The Brooke Ellison Community Visionary Award honors a wheelchair user who advances the fields of technology or business. Awardees exemplify civic engagement and social responsibility ideals — especially regarding the disability community. United Spinal Association will present this inaugural award at its 2024 Strongwheeled Together conference.
Brooke Ellison was United Spinal Association’s Vice President of Technology and Innovation. She led the Tech Access Initiative, which collaborates with members of the technology sector and disability community to innovate inclusive technology.
World-Class Thought Leader
Brooke was struck by a car when she was 11. Following her accident, she acquired quadriplegia and used a ventilator. In 2022, she published Look Both Ways, which takes a deep and personal look at her life with a disability.
A globally recognized disability thought leader, Brooke’s academic work focused on applied medical ethics, health policy, and disability. An associate professor at Stony Brook University, she held a master’s in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a doctorate in sociology from Stony Brook University.
In 2011, she was granted an honorary degree from Rutgers University and, in 2014, was chosen to be a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. In 2017, she joined the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the New York Civil Liberties Union. The next year, she became a Truman National Security Project Political Partner. In 2020, she accepted an appointment as a Suffolk County Human Rights Commission commissioner.
In addition to these achievements, Brooke most recently received a fellowship at Harvard University. She also contributed to a collection of written pieces about the history and future of the Declaration of Human Rights.
Brooke’s Legacy
Brooke Ellison passed away on February 4, 2024, at 45. She left quite a legacy across many medical and scientific fields as she pioneered ground-breaking efforts toward technological and scientific progress for people with disabilities. In her tenure with United Spinal, Brooke involved smaller tech start-ups, academic and research institutions, and the significant tech sector.
As United Spinal President & CEO Vincenzo Piscopo said, “Brooke was the perfect leader for United Spinal’s Tech Access Initiative due to her political savvy, personal touch, and moral authority.”
