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It is with great sadness that we report the death of Professor Jim Mansell on 13th March following a long illness.
Professor Mansell founded the University’s Tizard Centre in 1983. A respected and influential figure in the field of learning disabilities and care environments, he was appointed Commander of the Order of theBritish Empire (CBE) for services to people with intellectual disabilities. He retired from the University in December 2010.
Among those to pay tribute to Professor Mansell were colleagues from the Tizard Centre. Peter McGill, Co-director of the Centre commented
We have been overwhelmed with the volume and strength of feeling of those who have contacted us to express their condolences since Jim’s death. Over the past 40 years Jim not only established and developed university teaching and research in learning disability, he also made a great difference to the lives of disabled people and their families through his personal contact with them and his impact on policy and service change. We will miss him greatly
Professor Mansell started his career in the field of intellectual disabilities when as a student at Cardiff University he set up a student charity and worked with other students to support people with intellectual disabilities to move out of a large long-stay hospital where conditions were very poor. He later moved to work with Albert Kushlick setting up homes for people with severe and complex needs. After founding the Tizard Centre, recognised as the leading UK Centre for University teaching in intellectual disability, he led an extensive programme of consultancy and his research focused on improving the quality of services for people with intellectual disabilities. Most recently he appeared in the BBC Panorama’s exposure of abuse at a residential home for people with intellectual disabilities and autism, calling for it to be closed down.