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Disability Rights Leader Alice Wong Dies at 51

Her work reframed disability justice by centering community care with first-person narratives.

Overview

  • Friends said she died Friday from an infection at a San Francisco hospital, according to the Associated Press quoting close friend Sandy Ho.
  • A statement Wong wrote in advance was posted to her social channels by Sandy Ho, opening with, “Hi everyone, it looks like I ran out of time.”
  • She founded the Disability Visibility Project and authored and edited works that elevated disabled writers, including her memoir “Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life.”
  • Her advocacy prioritized moving people out of institutions to live in the community, with focus on people of color, LGBTQ communities, and immigrants with disabilities.
  • She was a 2024 MacArthur Fellow, and tributes from artists, activists, and local officials followed her death, including recognition she received from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in July.