Morristown Man Makes Magazine

Bill Byrne is a regular attendee of Morristown Council meetings, often getting up to speak during the public portion about issues ranging from safety of pedestrians in crosswalks, and other causes he is an advocate for.

On Tuesday, Mayor Tim Dougherty took a portion of council meeting to share a piece written about Byrne in People & Families Magazine (see video of the presentation attached to this post).

People & Families Magazine, the NJCDD's nationally recognized magazine, focuses on issues of importance to the developmental disabilities community in New Jersey. Published four times a year, the magazine also provides vital up-to-date information for families and self advocates; highlights organizations, programs, and individuals that make positive changes in the developmental disabilities community; and shares noteworthy developmental disabilities stories from across the state and across the nation.

Byrne was diagnosed as a baby with PKU, neonatal phenylketonuria, an amino acid disorder affecting about 1 out of every 10,000 Caucasian babies. While treatable if detected early, left untreated the rare condition can cause mental retardation, seizures, hyperactivity and eczema.

Yet, instead of allowing his condition to become a barrier, Byrne has dedicated much of his life working for the betterment of those who face similar, or more difficult hurdles.

Some of Byrne's accomplishments, including as one of the founding members of a self-advocacy "Unity Club," his campaigning to have words like "retard," "idiot" and "insane" banned from the State constitution and, in the 1990s, he worked with the former Association of Retarded Citizens to become, simply, The Arc. His efforts also were recognized during an event in Trenton, where he met Gov. Chris Christie.

Dougherty presented Byrne with a photo of him with Senator Cory Booker, which earned a round of applause from those assembled.

 “It doesn’t get better than this,” Dougherty said after the applause died down.