Barbara Toomer

Barbara Toomer
Toomer in 2016
Born
Barbara Greenlee

(1929-08-26)August 26, 1929
DiedApril 24, 2018(2018-04-24) (aged 88)
EducationEl Camino College
St. Joseph's College of Nursing
Occupation(s)Nurse, activist
Years active1976–2018
Known forDisability rights activism
MovementDisability rights movement
SpouseGerald "Ross" Toomer
Children3
Parent(s)Samuel Greenlee
Gertrude Greenlee
AwardsWoman of Courageous Action Award, National Organization for Women
Rosa Parks Award, Salt Lake NAACP

Barbara Greenlee Toomer (August 26, 1929 – April 24, 2018) was an American advocate for disability rights. She was born and raised in Southern California and attended nursing school in San Francisco. She then joined the United States Army Nurse Corps in 1953 and was stationed at Fort Bragg. In 1956, Toomer contracted polio and became a wheelchair user. She spent the remainder of her life advocating for disability rights in Utah. She founded and participated in multiple activist organizations, participated in protests against inaccessible transportation, and lobbied for housing freedom for disabled persons. Much of her activism involved ensuring that the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) was upheld. Toomer received numerous awards for her efforts; she was awarded the Woman of Courageous Action Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Organization for Women in 2000 and the Rosa Parks Award by the Salt Lake branch of the NAACP in 2017. Toomer died in 2018 and was buried in the Utah Veterans Cemetery.