Concetta Jean "Connie" Panzarino (November 26, 1947 – July 4, 2001) was an American writer and activist for disability rights and LGBTQ rights.

Early life and education

Panzarino was born in New York City, and raised on Long Island, the daughter of Frank V. Panzarino and Antoinette (Anne) Panzarino. She was born with spinal muscular atrophy type III, a progressive neuromuscular disease also known as Werdnig-Hoffmann disease. In 1960 she appeared on posters for a fundraising appeal for the

Muscular Dystrophy Association The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is an American 501(c)(3) umbrella organization that works to support people with neuromuscular diseases. Founded in 1950 by Paul Cohen, who lived with muscular dystrophy, it works to combat neuromuscular di ...

. She graduated from Massapequa High School in 1965. She completed a bachelor's degree from

Hofstra University Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. It is Long Island's largest private university. Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of Ne ...

in 1969, and a master's degree in

art therapy Art therapy (not to be confused with ''arts therapy'', which includes other creative therapies such as drama therapy and music therapy) is a distinct discipline that incorporates creative methods of expression through visual art media. Art thera ...

from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

Career

Panzarino worked in

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...

in Nassau County as a young woman, but had to quit when her income left her ineligible for the in-home supports she required. She was a registered art therapist and director of the Boston Self Help Center from 1986 to 1989. She worked with survivors of abuse and lectured on sexism, homophobia, and ableism. She also served on the boards of several organizations supporting disabled people, including the Disability Law Center and the Boston Center for Independent Living. She lobbied and marched in Washington, D.C. in the 1970s, for

Section 504 Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, is United States, American legislation that guarantees certain rights to people with disabilities. It was one of the first U.S. federal civil rights laws offering protection for people with disabilities ...

and for work opportunities for disabled people. "I really don't lead a calm life," she told a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' reporter in 1977. She created Beechwood, a cooperative living community for disabled women. She wrote a memoir, ''The Me in the Mirror'' (1994). Her memoir was adapted for the stage and performed at the Women on Top Theatre Festival in Boston in 2000.

Publications

* "whose festival?" (1982) * "Female Homosexuality" (1991) * ''The Me in the Mirror'' (1994) * ''Rebecca Finds a New Way: How Kids Learn, Play, and Live with Spinal Cord Injuries and Illnesses'' (1994) * "To My Other Bodies" (1996) * "No Decision Here" (1999) * "Camping with a Ventilator" (2001)

Personal life and legacy

Panzarino had a close relationship with disabled

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

veteran and activist

Ron Kovic Ronald Lawrence Kovic (born July 4, 1946) is an American anti-war activist, writer, and United States Marine Corps sergeant who was wounded and paralyzed in the Vietnam War. His 1976 memoir ''Born on the Fourth of July'' was made into the Academ ...

. They went to high school together, and he thanked her in his memoir '' Born on the Fourth of July'', saying "She stood by me like no one else, listened through nights and days, caring and loving, understanding and encouraging, wiping the tears from my eyes." She identified as a lesbian, and a photograph of Panzarino by Joan E. Biren appeared in ''Eye to Eye: Portraits of Lesbians'' (1979). She died in 2001, at the age of 53, in Boston. Her work is frequently the subject of scholarship on intersectional queer/disabled identities.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Panzarino, Connie 1947 births 2001 deaths American disability rights activists American LGBT rights activists American women writers People with spinal muscular atrophy Hofstra University alumni New York University alumni Massapequa High School alumni LGBT people from New York (state) American lesbian writers American writers with disabilities American activists with disabilities LGBT writers with disabilities