This is the first of 2020 tributes to the icons of the Disability Rights Movement.
Here’s to the misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. While some may see them as misfits, we see genius. Because the people, who see things differently and think they can change the world, are the ones who do.*
By Maria Samuels
Ed Roberts, founder of the Independent Living Movement and an icon in his own right, meets another icon, Judith Heumann
Judith (Judy) Heumann is an internationally known advocacy rock star. For most of her life, she used a wheelchair and, despite daunting barriers that would have overwhelmed most, she can count among her achievements:
- Earning her teaching license despite the NYC Board of Education’s belief that a wheelchair user was a risk to the user and the students in an emergency. She sued and won, making her the first wheelchair user to teach in New York City.
- Co-founding Disability in Action (DIA), a productive civil rights group that would advocate for people with disabilities. DIA counts among their successes a lawsuit against the Duane Reade chain to make their locations accessible.
- Becoming the first advisor on Disability and Development to the World Bank Group
Ms. Heumann’s life starred on the popular Drunk History: This show tackles history through the lens of slightly tipsy celebrities such as Lin Manuel Miranda and Octavia Spencer. The amusing and informative episode features her leading the historical 1977 sit-In at the U.S. Department of Health that forced the signing of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act – one of the first federal laws enacted to prohibit the discrimination against people with disabilities. To enjoy, go to Comedy Central’s episode: Drunk History: Judy Heumann Fights For People with Disabilities.
WDOMI salutes her as an inspiration for those who want to make a difference. To paraphrase Dwight Eisenhower – “history is not made by the timid.” Judy Heumann’s past and present achievements, her very life, is proof of that.
* Paraphrase of Apple commercial with a nod to Jack Kerouac