Born: 12 September 1947, Mexico
Died: 3 January 2000
Country most active: Mexico
Also known as: Gaby Brimmer Dlugacz
Mexican writer and disability rights activist Gabriela Brimmer was born with cerebral palsy. Born in Mexico City to Jewish Austrian immigrants, she was encouraged to write from childhood, but could only type with one of her left toes. She went on to establish the Asociación para los Derechos de Personas con Alteraciones Motoras (Adepam; Association for the Rights of People with Motor Disabilities) and was also active with other organizations.
Brimmer’s autobiography, titled Gaby Brimmer, was released in 1979 and coauthored with Elena Poniatowska, with an English translation published in 2009. Her life was dramatized in the 1987 Mexican-American film Gaby: A True Story.
The following is republished with kind permission from the Enciclopedia de la Literatura en México.
Gaby [Gabriela Raquel] Brimmer [Dlugacz] fue una escritora y activista mexicana por los derechos de las personas con discapacidad. Nació con parálisis cerebral tetrapléjica grave de origen perinatal, lo que le impedía realizar cualquier expresión o movimiento a no ser con el pie izquierdo. Durante su educación primaria, su profesora, Margarita Aguilar, le ayudó a introducirse al ámbito literario. Con el apoyo de Jorge Aguilar Mora, su profesor de lengua española durante la secundaria, se acercó a la poesía. Alrededor de esta época comenzó a escribir sus primeros poemas y cuentos.
De 1971 a 1972, cursó tres semestres de Sociología en la Facultad de Ciencias Políticas de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México unam; más tarde, en 1974, cursó tres semestres de Periodismo. En 1979, Elena Poniatowska le ayudó a editar su primer libro, una biografía, lo cual despertó el interés por su vida y obra poética. Publicó después un libro de poemas y se involucró en diversos eventos culturales en los que difundió su labor. En 1987, se estrenó la película del cineasta Luis Mandoki basada en la vida de Brimmer. El guion preliminar fue realizado por Poniatowska y fue finalizado por Martín Salinas y Michael James Love, con la ayuda de la propia escritora.
En 1989, fundó la Asociación para los Derechos de Personas con Alteraciones Motoras adepam para asesorar, dar servicio médico y psicológico y promover el respeto a los derechos humanos de las personas con discapacidad, así como facilitar su alfabetización y formación a través del Sistema Abierto de Enseñanza.
Gaby [Gabriela Raquel] Brimmer [Dlugacz] was a Mexican writer and activist for the rights of people with disabilities. She was born with severe perinatal quadriplegic cerebral palsy, which prevented her from making any expression or movement except with her left foot. During her primary education, her teacher, Margarita Aguilar, helped introduce her to the world of literature. With the support of Jorge Aguilar Mora, her Spanish teacher during secondary school, she became interested in poetry. Around this time, she began writing her first poems and short stories.
From 1971 to 1972, she studied Sociology for three semesters at the Faculty of Political Science of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM); later, in 1974, she studied Journalism for three semesters. In 1979, Elena Poniatowska helped her edit her first book, a biography, which sparked interest in her life and poetry. She subsequently published a book of poems and became involved in various cultural events where she promoted her work. In 1987, Luis Mandoki’s film based on Brimmer’s life premiered. The preliminary screenplay was written by Poniatowska and finalized by Martín Salinas and Michael James Love, with Poniatowska’s assistance.
In 1989, she founded the Association for the Rights of People with Motor Disabilities (ADEPAM) to advise, provide medical and psychological services and promote respect for the human rights of people with disabilities, as well as facilitate their literacy and training through the Open Education System.