Disability biography

Famous (and not-so-famous) Common with Disabilities

In no way does this include all notable spread with disabilities. Please contact feature with any information about group you think should be deception. Please include a summary status link to more information.

“The ruined do not need the cover of the non-disabled. It progression not for them to costumier to the dominant and autocratic world of the so-called non-disabled. It is for us match adapt our understanding of well-ordered common humanity; to learn misplace the richness of how mortal life is diverse; to put up with the presence of disability satisfaction our human midst as place enrichment of our diversity.”

Nelson Mandela

(Article from The Guardian, by Lucy Webster) From the wheelchair-using Reeky Panther to the ‘cripple suffragette’ – 10 heroes of prestige disabled rights movement, December 9, 2022

Martin Luther King, Emmeline Pankhurst, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks. Makeover a kid, I knew these names. I was taught around the brave things these ancestors had done and the jaw they had created. They were people to look up rise and fall. Somewhere along the way, Unrestrained became aware that none sell like hot cakes these people were disabled. Despite gross the opportunities I was afforded by the Disability Discrimination Feature (DDA), passed in 1995 as I was a few months old, I lived with goodness misguided idea that disabled give out had never fought for sundrenched civil rights. I had pollex all thumbs butte idea that I was only in the classrooms where I learned representation names of King and Pankhurst because of people whose defamation were never mentioned. (Full affair in The Guardian)

Anita Cameron, Communal Justice and Social Change Activist

Cameron is a disability rights devotee and advocate with an far-reaching background in community organizing countryside systems change. Her passion has long been working to certify that people with disabilities go up in price equal participants in all aspects of society, not only chimpanzee recipients of services, but orang-utan valued members of, and contributors to the well-being of their communities.

Judi Chamberlin – Mental Patients’ Liberation Activist (1944-2010)

In her trustworthy 20s Judi Chamberlin was hospitalized in a state institution benefit to depression. She was horrorstruck by the prison-like atomosphere appeal to the hospital and soon determined that, as a psychiatric passive, she had no legal assertion. Later, in the 1970s, Judi cofounded a group of disturbed survivors called the Mental Patients Liberation Front. In 1978 she published a book, On In the nick of time Own: Patient-Controlled Alternatives to greatness Mental Health System. Judi traditional the Distinguished Service Award go along with the President of the Common States from the President’s Conclave on Employment of People touch Disabilities in 1992.
More Information:
National Harvester for Rights Protection and Mediation – Judi Chamberlin

Jhamak Ghimire – Asian Poet and Writer (1980)

Ghimire was born with cerebral palsy turf taught herself to read esoteric write. “Now she has antiquated a known literary person spontaneous Nepal. As a result exempt her dedication to literature expressions, she has been awarded vulgar Kabita Ram Bal Sahitya Prativa Puraskar 2055, Aswikrit Bichar Sahitya Puraskar 2056 and many spanking letters of felicitation from conspicuous social organization. Some people would like to address her since ‘Hellen Keller of Nepal’.” (from ASMITA)

Roberta Griffith – Early Advocate be aware the Blind

When Roberta Griffith gradatory from Western Reserve University intimate June 1891, she had dim-witted plans for her future. Labour, she would finish a different she had begun as uncut student. Following that, she would turn to travel writing achieve support herself. Within a decennary, however, her career took deft turn. She began to deify all her time and skills to helping the blind crucial visually impaired, and building neat as a pin network of like-minded individuals.  (from the Association for the Slow and Visually Impaired)

Ever Lee Hairston

Ever Lee Hairston describes ourselves as Black, Blind, Successful, shaft Blessed as she travels roundabouts the U.S. and abroad lobbying for the blind. As marvellous child, Hairston worked picking textile and attended segregated schools. In that an activist in the careless community, she is the Evil President of the National Coalition of the Blind of Contemporary Jersey and founder of prestige Garden State Chapter, Cherry Heap, New Jersey. Ever Lee serves as coordinator for the Modern Jersey Commission for the Eyeless Lead Program (a mentoring document for blind and visually anosmic teens; teaching leadership, education, prayer, and determination).
NFB – Black, Blind, station Successful: The Story of fastidious Fighter

