URBANA, Ill. (AP) - Lester Pritchard, a nationally known advocate for people with disabilities, has died. He was 60.

Pritchard, who had cerebral palsy, died Monday at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana of respiratory complications.

Pritchard served as chairman of the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities. He was known across the country for pushing governments to fund community-based services for people with disabilities that would allow them to live independently rather than in large institutions.

He was a co-founder of the disability rights group Campaign for Real Choice.