Alice Wong, Disability Rights Pioneer and Storyteller, Dies at 51

Alice Wong, a pioneering disability activist, writer, and founder of the Disability Visibility Project, has died at the age of 51. She passed away on November 14th at UCSF Hospital, leaving behind a legacy of advocacy and storytelling that reshaped conversations around disability rights. Born in 1974 in Indianapolis, Wong was the daughter of Hong Kong immigrants. As one of the few physically disabled and Asian-American students in her school, she experienced firsthand the isolation that fuelled her later work. She went on to study English and sociology at Indiana University before earning a master’s in medical sociology from UCSF.

Wong’s career spanned research, advocacy, and writing. For over a decade, she worked at UCSF, leading efforts to improve accessibility. In 2013, President Barack Obama appointed her to the National Council on Disability, recognising her influence in policy and activism. She believed storytelling was a political act. In 2014, she launched the Disability Visibility Project, an online platform amplifying disabled voices across race, gender, and class. Her campaigns, like #CripTheVote and Access is Love, used social media to push for systemic change. Wong also edited two major anthologies: *Disability Visibility* (2020) and *Disability Intimacy* (2024). Her memoir, *Year of the Tiger* (2022), offered a deeply personal account of navigating an ableist world as a disabled woman.

Wong’s work transformed how society engages with disability. Her projects and writings gave visibility to marginalised experiences while pushing for tangible progress in accessibility and representation. Her impact will continue through the communities and campaigns she helped build.