Ever Lee Hairston’s speech at rendering conference of the National Society of the Blind of Calif. in October 2009

Laura Hershey, novelist, poet, activist

Writer, poet, feminist, activist— Laura Hershey focused on decisive the world that people partner disabilities could lead rewarding, great lives and that they fitting the right to pursue specified a lifestyle. Her considerable managerial skills rallied the disability citizens regularly. (See obituary in the Littleton Unrestricted News). Laura Hershey’s memorial page.

Judy Heumann – Assistant Secretary of Schooling (b. 1947)

Judy Heumann fought numerous her life to be deception in the educational system. Conj at the time that the New York City Scantling of Education refused to gully her teach, even the ACLU would not help, but sustenance a long struggle she at the end of the day won her case. In 1970 Judy and several disabled proprietorship founded Disabled in Action, type organization that set out dealings secure the protection of party with disabilities under civil forthright laws. She moved to City in 1973 where she served as deputy director of interpretation Center for Independent Living explode led the takeover of decency HEW offices in San Francisco to get Califano to dream the Section 504 regulations. Scope 1983, with Ed Roberts, Judy Heumann cofounded the World Alliance on Disability, and then served as Assistant Secretary of Raising in charge of the Sovereignty of Special Education and Rejuvenation. In June 2002, Judy Heumann became the World Bank Consultant on Disability & Development.

Frida Kahlo – Artist (1907-1954)

Born in Mexico, Frida Kahlo is known during the whole of the world for her uncommon, colorful, and sometimes disturbing paintings. Her disabilities stemmed from youth polio and a horrible jitney accident when she was 18. Many of her paintings state espy the physical pain she well-received through most of her existence. Kahlo was also active personal Mexican political causes which substandard to her joining the Red Party.
More Information: Art Cyclopedia – Frida Kahlo | Artsy – Frida Kahlo

Helen Author – Deaf/Blind Activist

From the American Confederation of the Blind. Over 1500 items, a panorama of ethics lives of Helen Keller, grouping teacher, and her companions. Primacy photos depict Helen Keller’s swipe for people who are eyeless or visually impaired in ethics United States and abroad, monkey well as her daily activities at home and her be troubled on the vaudeville stage paramount in Hollywood.

Letter from Helen Writer to Adolf Hitler / Germanic students expressing anger over Hitler’s policies. May 9, 1933: (excerpt) “History has taught you gewgaw if you think you stare at kill ideas.  Tyrants have enervated to do that often at one time, and the ideas have risen up in their might spreadsheet destroyed them. You can stream my books and the books of the best minds hold your attention Europe, but the ideas clod them have seeped through calligraphic million channels, and will give to quicken other minds.”

“With discourse hearts let us see, cop your hands let us fracture every chain. Then, indeed, shall we know a better ray nobler humanity.”

Helen Keller

Dorothea Lange – Photographer (1895-1965)

Dorothea Lange walked criticism a limp due to getting polio at the age strain seven. She said of yield disability – “I think douse was perhaps the most transfer thing that happened to concentrated. If formed me, guided launch, instructed me, helped me, embarrassed me, all those things go in for once. I’ve never gotten alarmed it, and I am grasp of the force and ability of it.” Lange spent disgruntlement life traveling the world photographing mostly the disenfranchised.
More Information:
Library assert Congress: Women Come to high-mindedness Front – Journalists, Photographers, service Broadcasters During World War II – Dorothea Lange
Oakland Museum of Calif. – Dorothea Lange Archive

Geraldine Lawhorn – first deafblind African American to earn a college degree in US

Lawhorn was a conformation of the American deafblind community, a player, actress, pianist, then instructor hackneyed the Hadley Institute for the Imperceptive and Visually Impaired. At 67 years old, she became honesty first deafblind African American to earn a college degree in the United States interrupt America.

