Judith Heumann, the “mother of the disability rights movement,” has died

Disability rights leader, activist and author Judith “Judy” Heumann died Saturday at the age of 75, her team confirmed Saturday.

Known as “the mother of the disability rights movementHeumann has become an internationally recognized leader for his instrumental work to advance landmark legislation, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Rehabilitation Act.

Born in Philadelphia and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Heumann became physically disabled and wheelchair-bound after contracting polio at a young age in 1949. At the age of 5, she was denied the right to attend school because is considered a “fire hazard”. . . .” However, she Her parents fought for her right to education and she eventually attended a special school and high school. He eventually went on to study at Long Island University, where he organized protests and rallies for students with disabilities to gain better access to campus buildings and facilities. she he later earned a master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

In 1970, Heumann was denied a teaching license in New York by the Board of Education, despite passing the oral and written exams. she sued the council for discrimination and settled without trial. As a result, Heumann became the first wheelchair user to teach in New York City.

Heumann was a founding member of the Berkeley Center for Independent Living, the first grassroots center, in 1975, where he served on the board for five years. He also helped launch it The independent living movementwhich argued that people with disabilities should have access to resources and services that enable them to live in their communities.

In 1977, Heumann fought for significant regulations in the Rehabilitation Act of 1978. Finally, after a 28-day hearing at the US Federal Health, Education and Welfare Building, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act was signed into law in law, marking the first federal legislation. to guarantee the protection of civil rights for persons with disabilities.

In 1983, Heumann co-founded the World Disability Institute, which was one of the first global disability rights organizations founded and led by people with disabilities to fully integrate people with disabilities into the communities around them. Heumann has also served on the board of disability organizations, including the American Association of Persons with Disabilities, the Disability Education and Advocacy Fund, and more.

From 1993 to 2001, Heumann served in the Clinton administration as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in the Department of Education. From 2002 to 2006 he was the First Advisor for Disability and Development of the World Bank. In 2010, former President Barack Obama appointed Heumann as the State Department’s first special adviser on international disability rights.

Heumann’s story was featured in the award-winning and Oscar-nominated 2020 Netflix documentary “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution,“ which captured the revolutionary beginnings of the disability rights movement and its early leaders.

In 2016, Heumann delivered a Ted is speaking focused on the rights of people with disabilities and was featured in “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah“ in 2020. Additionally, he released a memoir titled “Being Heumann: An Unapologetic Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist” in 2020, followed by a youth release titled “The Rolling Warrior” next year.

“Some people say what I did changed the world,” she wrote in her memoir. “But really, I refused to accept what I was told about who I could be. And I was willing to make a fuss about it.”

Heumann has raised a voice in the disability community through his podcast, “Heumann’s perspective.” In 2021, Heumann-Armstrong Award was launched to honor students with disabilities who have struggled with ableism in schools and higher education.

He received numerous awards during his lifetime, including seven honorary doctorates. I gave one open speech from New York University in May 2022, where he received his most recent honorary doctorate.