Comments on: Remembering Mary Ann Hiserman

By: Ross McCammon

Ross McCammon — Thu, 13 May 2010 04:25:01 +0000

My brother told me this weekend about all of the nice things being said about our cousin Mary Ann on the web. I knew about her work at UC Berkeley, but didn’t realize the impact she had on so many people. Mary Ann loved to play canasta, collect dolls and was a big Peanuts fan. We all received a painted Snoopy rock at one time or another. I am looking at a letter the Charles Schulz wrote to her in 1967 thanking her for a painting that she sent him. Thanks for all of the kind words.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:59:35 +0000

Dear Bonnie, Many apologies for the delay. I’d love to pritn your comments about Mary Ann. She was such an inspiration to me!
Love,
Wendy
wendy@sarkissian.com.au

By: Bonnie Blake-Drucker

Bonnie Blake-Drucker — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 03:26:33 +0000

Mary Ann was my Project Manager when I was selected to be the architect for the prototypical accessible chemistry workstation at UC Berkeley. Mary Ann and I were friends and colleagues and that project resulted in our inventing and having built a chemistry workstation that would allow students to pursue studies in Chemistry at UCB. Chemistry is the gateway to many sciences and to medicine. The project was part research and resulted in two fabulous outcomes. First, the creation of the station that would allow user adjustment of height in less than 7 seconds to accommodate users of all sizes, people in all sizes and configuration of wheel chairs and allowed, access to the sciences. Secondly, I became, through her mentorship, a resource for this mission of accessibility. It is a mission that I continue to this day. When I spoke with a university in Queensland about producing the chemistry workstation shortly after Mary Ann passed away, I said yes, they could produce the hood, but it must be called the “Hiserman Hood.” The project was selected as an exemplar in Universal Design.

I am so happy to have run across this blog and could add my memories and personal appreciation for Mary Ann.

I would love to hear from anyone who participated in that design project for the “Hiserman Hood” or anyone who was now able to take Introductory or Organic Chemistry at Berkeley. Bonnie Blake-Drucker, AIA

By: Wendy

Wendy — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:02:14 +0000

Yes, Yo, I agree. I remember a close Australian friend of mine visiting Berkeley in the seventies and telling me that the most culturally shocking (and wonderful) experience of her life was meeting Mary Ann. She was your kind of woman. She took no prisoners. One thing about her I particularly remember: she could not say “thank you”. She’d had so many carers over so many years (people she paid to care for her) and “thank you” was just worn out of her vocabularly.She could love and share love but no, not “thank you”. We simply worked around that.

By: Yollana

Yollana — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 07:01:44 +0000

What an inspiring post, Wendy!

Thank you.

In light of my recent experiences, this paragraph particularly hit home:

“Unable to walk and severely crippled by polio and childhood arthritis, she nevertheless drew and painted beautifully, traveled widely, campaigned furiously for the rights of people with disability and for accessible environments. And yet she could not walk, dress herself, cook or perform basic hygiene activities without an attendant. She needed five hours’ of attendant care a day.”

It’s amazing how specific and individual ‘disabilities’ are. People who are fully able, physically and mentally, can take our abilities for granted, and forget that people who are limited in one way may not be limited in another.

I guess that such misconceptions are fed by taboo. For those whose lives are not directly affected by a disability, it is difficult to know how and when and what to ask of those who have personal experiences (without being offensive or ‘infantilizing’).

… Does that make sense?