communication Access Board effective Nov. 1, 2019, succeeding longtime leader Francine Wai. He led a small team that advises state agencies on how to comply with accessibility rules and improve access. In announcing his hiring, DCAB board chair Pauline Aughe called him “a huge asset to DCAB” and praised his listening-focused leadership style.
Shaw earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s in public administration from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, then completed a law degree at the William S. Richardson School of Law in 2009. He later opened a small law practice that concentrated on assisting people with disabilities.
Advocate’s mark on policy
Advocates say Shaw’s clear thinking and compassion helped shape state policy and bolster transportation access and civil-rights protections for people with disabilities. Daintry Bartoldus, executive administrator of the Hawaiʻi State Council on Developmental Disabilities, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that Shaw’s perspective influenced generations of advocates. Louis Erteschik of the Hawaii Disability Rights Center said Shaw’s approach left a lasting imprint, while Howard Lesser described him as “an icon in the disability community” and praised his steady and friendly demeanor.
Shaw frequently weighed in on local fights over access, including during the pandemic when he warned that city restrictions needed to allow reasonable modifications for people with disabilities. That stance was highlighted by Honolulu Civil Beat at the time. Colleagues say his mix of legal training and lived experience made his testimony both practical and persuasive, whether at public hearings or in state offices…