Table of Biography
Early Life
Engracia Figueroa was born in the United States and held American citizenship. As per a report, she passed away at the age of 51 in 2021. And calculating her birth date, she might have been born in 1970. Aside from this, there is not much known regarding her exact birth date, parents, and siblings.
She was not born a disabled person. At the age of 22, she met with an accident that caused her disability. Sadly, she had been hit by a Bay Area Rapid Transit train 30 years before, leaving her with a spinal cord injury and an amputated left leg, and she had a wheelchair built specifically to support her body, which she considered an ‘extension’ of herself. Meanwhile, not much is known related to her early childhood life.
Talking about her academic career, she has not shared or disclosed her schools, colleges, and qualifications. But, she was a well-educated person and since her high school days, she used to work in the insurance industry before becoming a disabled woman.
Professional Career
Caption: Engracia Figueroa giving a speech in the program (Source: Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network)
Engracia Figueroa was a well-known disability rights advocate and activist. Until her death, she was known for raising her voice about disability rights.
Engracia Figueroa – Death
On the 31st of October 2021, she died at the age of 51-year-old, reportedly from complications after United Airlines damaged her custom wheelchair on a plane ride.
According to Hand in Hand, a nonprofit organization she was a member of, she developed a skin ulcer that became infected and had gastrointestinal issues. Engracia was admitted to the intensive care unit two weeks before.
Madelaine Reis, a fellow activist and friend of Figueroa, told USA TODAY that up until her final moments, Figueroa was “thinking of how to keep disability rights at the forefront.” Reis said that she recently collaborated with Figueroa to plan a campaign to raise awareness about how airlines damage wheelchairs.
United Airlines staff destroyed Figueroa’s $30,000 wheelchair
Figueroa, who uses a wheelchair, boarded a United Airlines flight on July 14. Meanwhile, her wheelchair was reportedly destroyed in the cargo hold of a flight from Washington DC to her hometown of Los Angeles in August, leaving her with a pressure sore and acute pain. The damaged wheelchair was worth $30,000 and is not easy to replace, according to Figueroa.
Caption: Figueroa damaged wheelchair header (Source: Wheelchair Travel)
At first, United Airlines did provide Figueroa with a new wheelchair, Reis said Figueroa remained on a loaner wheelchair for months. Soon after, Figueroa began to experience additional pain, muscle spasms, severe edema, and finally an infected ulcer that spread to her bones and tissue and ultimately led to her death, according to Hand in Hand, a nationwide network advocating for dignified working conditions in which Figueroa was involved.
Later a month after the accident, the United finally agreed to replace the chair, but Hand in Hand argues that Figueroa suffered health complications in the meantime: “The months in which they [United] fought against the replacement took a toll on her body. While fighting with United to replace her chair, Engracia was forced to use a loaner chair that was not properly fitted to Engracia’s body.”
Awards
As a rights advocate and activist, Engracia Figueroa has always raised her voice for disabled people till the time of her last breath. However, she did not earn any major awards or recognition for her work until her death.
Net Worth 2023
Following an activist and advocating for disabled people, Engracia Figueroa might have collected a good sum of money in her profession. However, it is unclear regarding her net worth, salary, and income.
Relationship Status
Coming to her personal, Engracia Figueroa has not talked much regarding her relationship till the time of her death. Meanwhile, she has not shared any information about whether she is married or not. Looking at her, she might be single and unmarried till the time of her death. Till the time of her last breath, she always stood up and raised her voice for disabled people’s rights. In addition, she was not involved in any kind of controversy till the time
Body Measurements
Caption: Engracia Figueroa posing for a photo (Source: New Mobility)
Engracia Figueroa has brown pair of eyes with black hair color. Meanwhile, her other body measurements such as height, weight, dress size, shoe size, and many others are still unknown.
Social media
This American activist is no more in this world. So we can say that she is not active on any kind of social media website.