Westchester Disabled On The Move Mourns The Passing Of The Great Disability Rights Advocate Judy Heumann (1947 – 2023).
“Mother” Of The Disability Rights Movement.
By Maria Samuels, Executive Director
Along with Ed Roberts and others, she is the reason why we have Independent Living Centers like Westchester Disabled on the Move, Inc. (WDOMI) dedicated to assisting People With Disabilities. There will be many tributes and documentations of her achievements but this one is a bit more personal.
I so rarely cry at the news of the death of someone I consider an icon. But this is different. Judith “Judy” Heumann has been my personal icon since I first heard of her. I devoured all I could find about her and was energized. Brilliant, always regal. A fighter with cute glasses, never without lipstick and earrings. A warrior queen with a beautiful smile and captured you with her words as she led you into battle. She should have been far more appreciated by all, not just the community she fought for. Right after being appointed Executive Director, I knew exactly what I wanted to do – Celebrate Judy! I tentatively called the event Celebrating Ability and started planning not knowing that the pandemic was going to last well into the fall of 2020 and beyond. The in-person event morphed into virtual. When I called her all excited with the name of the event, she scowled. She asked me pointed questions, and I answered as truthfully as possible when talking to your idol and wanting to impress. At the end of the conversation, I was overwhelmed for many personal reasons, but I got it.
My disability was something to be owned and not buried by euphemisms. The event’s name was changed to Celebrating Disabilities. Looking back, I know she had the same conversation with many, but this one was mine. I deeply regret that the event was virtual, and I have never met her in person, but I am so grateful she joined us that October in 2020. And when she did – SHE CAME, SHE ROCKED, SHE CONQUERED.