| statement_passing_marca_bristo_final.pdf |
Like the rest of the disability community, CNLD is incredibly saddened by the passing of Access Living founder Marca Bristo. Marca was not only a fierce advocate for disabled people in Chicago but nationally, and her influence extended world-wide. Her activism, charisma, and common-sense approach helped educate the ableist community while transforming the lives of countless people with disabilities – resulting in a better quality of life and putting them on a path to fight for civil rights.
Marca will forever be remembered as a colleague, mother, and friend whose life's work was the impetus for the formation of CNLD. Many in CNLD knew Marca personally through their work and affiliation with Access Living in Chicago as a role model and a supporter. Our organization started through a student- and staff-led project sponsored by Access Living, and we will always be thankful for her support of CNLD’s mission and vision.
In her amazing life, Marca played a significant role in drafting the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which has and continues to create a more equitable society for people with disabilities in the United States and also serves as a blueprint for equity worldwide. She served as the first chair of the National Council on Disability under former President Bill Clinton from 1994 to 2002, and she was the president of the United States International Council on Disabilities. She is and will always be one of the most influential disability rights leaders of the Disability Rights and Independent Living Movements. Under her leadership, Access Living became more than a model for independent living and her legacy of dedication and persistence will continue with new disability rights advocates for generations to come. We are forever grateful for her generosity and labor, and pledge to continue to work toward a seamless society not only for the Latinx disability community, but for all.
In solidarity,
The National Coalitions for Latinxs with Disabilities
We work in solidarity to affirm, celebrate, and collectively uplift Latinxs with disabilities through
community building, advocacy, protection of rights, resources, and education.
Marca will forever be remembered as a colleague, mother, and friend whose life's work was the impetus for the formation of CNLD. Many in CNLD knew Marca personally through their work and affiliation with Access Living in Chicago as a role model and a supporter. Our organization started through a student- and staff-led project sponsored by Access Living, and we will always be thankful for her support of CNLD’s mission and vision.
In her amazing life, Marca played a significant role in drafting the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which has and continues to create a more equitable society for people with disabilities in the United States and also serves as a blueprint for equity worldwide. She served as the first chair of the National Council on Disability under former President Bill Clinton from 1994 to 2002, and she was the president of the United States International Council on Disabilities. She is and will always be one of the most influential disability rights leaders of the Disability Rights and Independent Living Movements. Under her leadership, Access Living became more than a model for independent living and her legacy of dedication and persistence will continue with new disability rights advocates for generations to come. We are forever grateful for her generosity and labor, and pledge to continue to work toward a seamless society not only for the Latinx disability community, but for all.
In solidarity,
The National Coalitions for Latinxs with Disabilities
We work in solidarity to affirm, celebrate, and collectively uplift Latinxs with disabilities through
community building, advocacy, protection of rights, resources, and education.