Eunice K. Fiorito (October 1, 1930 – November 22, 1999) was an American

disability rights 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 ...

activist and

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

er. She was president of the

American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

(ACCD).

Early life and education

Eunice Kathleen Frelly was born in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, the daughter of Joseph Frelly (born Frelichowski) and Anna C. Rutkowski Frelly. She became blind in her teen years. She completed undergraduate studies in education at

Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic Church, ...

in 1954, and earned a master's degree in social work at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in 1960.

Career

Trained as a social worker, Fiorito worked in the Illinois Department of Social Welfare and at the Jewish Guild for the Blind in New York City, where she helped start an outpatient psychiatric clinic for disabled children in the 1960s. She was active in the

American Council of the Blind The American Council of the Blind (ACB) is a nationwide organization in the United States. It is an organization mainly made up of blind and visually impaired people who want to achieve independence and equality (although there are many sighted ...

. In 1970, Fiorito was appointed to the staff of mayor

John Lindsay John Vliet Lindsay (; November 24, 1921 – December 19, 2000) was an American politician and lawyer. During his political career, Lindsay was a U.S. congressman, the mayor of New York City, and a candidate for U.S. president. He was also a regu ...

's Committee on the Handicapped, when she developed the idea of a city office for disability issues, especially building employment opportunities. The Mayor's Office of the Handicapped in New York City opened in late 1972, with Fiorito as its first director. "I shall represent the disabled to this government, not this government to the disabled," she declared at her appointment. Fiorito testified at a Congressional subcommittee meeting on the

Supplemental Security Income Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a means-tested program that provides cash payments to disabled children, disabled adults, and individuals aged 65 or older who are citizens or nationals of the United States. SSI was created by the Social S ...

(SSI) program in 1975. With

Judith Heumann Judith Ellen "Judy" Heumann (; December 18, 1947March 4, 2023) was an American disability rights activist, known as the "Mother of the Disability Rights Movement". She was recognized internationally as a leader in the disability community. Heuma ...

Fred Fay Frederick A. Fay (September 12, 1944 – August 20, 2011) was an early leader in the disability rights movement in the United States. Through a combination of direct advocacy, grassroots organizing among the various disability rights communities, ...

, Ralf Hotchkiss,

Lex Frieden Lex Frieden (born March 5, 1949) is an American educator, researcher, disability policy expert and disability rights activist. Frieden has been called "a chief architect of the Americans with Disabilities Act." He is also regarded as a founder and ...

, and others, she co-founded the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities in 1975, and served as its president, with

Frank Bowe Frank G. Bowe (March 29, 1947 – August 21, 2007) was a deaf American disability studies academic who served as the Dr. Mervin Livingston Schloss Distinguished Professor for the Study of Disabilities at Hofstra University. As a disability righ ...

as ACCD's executive director. She was one of the leaders of the

504 Sit-In The 504 Sit-in was a disability rights protest that began on April 5, 1977. People with disabilities and the disability community occupied federal buildings in the United States in order to push the issuance of long-delayed regulations regarding S ...

protests in 1977, and her experience working with both government officials and activists was important to the protests' successful resolution. In 1980, she founded the League of Disabled Voters. Fiorito worked in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

at the

Department of Health, Education and Welfare The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the US federal government created to protect the health of the US people and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Im ...

for nineteen years, beginning during the Presidency of Jimmy Carter, Carter administration. She was vice-chair of the federal task force on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. She retired from government work in 1996, but continued to lead the Alexandria Commission on Persons with Disabilities, and do publicity for the Alexandria League of Women Voters.

Personal life

Eunice K. Frelly married James Fiorito. She died from heart failure in 1999, aged 69 years, at her home in Alexandria, Virginia. Her grave is in Arlington National Cemetery. Her family gave digital magnifiers to "service agencies, libraries, and other organizations" in her memory. There is a Eunice Fiorito Scholarship given by the American Foundation for the Blind and the American Council of the Blind, for blind students studying advocacy or disability services.AFB Scholarships
American Foundation for the Blind.

References

External links

Arlington National Cemetery
*
We Won't Go Away
' (dir. Patricia Ingram, 1981), with narration from Rosalie Wilkins, Baroness Wilkins, Rosalie Wilkins; documentary features Eunice Fiorito. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fiorito, Eunice K. 1930 births 1999 deaths American disability rights activists American blind people Loyola University Chicago alumni Columbia University School of Social Work alumni Activists from Chicago Blind activists American activists with disabilities