NEW YORK CITY ATTORNEY RECEIVES
MDA NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

TUCSON, ARIZ., Aug. 31, 2004 – Michael J. Wasser of Brooklyn, N.Y., has been named recipient of the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s 2005 National Personal Achievement Award.

The award is part of MDA’s program recognizing the achievements and community involvement of people across the country who are affected by neuromuscular diseases. The award is to be presented to Wasser during the national broadcast of the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon on Labor Day weekend.

Wasser, 30, was chosen for the national honor from state award recipients across the country.

“We’re especially gratified to honor Michael Wasser, who is a role model in every aspect of his life,” MDA President & CEO Robert Ross said. “He shows each day that when a positive attitude is coupled with intelligence and determination, great results are produced.”
Wasser is a Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude graduate of Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, and a 1999 graduate of Brooklyn Law School.

For five years, he has worked as a tax and real estate attorney with the New York City Law Department Office of Corporation Counsel in the Tax and Bankruptcy Litigation Division. In that position, he’s involved in real estate tax certiorari and title closings, and advises city agencies on real estate matters. Wasser also acts as liaison between his division and the Office of Corporation Counsel’s Information Technology Division.

He serves on the New York City Bar Association’s Condemnation and Tax Certiorari Committee and is a member of the New York State Bar Association’s Real Property Law Section. Wasser co-authored a chapter on title objections in purchase options for a detailed treatise titled “Condemnation Law,” to be published by the state bar association.

“Michael’s efforts as an attorney for our department and as a disabilities activist are outstanding,” said Michael A. Cardozo, corporation counsel for the New York City Law Department. “We congratulate Michael on this award from MDA and appreciate the excellent example he has provided for those living with disabilities.”

Wasser has Becker muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder characterized by progressive weakness and muscle wasting in the limb and trunk muscles. Becker MD can also damage the heart and respiratory muscles.

Wasser has used a wheelchair since elementary school and now uses a power wheelchair. He uses noninvasive ventilation assistance at night.

At age 3, he was given a diagnosis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which progresses faster than Becker MD. His diagnosis was changed 10 years later.

Wasser began advocating equal access for himself and others with disabilities in elementary school, when he fought to make his school’s stage and gym wheelchair-accessible. As the first student with a disability allowed to participate in many educational programs in the New York City schools, he encouraged other students with disabilities to get involved and pursue their rights.

Wasser has remained active in disability rights advocacy. He has worked with schools to improve access for students, and speaks out on issues of wheelchair access in public places. He’s also involved in a lawsuit concerning rehabilitation services in the state.
An active speaker for MDA, Wasser participates in fund-raisers for the Association and frequently appears on local segments of the MDA Telethon.

Wasser was one of four finalists for the national MDA Achievement award. The other finalists were Scott Hatley of West Linn, Ore.; Lee Anne Poteat of Morrisville, N.C.; and David Sheffield of Silsbee, Texas.

MDA’s 2004 national award recipient was Nicholas A. Johnson of Waltham, Mass., an associate and senior engineer with BR+A Consulting Engineers in Boston.

MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education. MDA maintains seven clinics for New York adults and children affected by neuromuscular diseases.

The MDA Telethon will originate from CBS Television City in Hollywood on Sept. 5-6, and be carried by some 200 "Love Network" stations nationwide, including WWOR-TV, Channel UPN 9.

 

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