[7] Panzarino worked in social services in Nassau County as a young woman, but had to quit when her income left her ineligible for the in-home supports she required.

She lobbied and marched in Washington, D.C. in the 1970s,[10] for Section 504 and for work opportunities for disabled people.

[13][14] Her memoir was adapted for the stage and performed at the Women on Top Theatre Festival in Boston in 2000.

[15] Panzarino had a close relationship with disabled Vietnam War veteran and activist Ron Kovic.

[23] They went to high school together, and he thanked her in his memoir Born on the Fourth of July, saying "She stood by me like no one else, listened through nights and days, caring and loving, understanding and encouraging, wiping the tears from my eyes.