Marilyn Golden

Marilyn Golden (March 22, 1954 – September 21, 2021) was an American disability rights activist, most notably in the area of transportation. For many years she was a policy analyst at the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF). She served on the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board from 1996 until 2005. She had previously worked as the Director of Access California, which was a "resource center on architectural accessibility run by the City of Oakland". She also worked as Co-Coordinator of the Disabled International Support Effort, which aided disability organizations in developing nations. She opposed assisted suicide and fought against assisted suicide legislation in California, Hawaii, and Vermont.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} She also lobbied for the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.^[6]

Marilyn Golden
Born	(1954-03-22)March 22, 1954 San Antonio, Texas
Died	September 21, 2021(2021-09-21) (aged 67) Berkeley, California
Occupation(s)	Disability rights activist Researcher and author

Golden was the daughter of Aaron and Clarice (Lerner) Golden. She grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and was Jewish. While a student at Brandeis University, she had a fall that severely injured her back, and following a long rehabilitation she used a wheelchair. She graduated from Brandeis University in 1977. Her companion was Rabbi David J. Cooper, and she had two stepchildren Talia Cooper and Lev Hirschhorn. In 2015 she was honored by the White House as a transportation "Champion of Change."^{[7][1][8][9][10]}

Selected publications

• Golden, Marilyn; Kilb, Linda; Mayerson, Arlene B. (1994). Explanation of the contents of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund. OCLC 29879962.
• Mudrick, Nancy R.; Breslin, Mary Lou; Golden, Marilyn; West, Jane; Doctor, Deborah (June 27, 2000). Promises to keep: A decade of federal enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act (PDF) (Report). National Council on Disability.
• Golden, Marilyn; Zoanni, Tyler (January 2010). "Killing us softly: the dangers of legalizing assisted suicide". Disability and Health Journal. 3 (1): 16–30. doi:10.1016/j.dhjo.2009.08.006. PMID 21122765.
• Henderson, Susan; Golden, Marilyn (November 2, 2015). Self-Driving Cars: Mapping Access to a Technology Revolution (PDF) (Report). National Council on Disability.

References

1. Roberts, Sam (September 28, 2021). "Marilyn Golden, Effective Voice for the Disabled, Dies at 67". The New York Times.
2. "U.S. Access Board Mourns Passing of Former Board Member Marilyn Golden". U. S. Access Board. September 28, 2021. Marilyn was a true pillar of the Disability Rights Movement. Through her dynamic leadership and skilled advocacy, she played a major role in making our world a more inclusive place by shaping legislation and policy, crafting regulations and codes, and educating and mentoring countless others.
3. Pelka, Fred (2012). "Mobilizing the Community: Marilyn Golden". What We Have Done: An Oral History of the Disability Rights Movement. University of Massachusetts Press. pp. 481–484. ISBN 9781558499195. OCLC 959729198. I chose working at DREDF because I would get a chance to work with Mary Lou [Breslin], and it was the best choice I ever made.
4. "Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund - Marilyn Golden". Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund. 27 September 2012. from the original on 2021-05-08. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
5. Desmond, Joan Frawley (November 13, 2014). "After Brittany Maynard, Will More States Embrace Assisted Suicide?". National Catholic Register.
6. Wilensky, David A. M. (September 29, 2021). "Marilyn Golden, disability rights activist who lobbied for ADA, dies at 67".
7. "White House Honors "Champions of Change" for Transportation". whitehouse.gov. May 12, 2014 – via National Archives.
8. Langer, Emily (September 29, 2021). "Marilyn Golden, champion for disability rights, dies at 67". The Washington Post.
9. Wall, Alix (January 16, 2015). "Talking with … A leading disability rights activist". The Jewish News of Northern California.
10. "In Memory of Marilyn Golden". Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-26.

External links

• Golden, Marilyn; Yee, Silvia (12 September 2012). "Achieving Accessibility: How the Americans with Disabilities Act Is Changing the Face and Mind of a Nation". Disability Rights and Education Defense Fund. Retrieved 2021-09-27.