Dana Bolles | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | disability rights advocacy |
| Awards | 2014 NASA Equal Employment Opportunity Medal |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Rehabilitation engineering |
| Institutions | NASA |
Dana Bolles is an American spaceflight engineer and advocate for those with disabilities in STEM. She has worked at NASA since 1995 in a variety of fields. She is also an ambassador for the American Association for the Advancement of Science's If/then initiative. [1]
Bolles was born without arms or legs. [2] She has stated that she became interested in visiting space at an early age since it would allow her to move without the assistance of her wheelchair. [3] [4]
She credited teachers who accepted her in mainstream classrooms as very important to setting her on a path for success in her chosen career. [5] [6]
Bolles earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from California State University, Long Beach in 1993, [4] and has a master's degree in rehabilitation engineering and technology from San Francisco State University. [7]
Bolles started working at NASA in 1995 as an engineer in regulatory compliance, including work on environmental regulations. [8] This later expanded to work in protecting humans in outer space and scientific communications. [3]
She also volunteers as an advocate for women, [9] people with disabilities, and members of the LGBT community. Her advocacy has a particular focus on the challenges that people with disabilities encounter in their lives, [4] and has spoken about the stereotypes they often face, mentioning that people tend to respond the most to disability compared to other intersectionalities. [8]
In 2021 Bolles joined a group of people with physical disabilities in a zero gravity parabolic flight. [10] [11]
Bolles was one of the women depicted in the Smithsonian Institution's 2022 exhibit spotlighting women in STEM. [12]