Honoring Judy Heumann’s Legacy

By Katie Carr

On March 4, 2023 the world lost global disability rights leader, Judith “Judy” Heumann. As an author, activist, and leader, Judy was an accomplished woman commonly known as the “mother of the disability rights movement.” She passed away in Washington D.C. at the age of 75.

After contracting polio as a child and becoming paraplegic, it was recommended to her parents that Heumann be placed in an institution. As Jewish immigrants that had just fled the horrors of the Holocaust, her parents refused to send her away to the institutions that were reminiscent of concentration camps. The foundation of her life's work began as a child when she was denied the right to an education because the school thought she and her wheelchair would be a fire hazard. Heumann’s mother taught her from home until she was allowed to join a special education class. Years later, she was once again barred from the classroom. This time, as she was pursuing her teaching license. She had passed all of her written and oral exams but the school once again felt that she would be a fire hazard and would not allow her to pass her physical exam. After being denied her teacher’s license due to her disability, Heumann sued and won her case against the Board of Education. 

During this time, she and several of her friends founded Disabled in Action, an organization committed to ending discrimination against disabled folx through the use of the legal system and demonstrations. She later would establish more national and international advocacy organizations like the World Institute of Disability. 

In 1973, Heumann moved to Berkeley, California where she was a founding member of the Berkeley Center for Independent Living. Heumann went on to lead and participate in major demonstrations, demanding accessibility and equity for herself and others. Just a few years later, in 1977, Judy organized the largest and longest peaceful occupation of a federal building in US history, where 100 disabled individuals stayed at San Francisco’s Health, Education, and Welfare building. For 26 days she and her peers protested the government’s failure to enforce Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which prohibited federally funded programs from discriminating against someone on the basis of disability. 

She continued to champion disability rights legislation, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and later served as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services during the Clinton administration as well as the Special Advisor on International Disability Rights during President Obama’s administration. 

She leaves behind a legacy of activism and a fierce commitment to inclusion, that we should all aspire to uphold. As Heumann wrote in her memoir, Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist, “Change never happens at the pace we think it should. It happens over years of people joining together, strategizing, sharing, and pulling all the levers they possibly can. Gradually, excruciatingly slowly, things start to happen, and then suddenly, seemingly out of the blue, something will tip.” As we celebrate the life and mourn the passing of Judy Heumann, may we continue to join, strategize, and share in community. May her memory be for a blessing.

Information regarding Judy’s passing:

Engage with Judy’s work:

  • View the documentary Crip Camp on Netflix or for free on YouTube. Use the Crip Camp Curriculum and Educational Materials to further engage with the film.

  • Read Judy’s memoir Being Heumann or the young adult adaptation Rolling Warrior. These books are available in paperback, hardback, large print, audiobook, and ebook.

  • Check out Judy’s podcast, The Heumann Perspective, on her website, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. Judy’s website has links to videos of the podcasts with closed captions, transcriptions, and ASL translations of the podcasts.

Ways to continue Judy’s legacy:

  • Advocate for disability rights and accessibility in all spaces

  • Support legislation that ensures inclusion, access, and equity for disabled folx

  • Support organizations and activists in the Disability Justice Movement

  • Learn Disability History by educating yourself, taking classes, and learning from the disabled community

 A collage of two photos of Judy Heumann. To the left; A black and white photo of Judy Heumann at the 504 protests in the 70s. Judy is a white woman with short brown hair who uses a wheelchair. She is wearing glasses and a jacket with a pin that says “Sign 504 Now” She is passionately speaking at a microphone. To the right; A headshot of Judy Heumann, a white woman with shoulder-length brown hair wearing red glasses, a blue v-neck shirt, and a gold necklace. She is smiling warmly.

About the Author: Katie Carr (she/her/hers) is a neurodivergent woman with a passion for accessibility and utilizing online spaces for advocacy. She joined TNP as the Brand & Communications Manager after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Public & Professional Writing.

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