Gabriela Brimmer : Google doodle celebrates 75th birthday of Mexican-Jewish writer and disability rights activist

Gabriela Brimmer, a Mexican-Jewish writer and advocate for disability rights, is honoured in today’s Google Doodle on the occasion of her 75th birthday. Brimmer made significant contributions to novels and movies that accurately depicted her life as a cerebral palsy sufferer, ultimately leading to the creation of greater chances for others in the disabled population.

Brimmer’s parents fled Nazi Austria and gave birth to him in Mexico City in 1947. Her severe cerebral palsy, a physical condition that can impact a person’s movement, muscle tone, and posture, was soon discovered by her parents. Being nonverbal, Brimmer’s carers taught her to express herself through writing and poetry.

She learned to communicate with the outside world using her left leg and foot, the only parts of her body she could move. She typed lovely paragraphs on a typewriter, which she controlled with the big toe of her left foot, as shown in today’s art.

Later, Brimmer worked with writers and journalists from Mexico to produce three best-selling books that faithfully portrayed her life. She also collaborated with the filmmakers to adapt her autobiography into the 1987 film Gaby, a True Story, which received nominations for both the Golden Globe and the Oscar.

Brimmer later founded the Association for the Rights of People with Motor Disabilities and took part in numerous other groups that promoted accessibility and the rights of people with disabilities.

She was recognized in 2016 with the establishment of the Gaby Brimmer National Center for Rehabilitation and Educational Integration.

Happy birthday, Gabriela Brimmer!