“Some people say that what I did changed the world,” Judith Heumann wrote, “But really, I simply refused to accept what I was told about who I could be. And I was willing to make a fuss about it.”
Judith Heumann died on March 4, 2023. The disability rights activist was 75. A wheelchair user after contracting polio as a two year-old, Heumann’s life of resisting the status quo was inevitable. When the local school principal refused to allow Heumann into Kindergarten, her parents persisted and demanded she have access to the classroom. After attending a special school through elementary and high school, Heumann went on to Long Island University for her BA. In 1975 she earned a Master’s in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley.
In the 1960s, after suing the New York Board of Education for refusing to grant her a teaching license, Heumann was the state’s first teacher to use a wheel chair.
She worked toward the development and implementation of Section 504, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act, and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The many advocacy organizations she founded, or helped to create, included the Berkley Center for Independent Living, the Independent Living Movement, and the World Institute on Disability.
She served both the American and International communities on the boards of the American Association of People with Disabilities, the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Humanity and Inclusion, Human Rights Watch, the United States International Council on Disability and Save the Children among several other organizations.
Heuman served as the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, was the first Advisor on Disability and Development at the World Bank and she worked as the first Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the U.S. State Department.
“I’m heartbroken. I know so many people are feeling the same. But I also know Judy’s light has not dimmed,” wrote disability rights activist and author Emily Ladau in her online tribute to Heumann. “Cliché though it may sound, I’m going to take comfort in knowing her light is now shining brightly as a guide on the pathway ahead in the work of the disability community to continue her legacy and create a more accessible, equitable world.”
As a leading provider of online ASL courses, Cudoo has a treasured relationship with the DHOH community. We acknowledge our debt to Judith Neumann and the global community of disability rights activists who are making the world more accessible and opportunities more available for everyone throughout their lives. We especially appreciate it when we make a mistake and they tell us to “do better.” It’s work worth doing.
Below is a collection of tributes to Judith Heumann from those who knew her and carry her legacy.
Disability rights activist and author of Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally wrote:
“As a disabled Jewish New Yorker, I saw Judy as an aspirational looking glass toward my future hopes and dreams. But the words I read eventually leapt off the page and into reality when I got to meet Judy for the first time, when she took me in as part of her community, as she has done so generously for so many. She became someone I could call a mentor, a role model, and a friend.”
Ladau’s tribute can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/posts/emilyladau_on-march-4-2020-my-mom-and-i-got-to-join-activity-7038683629698342912-OfP5
Rick Heumann, Judith’s brother, told the Fox 10 Pheonix News:
“It wasn’t about glory for my sister or anything like that at all. It was always about how could she make things better for other people.”
Read more at https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/judy-heumann-champion-for-disability-rights-dies-at-age-75
Actor Marlee Martin who was a friend of Heumann tweeted:
“Judith Heumann was a fearless champion for the rights of people with disabilities in our nation and around the world and millions of people who have faced barriers owe her a debt of gratitude. I will always remember her as my hero and my friend.”
The tweet can be found at https://twitter.com/MarleeMatlin/status/1632112289460686849
Former US President Barack Obama Tweeted:
“Judy Heumann dedicated her life to the fight for civil rights—starting as a young organizer at Camp Jened and later helping lead the disability rights movement. Michelle and I were fortunate to work with Judy over the years, and are thinking of her family and friends.”
The Tweet can be found at https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1632218360992743426
To add a link to your own tribute to Heumann, please email us at hello@cudoo.com
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