No Limits Eastern Shore is sorry to announce the passing of longtime disability rights advocate Marylin Copeland of Norfolk, VA. Among the many roles she held in her lifetime of service was that of Regional Coordinator for the Brain Injury Association of Virginia, serving the Tidewater area, and through her work with BIAV she came to be a friend to the brain injury survivor community of the Eastern Shore.
Marylin retired from brain injury services several years ago and was continuing her advocacy with the Norfolk Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI-Norfolk). She was perhaps best known for her powerful advocacy work on behalf of Pam Brown, a brain injury survivor know as “the Hula Hoop Lady” who was tazed by police near Wards Corner, but her efforts on behalf of survivors of brain injury went well beyond that single case. She was a tireless resource for problem-solving and disability rights and her assistance in the early years of the No Limits brain injury day program was invaluable.
Rest in peace, Marylin, and thank you for your service. Her full obituary can be found here : marylin-obituary
