marilyn saviola who spent much of her life advocating for people with disabilities dies at 74 polio left her in a wheelchair it also started her on a lifelong fight to change perceptions and break down realworld obstacles creditjames estrinthe new york timesdec 1 2019marilyn e saviola who after childhood polio left her a quadriplegic spent much of her adult life advocating for people with disabilities pushing for the removal of both the physical barriers and the attitudes that hinder people like her from fully participating in society died on nov 23 at her home in brooklyn she was 74independence care system which supports people with disabilities and chronic conditions and where ms saviola was a senior vice president posted news of her death on its website the cause was not givenms saviola joined the battle for the rights of people with disabilities back when it was still relatively new while in college in the late 1960s she was executive director of the advocacy group center for the independence of the disabled in new york from 1983 to 1999 and then spent the next 20 years with independence care system running its advocacy and womens health programthose roles put her in the midst of the push for obvious accommodations like curb cuts in sidewalks and less obvious ones like financing for personal aides for people who need help dressing bathing and getting in and out of wheelchairs over the years her wide range of activities included blocking buses in her wheelchair in transportationrelated protests and organizing a singing group for people with disabilities this past summer she was honored at the opening of a newly renovated radiology unit at nyc health hospitalsgotham health in the morrisania section of the bronx that typifies her impact the new unit equipped with lifts movable examination tables and a modified mammography machine is designed to make it easier for women who use wheelchairs or have other disabilities to receive mammograms and obstetric and gynecological caremarilyn saviolas steadfast advocacy has ensured that the needs of the disability community are at the forefront of health care policy discussions victor calise commissioner of the new york city mayors office for people with disabilities said at the timefor ms saviola such services and facilities were a civil right on a par with those fought for by black people and womenour goal is not to get to the front of the bus she told the new york times in 1997 it is to make government pay for technology to get us on the busimagecreditjames estrinthe new york timesmarilyn elizabeth saviola was born on july 13 1945 in manhattan and grew up in the bronx her father peter and mother camilla immigrants from italy owned a candy store and luncheonette but her life changed drastically in august 1955 when she became sick while visiting relatives in connecticutpolio was diagnosed the first vaccine for it had recently been developed but she hadnt yet received iti was supposed to do it