Judy Heumann: A Lifelong Advocate for Disabled People, Justice, and Equality

Judy Heumann

The first time I met Judy Heumann, I am ashamed to admit I didn't fully appreciate the legendary bad-ass lady I was meeting. Yes, I know she was a leader in the disability rights movement in the late sixties and early seventies, but I didn't really know much beyond that. It wasn't until I saw her profiled in the movie Crip Camp:  that I came to appreciate how she has dedicated most of her life to advocating for the equality and freedom of disabled people.

According to the DREDF website, Heumann was the Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the U.S. Department of State from 2010-2017. This was a new position created by the Obama Administration. She had responsibility for advancing the human rights of disabled people around the world. In this capacity, she and her team worked with State Department employees in the U.S. and worldwide, helping them learn about the work of Disabled Persons Organizations (DPOs) and governments and looking for opportunities to help advance knowledge improve the rights of disabled people. 

Other previous employment included serving as the first Director of the District of Columbia's Department of Disability Services and as the first Senior Adviser on Disability and Development at the World Bank. She was the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services at the U.S. Department of Education under the Clinton Administration from 1993-2001. 

For more than 20 years, Heumann has worked to help establish numerous DPOs, including Disabled in Action in New York City, the first Center for Independent Living in Berkeley, California, and the World Institute on Disability in Oakland, California. She has served on numerous boards of directors and has received awards for her work to advance the rights of disabled people around the world. She is a frequent lecturer at universities and conferences and recently did a TEDx in the U.S. She also has her own YouTube channel called "The Heumann Experience."

In February 2020, Heumann's book, "Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist," was published. In it, she tells her personal story of fighting for the right to receive an education, have a job, and "just be human."

Heumann's commitment to disability rights stems from her personal experiences. She had polio at the age of 18 months and has used a wheelchair most of her life. Heumann had to fight repeatedly to be included in the educational system. She attended Camp Jened, a camp for children with disabilities, every summer from ages 9 to 18. Heumann's experience of camp brought her a greater awareness of the connectedness of the disabled experience, later saying, "We had the same joy together, the same anger over the way we were treated and the same frustrations at opportunities we didn't have." The 2020 documentary Crip Camp features Camp Jened campers, including Heumann.

Her fight for equal rights and inclusion continued when she sued the Board of Education of the City of New York in 1970 on the basis of discrimination. She was denied a teaching license because the Board did not believe she could get herself or her students out of the building in case of a fire. When it became clear the Board of Education was going to lose, they settled out of court, and Heumann became the first wheelchair user to teach in New York City.

Heumann received mail from disabled people around the country due to the press coverage of her lawsuit with the Board of Education. Many wrote to her about their experiences being discriminated against because of their disabilities. This helped define and motivate her lifelong mission of championing equal access and inclusion of disabled people.