IU School of Liberal Arts alumnae Alice Wong (English and Sociology, BA ’97) is among the 2024 MacArthur Fellows announced this week. Wong is a writer, editor, and disability justice activist who enriches the political and cultural visibility of people with disabilities, celebrating the positive power of humanity.
The prestigious MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grants” recognizes individuals across disciplines who “demonstrate the ability to impact society in significant and beneficial ways through their pioneering work or the rigor of their contributions.” Each of the approximately two-dozen fellows receive no-strings-attached grants of $800,000, which the MacArthur Foundation describes as an “investment in a person's originality, insight, and potential."
Deeply rooted in disability justice, Wong uses her capacity for compelling storytelling across multiple media platforms. She publishes personal stories that expose ableist attitudes, policies, and practices across a society that pushes disabled people to the margins. She also shares her own experiences navigating the world as a disabled person with a progressive neuromuscular disease.
Wong is the founder and director of the Disability Visibility Project (2014) and a columnist for Teen Vogue. Wong served on the National Council on Disability (2013–2015), and her essays have appeared in The New York Times, KQED, and YES! Magazine, among other publications.