Place Name
Alicia Mendez (1925 – March 13, 2006), was an occupational therapist who worked at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Roehampton and developed many devices and methods for patients particularly those with malformations of human arms and legs, including those who were left deformed by the Thalidomide drug. She also developed wall hooks for patients with Amelia, a birth defect of lacking one or more limbs. For the same purposes, she also adapted clothing using Velcro. Mendez was also involved in the development of a myoelectric (i.e. muscle-powered) hand prosthesis for children. She was a leading light in the field of occupational therapy, for a time she served as president of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists. The WFOT bulletin wrote of her, “Alicia was the author of the first history to be written about WFOT. However she didn’t only write about the history – she made it… Her unstinting energy and dedication will be remembered by thousands of therapists around the world.” Kit Sinclair, President and Marilyn Pattison, Honorary Secretary on behalf of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists said of her: “Occupational therapists are enablers. What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing course. Alicia personified this notion of enablement. A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle and Alicia Mendez was indeed a bright candle. She helped and inspired so many OT’s around the world and her legacy will go on well into the future.” She was the daughter of a Peruvian diplomat who married her English mother when he was at the embassy in London. During World War 2 she visited a Canadian Red Cross Rehabilitation Centre where her aunt was working as a volunteer. She was so impressed by the occupational therapy department that she decided that this was what she wanted to do as her contribution to war work.” This road was laid out between 2010 and 2013 on land formerly occupied by the hospital, which moved along with the artificial limb factory in 2006. The new estate, Queen Mary’s Place was developed by Berkeley Group.
