Harriet Bell (July 14, 1923 – September 10, 1995) was an American advocate for disability rights. She was a co-founder and director of the Polio Information Center and a member of the New York State Board for Nursing. Residing in the

Goldwater Memorial Hospital Coler Specialty Hospital is a chronic care facility on New York City's Roosevelt Island that provides services such as rehabilitation and specialty nursing. The hospital was formed in 1996 by the merger of two separate chronic care hospitals o ...

after contracting polio, she was president of the hospital board for four terms, participating in drafting the Patients' Bill of Rights. In 1982, she was the recipient of the Wonder Woman Foundation Award of Warner Communications Inc. as an agent of change.

Early life

Bell grew up in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, and had one sister and a step-sister. In 1931, her sister contracted

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

and in 1949, her step-sister contracted the disease as well. After working as a model, she married and had three children, Cathie (born 1950) and twins Douglas and Lori (born 1953). In 1954, she contracted polio, seven months before the availability of the

polio vaccine Polio vaccines are vaccines used to prevent poliomyelitis (polio). Two types are used: an inactivated poliovirus given by injection (IPV) and a weakened poliovirus given by mouth (OPV). The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends all chil ...

. She was admitted to the

and confined to an

iron lung An iron lung is a type of negative pressure ventilator (NPV), a mechanical respirator which encloses most of a person's body, and varies the air pressure in the enclosed space, to stimulate breathing.Shneerson, Dr. John M., Newmarket General ...

. After experiencing anger and depression, and offering to allow her husband a divorce, Bell determined to take control of her life. Her husband refused to accept a divorce and though they lived separately, the couple parented their children together. As her health improved, she gained mobility with use of a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...

and was able to attend family functions, though her need for mechanical respiratory assistance made it necessary for her to live at the hospital facility for 25 years. During her tenure in residence, she was president of the hospital board for four terms, participating in drafting the Patients Bill of Rights.

Career

Wishing to further her education, Bell tried to enroll in numerous universities in the New York City area but was rejected because of her disabilities. In 1977, she was accepted at

Empire State College Empire State College (SUNY Empire or ESC) is a public university headquartered in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Empire State College is a multi-site institution offering associate, ...

through an extension program that allowed

distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

and she graduated in 1979. Soon after, she moved out of the hospital, taking a nearby apartment. Bell and Florence Weiner co-founded the Polio Information Center, an international data base on the disease. Bell became editor and publisher of the center's newsletter, which she operated from her residence. She was nominated for and won the Wonder Woman Foundation Award of Warner Communications Inc. in 1982 for her ability to create a new reality from her circumstance. In 1984, she completed her PhD studies at Columbia Pacific University with a dissertation, "Polio Survivors: Their Quality of Life". Despite being a

quadriplegic Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of motor and/or sensory function in the cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weakness or paralysis leading to partial or t ...

, Bell developed skill as a painter and a typist, using

assistive technology Assistive technology (AT) is a term for assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and the elderly. Disabled people often have difficulty performing activities of daily living (ADLs) independently, or even with ...

Death and legacy

Bell died on September 10, 1995, at her home on Roosevelt Island. The information provided by the center she co-founded was an early resource for

post-polio syndrome Post-polio syndrome (PPS, poliomyelitis sequelae) is a group of latent symptoms of poliomyelitis (polio), occurring at about a 25–40% rate (latest data greater than 80%). These symptoms are caused by the damaging effects of the viral infection ...

, little known at that time, and became an internationally recognized reference base.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Harriet 1923 births 1995 deaths Activists from Buffalo, New York Empire State College alumni Columbia Pacific University alumni People with polio American disability rights activists 20th-century American women writers