Susan Nussbaum is a playwright and activist, most notably in the disability rights movement. Susan was cited by the Utne Reader as one of "50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World" for her work with girls with disabilities.

As a playwright, her work has been produced on many Chicago stages. Her play Mishuganismo (Remains Theatre), is included in the anthology Staring Back: The Disability Experience from the Inside Out and her play No One As Nasty (Victory Gardens Theater) is included in another anthology of disabled playwrights, Beyond Victims and Villains: Contemporary Plays by Playwrights with Disabilities.

Other works include her play, Crippled Sisters (Goodman Theatre) and her Bellwether Award-winning novel, Good Kings Bad Kings.