With a heavy heart, the Augmental team mourns the sudden passing of
@brookemellison, an advisor and dear friend to so many. Among countless impressive accolades, Brooke was a life-long champion of accessibility for people living with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities, giving every bit of her energy to bring about a more equitable world.
Also serving on its Board of Directors, Brooke was the
@UnitedSpinal Association’s VP of Technology & Innovation, where she helped startups like ours engage with the accessibility community. An expert in policy and ethics in health and science, Brooke dedicated her life to stem cell research advocacy, founding the non-profit The Brooke Ellison Project and running for the
@NYSenate on a platform of education, healthcare, and funding for stem cell research. She wrote two books raising awareness about life with disability, including Miracles Happen (2002) and Look Both Ways (2020), the first of which was transformed into the movie “The Brooke Ellison Story” (2004). She was recognized by the World Economic Forum (
@wef) as a Young Global Leader in 2014. The list goes on.
Brooke was nothing short of a genius, whose care and righteous dedication were only surpassed by her kindness. From Augmental’s inception as a company, Brooke served as our North Star — brightly guiding the path toward more universally accessible technology. Brooke had been a power-user of a wireless tongue-based interface built in the ’90s, using it to control her computer mouse, wheelchair, and other devices. She had unlocked true freedom and purpose with the movement of her tongue. Although the company that created her Tongue Touch Keypad dissolved many years ago, Brooke had enlisted engineers to keep her intraoral interface running all this time — a testament to her resilience, and to the power of the tongue. Brooke attributed much of her success, including her PhD dissertation, to her tongue-based assistive technology. She was an ardent supporter of our mission at Augmental and we are forever grateful for her foundational inspiration and help.
Her remarkable legacy and irreplaceable devotion will not be forgotten! It was a true privilege to have known her and felt her real impact on this world. May you rest peacefully, Brooke, and may your dream live on! Thank you for everything.
ALT The photo shows Brooke Ellison, a woman with brown hair, wearing a lavender top with a ventilator tube visible. She is smiling broadly and appears joyful. Brooke is in a wheelchair, indicating she may have mobility impairments. The background is blurred, suggesting an outdoor setting. Her positive demeanor reflects a person who, despite challenges, lived a life of advocacy and achievement.