Judy Heumann experienced discrimination from the age of five. A wheelchair user who contracted polio as a baby, she was denied the right to attend school because she was considered a “fire hazard.” Judy heard this phrase again and again as she grew up, from ticket sellers at movie theaters to the NYC Board of Education, who tried (but failed) to keep her from teaching. Judy’s parents played an integral role in raising her to fight for her rights, and she continued to use her voice and passion to advocate for disability rights. Her work led to the expansion and implementation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and so much more.
We were incredibly grateful for the opportunity to sit down and chat with Judy before her passing in March 2023. Among our many takeaways, one big one is the importance of raising our kids to be strong advocates. We’ve put together a list of books, TED Talks, and online resources as a tribute to her, and we recommend that you start with her impactful work:
Judy, on her advocacy work leading to the eventual 1977 signing of Section 504 regulations:
“We weren’t a huge group but we were a loud group and we were everywhere.”
On the importance of self-agency:
"Try to make sure that your kids are getting to exercise choices that your non-disabled kids are getting to exercise. If you’re hiring someone through the Regional Center, whether it’s at home or in school, it’s very important that the child be engaged in decision-making as much as possible. Regardless of the kind of disability they have, it’s important to engage them. What colors do they like? What foods do they like?"
On being “calmly unstoppable” and sharing stories:
“I made a fuss for everybody; it wasn’t always fun, but I’ve got so many stories. Knowing the multiplicity of stories that you have and sharing those stories with your family and friends — not only what the problems were, but what you’ve been doing to solve them — allows people to see that they’re not alone."
➢ Crip Camp: The Official Virtual Experience
This excellent companion website to the Netflix documentary has links to webinars that will take place all summer from some of the most noted disability advocates, discussing everything from sex to work to celebrating the ADA’s 30th anniversary. Crip Camp’s Facebook Page is another excellent resource.
➢ Disability Visibility Project
The Disability Visibility project hosts and amplifies the stories of disabled people through their tweets, podcast episodes, radio stories, audio clips, images, and blog posts. Their biweekly podcast explores disability politics, culture, and media.
➢ ASAN: Autistic Self-Advocacy Network
ASAN is an organization whose disability advocacy focuses on people with autism. They advocate for better public policy, developing autistic cultural activities, and offer leadership training for autistic advocates.
➢ The Arc
The Arc supports the rights of people with disabilities, including advocating for full inclusion and participation in their communities. Their work focuses on everything from civil rights to education, employment, health care, housing, and grassroots advocacy. Their local chapter can be found here.
➢ ADAPT
This national grassroots community organizes disability rights activists to engage in nonviolent direct action, including civil disobedience, to ensure that people with disabilities can live in freedom. Follow their Facebook page here.
➢ One Out of Five: Disability History and Pride
This resource centers the voices of people with disabilities and provides lessons and resources that “celebrate the history and identities within this large and diverse community”. Parents can find five lesson plans, tons of extra resources, and a book guide listing 85 books of fiction, nonfiction, anthologies, poetry, and more.
Be sure to check out our advocacy resources for kids too!
