Judy Heumann

Judy Heumann, often referred to as the "mother" of the disability rights movement, lived a life full of many achievements.

Accessibility.com was honored to have Judy Heumann, along with Caroline Casey (Valuable 500), as our Keynote Speakers for our 2021 AccessibilityPlus conference. 

Transcript

A Life of Pushing Disability Rights Forward: Judy Heumann

• 1947: Judith Ellen Heumann was born on December 18th, in Brooklyn, New York.
• 1949: At 18 months of age, Judy contracted polio. This led to her use of a wheelchair for mobility.
• 1970: Judy was denied a teaching license due to her use of a wheelchair.  She sued the New York City Board of Education. The case settled without a trial, and Judy became the first wheelchair user to teach in New York City.  She taught Elementary school for three years.
• 1970: She founded Disabled in Action with other disabled activists. The organization's mission (directly from disabledinaction.org):

We are a civil rights organization committed to ending discrimination against people with disabilities - all disabilities. We fight to eliminate the barriers that prevent us from enjoying full equality in American society. Founded in 1970, DIA is a democratic, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, membership organization. DIA consists primarily of and is directed by people with disabilities.

We believe in the motto, Nothing about us, without us!

• 1974: Judy served as the Legislative Assistant to the Chairperson of the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, helping to develop the Individuals with Disabilities Act.
• 1975 - 1982: Judy served as Deputy Director of the Center for Independent Living in California.
• 1983: Judy co-founded the World Institute on Disability with Ed Roberts and Joan Leon. 
• 1993: Judy served the United States Department of Education under the Clinton Administration as Assistant Secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services.
• 2002: Judy was the World Bank's first Advisor on Disability and Development.
• 2010: President Obama appointed Judy as the Special Advisor on International Disability Rights for the U.S. State Department.
• 2017: Judy advanced the inclusion of disability within the Ford Foundation, where she served as a Senior Fellow.
• 2020: Judy's book Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist was released.
• 2021: Judy began producing her bi-weekly podcast The Heuman Perspective.