Marca Bristo (June 23, 1953 – September 8, 2019) was an American disability rights activist.

Life and career

Bristo was born Marcia Lynn Bristo on June 23, 1953, in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

, and was raised on a family farm in

Castleton-on-Hudson, New York Castleton-on-Hudson is a village located in the southwestern part of the town of Schodack in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,473 at the 2010 census. The village is southeast of Albany. As of 2019, Castleton-On-Hu ...

before moving to

West Winfield, New York West Winfield is a village in the town of Winfield in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 826 at the 2010 census. The village is indirectly named after General Winfield Scott. The village is south of Utica. History An ...

. She attended

Beloit College Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin. Founded in 1846, when Wisconsin was still a territory, it is the state's oldest continuously operated college. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and has ...

and earned her nursing degree from

Rush University Rush University is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. The university, founded in 1972, is the academic arm of Rush University Medical Center. Rush University comprises: * Rush Medical College * Rush University College of Nursing ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Early in her career, she worked at the

Prentice Women's Hospital Prentice Women's Hospital is an acute care women's hospital located adjacent to both Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Northwestern Memorial and the Lurie Children's Hospital, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Prentice Women's Hospital is a membe ...

. Bristo was paralyzed from the chest down in a diving accident in 1977, when she was 23 years old. In 1983, she co-founded the American National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) with

Max Starkloff Max Starkloff (September 18, 1937, St. Louis, Missouri – December, 2010) was a disability rights activist. Starkloff became disabled in a car accident in 1959 and subsequently co-founded three organizations. Personal life In 1959, at the ...

and

Charlie Carr Charles Carbitt Carr (December 27, 1875 – November 25, 1932) was an American baseball first baseman and manager. He played professional baseball from 1894 to 1919, including seven years in Major League Baseball with the Washington Senators (18 ...

. She helped to write the

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 19 ...

, was granted the

Secretary's Distinguished Service Award The Secretary's Distinguished Service Award is an award of the United States Department of State. It is presented at the discretion of the Secretary of State in recognition of exceptionally outstanding leadership, professional competence, and sig ...

, the Americans with Disabilities Act Award and the 2014

Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards The Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards were established to honor the legacy of the founder of the Viscardi Center, Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr., a leading disability rights advocate who wore prosthetic limbs. These international Awards, first conferr ...

. She was also the chair of the American

National Council on Disability The National Council on Disability (NCD) is an advisory agency on disability policy in the United States for all levels of government and for private sector entities NCD is an independent agency of the United States government headquartered in ...

from 1994 to 2002, and as such was its first disabled chair. In 2014 she became president of the United States International Council on Disabilities. She was also the founding president and chief executive officer of Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago. Bristo died at the age of 66 in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bristo, Marca American disability rights activists People with paraplegia 1953 births 2019 deaths People from Albany, New York Activists from Chicago Activists from New York (state) Beloit College alumni Rush University alumni American women nurses 21st-century American women