Emily Suñez (Photo – Miriam Brummel)
The City of Pasadena recognized Emily Suñez as the 2024 recipient of the Robert Gorski Access Award, an award established by the City of Pasadena Accessibility and Disability Commission. It is presented annually to a Pasadena resident with a disability who has made a significant contribution toward improving accessibility and quality of life for people with disabilities and the City of Pasadena’s disability community. Emily will be honored at the Pasadena City Council meeting on Monday, July 22, 2024.
By News Desk
Emily Suñez is a disability advocate, teacher, and artist living in Pasadena, CA. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the College of William & Mary and a Master of Arts degree in Teaching from NYU. After being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and autonomic nervous system disorder, Emily left her career in classroom teaching and redesigned her life to manage her symptoms. She became an advocate for others battling chronic and invisible illnesses, and in 2018 she founded the Pasadena POTS support group for people with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and other forms of dysautonomia. The growth of the Pasadena POTS group led to Emily co-founding the nonprofit Los Angeles Dysautonomia Network (LADN). Under Emily’s leadership, LADN expanded beyond a monthly support group to offering patient education programs, community-building events, and a grant program to help low-income patients with medical expenses.
Emily now serves as Outreach Director of LADN and feels fortunate that her symptoms are so well-managed that she has recently been able to return to part-time teaching as a K-5 reading interventionist. She has used art and writing as tools for coping with symptoms, and her award-winning paintings have been featured in galleries across California, including at her most recent solo exhibition at San Marino’s Crowell Public Library.
Emily wrote and illustrated her book The Healing Journal: Guided Prompts & Inspiration for Life with Illness (published in 2022), a guided journal for those living with chronic illnesses and disabilities. Emily is committed to creating community among those with disabilities and to continuing her advocacy to empower others battling chronic conditions.
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