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Alice Wong

アリス・ウォン

Arisu Wong

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1974-03-27 （Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Indianapolis (birthplace) → San Francisco (based)

Career

Occupations
activist, journalist, editor
Active Years
1997-
Affiliations
Disability Visibility Project (founder & project coordinator), Asians and Pacific Islanders with Disabilities of California (APIDC) advisory board, National Council on Disability (appointed, 2013–2015)
Memberships
National Council on Disability (former member), Asians and Pacific Islanders with Disabilities of California (APIDC)
Influenced By
Judith Heumann (disability rights activist), Ed Roberts (disability movement pioneer)
Influenced
Younger disability activists and disabled writers community

Education

Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
English and Sociology
Degree: BA
Period: 1993–1997
Year of Graduation: 1997
Country: United States
Received a BA in English and Sociology
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
Medical Sociology (MA)
Degree: MA
Period: 2002–2004
Year of Graduation: 2004
Country: United States
Earned a master's degree in medical sociology

Awards

Mayor's Disability Council Beacon Award
2010
Organization: San Francisco Mayor's Office
Result: 受賞
Chancellor's Disability Service Award (first-ever)
2010
Organization: University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
Result: 受賞
Martin Luther King, Jr. Award
2007
Organization: University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
Result: 受賞
Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award
2016
Category: リーダーシップ
Organization: American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
Result: 受賞
Disability Futures Fellow
2020
Category: フェローシップ
Organization: Ford Foundation
Result: 選出
BBC 100 Women
2020
Category: リスト選出
Organization: BBC
Result: 選出
Best Supporting Actor (New Jersey Web Fest)
2021
Work: Someone Dies In This Elevator
Category: 演技
Organization: New Jersey Web Fest
Result: 受賞
MacArthur Fellow
2024
Category: フェローシップ
Organization: MacArthur Foundation
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Resistance and Hope: Essays by Disabled People

2018 Essay anthology (editor)

An anthology of essays by disabled people focusing on themes of resistance and hope, collecting diverse first-person voices.

disability voicesresistancecommunity

Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century

2020 Essay anthology (editor)

An edited collection of first-person stories from disabled people in the 21st century, juxtaposing personal experience with social issues.

self-expressionaccessibilitydiversity

Disability Visibility (Adapted for Young Adults): 17 First-Person Stories for Today

2021 Young adult adaptation (editor)

A young-adult adaptation of Disability Visibility, curated for younger readers with perspectives relevant to them.

youth and disabilityself-understandingsolidarity

Year of The Tiger: An Activist's Life

2022 Memoir/essays

A memoir recounting her life as an activist, covering family, identity, and the trajectory of her advocacy work.

memoryfamilysocial movement

Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire

2024 Essay anthology (editor)

An anthology of essays exploring intimacy—love, care, and desire—from disabled perspectives, addressing embodiment and emotion.

intimacycareembodiment

Bibliography

  • Resistance and Hope: Essays by Disabled People (2018)
  • Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century (2020)
  • Disability Visibility (Adapted for Young Adults): 17 First-Person Stories for Today (2021)
  • Year of The Tiger: An Activist's Life (2022)
  • Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire (2024)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
First-person essay-focused editorial styledirect, conversational voiceeditorial approach combining critical and activist perspectives
Recurring Motifs
accessibility and access issuesdisabled self-expression and communitycare and intimacy

Health

  • Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)
    出生時から継続
    Stopped walking in early childhood and uses a wheelchair. Requires lifelong medical care and assistance; this experience informs her advocacy and writing.

Legacy

Alice Wong has significantly influenced disability activism and media by amplifying first-person disabled voices. Through founding the Disability Visibility Project and leveraging social media, she archived personal narratives and brought disability stories into the public sphere. Her fellowships and awards have positioned her as an influential figure in policy advocacy and education.

Archives

  • Disability Visibility Project archive (online)
  • Oral history collection coordinated with StoryCorps

In Popular Culture

  • Movements on social media such as #CripLit and #CripTheVote
  • Media appearances including acting recognition at web festivals

Quotes

  • We have a right to tell our stories.
    Source: Disability Visibility Project (general statement) (2014)

Trivia

  • Considered the first person to 'visit' the White House via telepresence robot (2015).
  • Founder of the Disability Visibility Project, collecting oral histories of disabled people.
  • Lives with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and uses a wheelchair.
  • Named a MacArthur Fellow in 2024.