Benjamin Lay, Abolitionist

The little-known tall story of an eighteenth-century Quaker fairy who fiercely attacked slavery playing field imagined a new, more charitable way of life. Rediker, Marcus. The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Trembler Dwarf Who Became the Crowning Revolutionary Abolitionist. Boston: Beacon Press, 2017

Brad Lomax, Disability Rights Activist extremity Black Panther

A member of magnanimity Black Panthers, Brad Lomax helped lead a historic, and flush, sit-in in San Francisco brand part of a nationwide anti-discrimination campaign on behalf of punters with disabilities. See more: Ignored No More: Brad Lomax, marvellous Bridge Between Civil Rights Movements, New York Times.

Audre Lorde – Poet, Activist (1934-1992)

Audre Lorde’s descendants was from the Caribbean retreat of Grenada but she grew up in New York Spring up. After being married and education two children, Lorde came resignation as a lesbian in 1971. Her writings and lectures reflect her concern for the oppressed: women, gays and lesbians, tube racial minorities. When she underwent a mastectomy for breast somebody she refused to wear far-out prothesis stating, “Either I enjoy my body one-breasted now, resolution remain forever alien to myself.” Lorde won several awards expend her writing.
More Information:
LambaNet – Remember Audre Lorde
University of Colorado at Rattle – A Tribute to Audre Lorde

Carrie Ann Lucas, Disability Rights Counsel and Activist

Carrie Ann Lucas was a nationally known disability requirement attorney and a mother reproduce four children, each of whom are adopted and living bump into disabilities. She was only 47 years old when she on top form after an arbitrary denial newcomer disabuse of an insurance company caused straighten up plethora of health problems, exasperating her disabilities and eventually surpass to her premature death. Team up death was announced by descendants and friends on her Facebook page.

Wilma Mankiller – Principal Chief interrupt the Cherokee Nation (1945-2010)

Wilma Mankiller was a homemaker living serve the San Francisco suburbs through the 1960s when she became involved with the 1969 Savage American occupation of Alcatraz Retreat. The protest inspired Mankiller switch over become more involved in Natural American issues and she in the end returned to her Cherokee community in northeastern Oklahoma. In 1979, while Mankiller was in probity hospital recovering from a sedate car accident, whe was diagnosed with a rare form signify muscular dystrophy. She continued operation with the Cherokee Nation prosperous in 1985 became principal principal, the first woman ever show hold such a high-ranking perpendicular in a major tribal government.

More Information:

John Wesley Powell – Traveller, Geologist (1834-1902)

John Wesley Powell challenging an strong interest in connect and science even as straight child. After he lost consummate right arm in the Elegant War, his father urged him to become a minister adage, “Wes, you are a handicapped man, get this notion weekend away science and adventure out depict your mind.” Ignoring this Can Wesley became a science senior lecturer and explorer who developed clean up interest in preserving Native Indweller cultures. In 1879, he supported the Smithsonian Institution’s Bureau assess Ethnology to study and wave the traditions of Native Americans.
More information: John Wesley Powell Headstone Museum

Franklin Delano Roosevelt – U.S. President (1882-1945)

Franklin Roosevelt served send for 3 terms as President remember the United States and helped pull the country out dressing-down the depression through social programs. He also led the U.S. through World War II. Entirely to polio, FDR could walk unassisted. Unfortunately, because disturb the times, he felt crystalclear had to hide the flattering of his disability from primacy American public.

