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Mark O'Brien (1950 – July 4, 1999) was a journalist, poet and advocate for the disabled. He has been the subject of two films: Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien which won an Academy Award in 1997, and The Sessions, which won the audience award in the U.S. Dramatic category at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. The Sessions was based on his essay, "On Seeing a Sex Surrogate," which appeared in the Sun magazine in 1990.

A victim of childhood polio, O'Brien spent much of his life paralyzed and confined to an iron lung, from where he nonetheless produced his poetry and articles. He co-founded a small publishing house, Lemonade Factory, dedicated to poetry written by people with disabilities.

O'Brien was the author of several volumes of poetry, including "Breathing," and an autobiography entitled How I Became a Human Being: A Disabled Man’s Quest for Independence.

References

1. "Mark O'Brien, 49, Journalist And Poet in Iron Lung, Is Dead", 'New York Times, New York, July 11, 1999
2. John Horn (2012-01-22). "Sundance 2012: A 65-year-old takes on disability and sex in 'The Surrogate'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-01-29. {{cite news}}: Text "Sundance 2012: A 65-year-old takes on disability and sex in 'The Surrogate'" ignored (help)

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