Anne Emerman (February 24, 1937 in Astoria,

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

– November 3, 2021) was an American disability rights activist. She served as the director of the New York City Mayor's Office for Disabilities (MOPD) during the administration of

David Dinkins David Norman Dinkins (July 10, 1927 – November 23, 2020) was an American politician, lawyer, and author who served as the 106th mayor of New York City from 1990 to 1993. Dinkins was among the more than 20,000 Montford Point Marine Associa ...

after successfully lobbying for all new or renovated buildings in New York City to be wheelchair accessible. In 1944, she contracted

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

after playing in the water at the

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and thereafter used a wheelchair. She attended

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...

and received a degree in political science, and in 1964 obtained a master's degree in social work from the

Columbia University School of Social Work The Columbia School of Social Work is the graduate school of social work of Columbia University in New York City. It is one of the oldest social work programs in the US, with roots extending back to 1898. It began awarding a Master of Science d ...

. After graduation, she worked as a psychiatric social worker at Bellevue until 1972. Emerman began her activism in the 1970s, at the beginning of the

disability rights movement The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all disabled people. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocates, around ...

. She demanded that polling booths be accessible as although she could vote by post she wanted the community and politicians to see that those with disabilities were part of the electorate. This resulted in $10 million being spent on improvements. In 1987, she successfully lobbied for all new or renovated buildings in New York City to be wheelchair accessible. In 1990, she became the director of the New York City Mayor's Office of the Handicapped, which later became the Mayor's Office for People With Disabilities. In this role, she opposed a project headed by

Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, ; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa or Saint Mother Teresa, was an Albanian-Indian Catholic Church, Roman Catholic nun, founder of the Missionaries of ...

to convert two tenements into a homeless shelter until the nuns agreed to install an elevator. The nuns decided not to move forward with the project, because the Catholic Church did not have the money. Opinions were divided on the outcome which some saw as a victory for disability rights while others saw it as "trumping common sense". She held the position in the New York City Mayor's Office until 1994.

Personal life

In 1970, Emerman married research chemist Sidney Emerman. They met on a street corner where Sidney offered to help Anne cross the street. The couple later founded the Disabled In Action (D.I.A.) Singers, and the group sang about their struggle for universal access and supportive services.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Emerman, Anne American disability rights activists 1937 births 2021 deaths Hunter College alumni Columbia University School of Social Work alumni