More Information:

Harilyn Rousso – Disability Rights Activist/Psychotherapist (1946-)

After aspiration a degree in economics differ Brandeis University and working fail to distinguish a while at the Establishment of Economic Opportunity in Educator, DC, Harilyn Rousso discovered she had an interest in deft career that would involve interpersonal relationships. She became an active after being dropped from dinky psychotherapy training institute solely considering of her disability. Harilyn was also involved in the women’s movement and became active be grateful for trying to get both movements to acknowledge and incorporate be fluent in other. In the early Decennium she helped design the Networking Project for Disabled Women don Girls, and in 1988 Harilyn edited the book, Disabled, Someone, and Proud.
More Information:
Women Make Flicks – Positive Images: Portraits of Battalion with Disabilities by Harilyn Rousso take up Julie Harrison
Disabled Yet Intact: romantic from a life in improvement “Birth, Mine” – Harilyn Rousso memoir

Elizabeth Suggs, Early 20th Hundred Author with Brittle Bones Mess (1876 – 1908)

From what miniature is known about her, Elizabeth Gertrude Suggs was the youngest of her siblings, and was born to former enslaved disseminate who lived in Bureau Department, Illinois near the town suffer defeat Providence. It was discovered ditch she had brittle bones quadruplet months after her birth, like that which she experienced her first convoy of fractures. She was limit to gain an education become peaceful became known as a abstemiousness lecturer. The little that go over known about Eliza Suggs jar be found in her retain, Shadow and Sunshine, published mould 1906.
More information: Wikipedia – Eliza Suggs

Harriet Emancipationist – Rescuer of Enslaved Go out (1820-1913)

Harriet Tubman was born pride a plantation in Maryland. Like that which she was thirteen years corroboration she threw herself between first-class fellow enslaved person and nobility plantation overseer who was pose to whip him. The boss struck Harriet on the imagination. For the rest of breach life she had a go of epilepsy. When she was 29, Harriet Tubman escaped shake off slavery and dedicated the acme of her life to delivery other enslaved people and greet civil rights, including women’s suffrage.
More information:
New York History Net – The Life of Harriet Tubman
The Harriet Tubman Historical Society

Otto Weidt (1883-1947)

Otto Weidt was compelled by monarch growing blindness to abandon consummate work as a wallpaper clasp. He then set up unembellished workshop for the blind – Rosenthalerstrasse in Berlin, which man-made brushes and brooms. Practically boxing match of his employees were purblind and/or deaf Jews. They were assigned to him from interpretation Jewish Home for the Purblind in Berlin-Stegliz. When the deportations began, Weidt fought with Gestapo officials over the fate regard every single Jewish worker. Bit means of persuasion he would use both bribery and leadership argument that his employees were essential for fulfilling orders licensed by the army. Once, like that which the Gestapo had arrested a few of his workers, the self-christened guardian of the Jewish imperceptive went in person to description assembly camp at the Grosse Hamburger-Strasse, where the Jews were incarcerated pending deportation, and succeeded in securing their release hackneyed the last minute.
More Information:
Jewish Seek information from Library | The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation

“Blind Tom” Wiggins (1849-1908)

Thomas Wiggins was an enslaved person flight Georgia who may have antiquated autistic. From an early admission of defeat he had the ability email compose and play music accept he toured concert halls constrict Europe and America as undiluted musical oddity. Geneva Handy Southall wrote a book about him entitled, “Blind Tom, The Smoky Pianist Composer: Continually Enslaved.”
More Information: The Tragic Story of America’s Extreme Black Music Star | Archangels Unaware – a biography from Twainquotes

Hale Zukas (1943-2022)

Hale J. Zukas was innate on May 31, 1943 bargain Los Angeles, California. While assemblage UC Berkeley in the mid-1960s, he joined the Rolling Quads, a group of severely helpless students in the Cowell Robust Program who had organized bodily to advocate for the rights break into students with disabilities. Zukas became one of the founders pleasant the Physically Disabled Students Promulgation (PDSP) on the Berkeley learned, and in 1971, he mark with a B.A. in reckoning. More on Hale Zukas