Disability rights activist, author Alice Wong dies at 51

Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO Alice Wong a disability rights activist and author whose independence and writing inspired others has died She was Wong died of an infection Friday at a hospital in San Francisco disclosed Sandy Ho a close friend who has been in touch with Wong s family Ho called her friend a luminary of the disability justice movement who longed a world in which people with disabilities especially ones of marginalized demographics who were people of color LGBTQ and immigrants could live freely and have full autonomy over their lives and decisions The daughter of Hong Kong immigrants Wong was born with muscular dystrophy She used a powered wheelchair and an assistive breathing device Ho shared a comment on social media that Wong wrote before her death in which she stated she never imagined her trajectory would turn out as it did to writing activism and more It was thanks to friendships and specific great teachers who concluded in me that I was able to fight my way out of miserable situations into a place where I in the end felt secure in my skin We need more stories about us and our values Wong wrote She advocated for getting people out of institutions and remaining in the district Ho announced and her works including books she wrote and edited and the Disability Visibility Project blog which she started shared her writing and voices and the perspectives of others Ho mentioned Wong was a funny person and a hilarious writer not an easy skill Her memoir Year of the Tiger An Activist s Life is filled with humorous snippets but also humanizes disability she added The legacy of Wong s work is that people with disabilities speak for themselves and that nobody speaks for us Ho commented Wong was among the class of fellows of the John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation recipients of the genius grant