James Medhurst, an employment lawyer, used his experience of autism to campaign for people with disabilities
James Medhurst, an employment lawyer, used his experience of autism to campaign for people with disabilities
TamaraBurnell
Thu 18 Feb 2021 12.32 EST
Last modified on Mon 22 Mar 2021 20.00 EDT
My friend James Medhurst, who has died aged 45 of Covid-19, was an employment lawyer and an eloquent campaigner for the rights of disabled people. His personal experience illustrated both the obstacles that autistic people face but also the valuable contribution they can make.
James was born in Reading to Brian Medhurst, a maths teacher, and his wife, Cathy (nee Plytas), an accountant. Academically gifted as a child, at St Bartholomew’s school, Newbury, in Berkshire, he won a place at Cambridge University to study mathematics, beginning in 1993.