Rev. Clyde Shideler; advocate for disabled, mayoral candidate
By Lola Sherman
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
and Linda McIntosh
COMMUNITY NEWS WRITER
August 8, 2003
OCEANSIDE Funeral services are pending for the Rev. Clyde "Pete" Shideler, a
tireless advocate for the disabled.
The Rev. Mr. Shideler, 68, died yesterday at his home in Oceanside.
He had run unsuccessfully for mayor of Oceanside in 2000 on a platform of
turning the City Council's interest away from big developers and toward the
individual citizen and small business owner.
A retired pastor and former Air Force instructor, he spent recent years
working on behalf of the disabled.
Although he used a respirator and a wheelchair himself, he did not want to
enumerate his disabilities. He would rather talk about abilities.
As chairman and co-founder of the San Diego ADAPT Chapter and director of CE
Disabled Services, he stood behind the ADAPT motto: "Go over, go under, go
around, or go through, but never give up."
"Disabled people should be treated like human beings, not fourth-class
citizens," he said in a recent interview.
Since he took over CE Disabled Services, its services have become
international. The nonprofit group began as an information and referral
clearinghouse and
counseling service for people with disabilities in the United States.
It now works with more than 40 countries protecting the rights of disabled
people. Its large network provides referrals for education, employment,
housing,
adaptive computer technology and counseling.
The goal of ADAPT and CE Disabled Services is independence.
"We need to make things so everyone can get around," the Rev. Mr. Shideler
said. He was looking into audible stoplights that tell when it is safe to
cross
the street and signs that give audible messages.
He was also evaluating voting machines that could be operated by touch
instead of sight.
But he had been in failing health for some time.
The Rev. Mr. Shideler, who was given his nickname "Pete" in childhood by an
older brother, was a native of Omaha.
He is survived by his wife, Loretta; sons, Jon and Chris of Oceanside and
Paul of Colorado Springs, Colo.; daughter, Robin Waltman of New Jersey;
brother,
Al Shideler Jr. of Iowa; and a grandson.
Cremation was planned
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