Muriel Ellen Zimmerman (1916 – September 25, 2014) was an American occupational therapist, head of the Self-Help Device Unit at the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine in New York City.
Muriel Zimmerman | |
|---|---|
 Muriel Zimmerman, from a 1983 newspaper. | |
| Born | 1916 Lehman, Pennsylvania |
| Died | September 25, 2014 Colonie, New York |
| Occupation | Occupational therapist |
Early life edit
Zimmerman was born in 1916, in Lehman, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Frederick U. Zimmerman and Mabel Ellen Dana Zimmerman.[1] She trained as an occupational therapist at the Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy.[2]
Career edit
Zimmerman was supervisor of occupational therapy and associate director at the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (IRM) in New York.[3] She taught occupational therapy courses at New York University from 1956 to 1974.[4] Her work as head of the institute's Self-Help Device Unit[5] focused on creating devices for rehabilitation, including the universal cuff, the Swedish Arm Support (deltoid aid), and finger splints, and on introducing assistive technology to disabled users.[6] She encouraged her clients to be resourceful in crafting their own tools and gadgets,[7] including everyday self-care items such as tableware and clothing.[8][9] She also established occupational therapy programs in other countries.[10]
Zimmerman was author of Self-Help Devices for Rehabilitation (1958), and co-author of Living with a Disability (1953, with Howard Rusk and Eugene J. Taylor), and Functional Fashions for the Physically Handicapped (1961, with Helen Cookman).[11] In 1960 she gave the Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lecture, titled "Devices: Development and Direction".[12]
Personal life edit
Zimmerman died in 2014, aged 98 years, in Colonie, New York.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b "Muriel Zimmerman". Albany Times-Union. September 25, 2014.
- ^ Peters, Christine; Martin, Peggy; Mahoney, Wanda (2017-01-01). "The Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy: A Centennial Lesson". Journal of Occupational Therapy Education. 1 (1). doi:10.26681/jote.2017.010108. ISSN 2573-1378.
- ^ McCormack, Patricia (1983-12-04). "Rehab Specialists Pick Gifts for Disabled". Sunday-The Daily News. p. 272. Retrieved 2020-07-21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Peters, Christine Olga (2014-07-10). Powerful Occupational Therapists: A Community of Professionals, 1950-1980. Routledge. pp. 163–164. ISBN 978-1-317-98087-2.
- ^ Gregg, John (1962-05-13). "Miracles on 34th Street". Daily News. p. 449. Retrieved 2020-07-21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Polgar, Jan Miller (October 2006). "Assistive Technology as an Enabler to Occupation: What's Old is New Again". Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 73 (4): 199–204. doi:10.1177/000841740607300403. ISSN 0008-4174. PMID 17089643. S2CID 27365249.
- ^ Williamson, Bess (2019). Accessible America: A History of Disability and Design. Vol. 2. NYU Press. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-4798-9409-3. JSTOR j.ctvwrm3zv.
- ^ "Living with a Disability (1953)". Chipstone. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
- ^ Rice, Martin; Cutler, Susan K. (2012-02-15). Clinical Research in Occupational Therapy. Cengage Learning. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-111-64331-7.
- ^ Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship Award Recipients, AOTA.
- ^ Cookman, Helen; Zimmerman, Muriel E. (1961). Functional Fashions for the Physically Handicapped. Institute of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, New York University Medical Center – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "100 Influential People in Occupational Therapy: Muriel Zimmerman". The American Occupational Therapy Association. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
