Wong was a mentee of pioneering independent living advocate Judy Heumann, who was an early leader at Pineda's organization, established in 1972 as the first independent living center in the country, organized and operated by persons with disabilities. Pineda said Wong, who often employed new technology in her work, acted as a bridge connecting the lessons from the first generation she'd learned from Heumann to the incoming third and fourth generations of the movement, largely through social media.
Doctors said Wong likely wouldn't live beyond the age of 18, which she said limited her early worldview in ways that ultimately pushed her toward justice work. 'Doctors told my parents I wouldn't live past 18, so I grew up never imagining what grownup old ass Alice would look like, and this is why visibility, being able to tell our stories and controlling our own narratives, is why I do what I do,' Wong said during a 2024 summit, per the Chronicle.
