Judy Heumann Leaves a Lasting Legacy in Education

Judith (Judy) Heumann died this past weekend at the age of 75. Regarded as the mother of the disability movement, her contributions spanned decades and impacted disability policy in employment, independent living, education, and more.

She played a pivotal role in the 504 sit-ins, the longest ever sit-in demonstration in a federal building that led to the passage of the Section 504 regulations. The precursor to the American with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was the first federal law to protect the rights of people with disabilities in any program or service receiving federal funds. Judy went on to serve as the first Adviser on Disability and Development for the World Bank and the first Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the U.S. Department of State under President Obama. She is remembered for time and time again bucking ableist systems and demanding more for disabled people.

Her journey fighting for justice began in education. Born in Brooklyn, NY, Judy contracted polio and went on to use a wheelchair as a mobility device. It didn’t take very long for Judy to start upsetting the world around her. As a kindergartner, her school principal physically blocked her family from bringing her into school as he labeled her a “fire hazard.” Her mother, showing Judy that she deserved nothing short of equality, demanded that Judy have access to the classroom and not be kept at home. After years of pushing, Judy attended a special school (segregated school for students with disabilities) and eventually a public high school.

After graduating from Long Island University with a degree in speech therapy, Judy applied to be a teacher in NYC. She passed all of the tests required to gain her credentials but, despite a growing demand for teachers at the time, the New York City Board of Education was unconvinced she could independently manage a classroom of students. Having never employed a teacher who used a wheelchair, the Board required her to undergo a medical examination that included showing the doctor how she used the bathroom. Months later, citing the “paralysis of her lower extremities,” the Board denied her application.

Judy sued the Board of Education and, settling out of court, she received her teaching license and became the first person using a wheelchair to teach in the city. She taught for a number of years before her career transitioned to advocacy but she got her start in education, first as a student and then as a teacher.

Her legacy lives on in the laws that she helped shape, the organizations she founded, and the advocacy she spearheaded. In all she did there was a unifying purpose, to make sure disabled people were at the table, making decisions for themselves and their community. It is up to us to continue Judy’s legacy. Ensuring that students with disabilities not only have equal access to education, but that they have every opportunity to succeed and thrive. Supporting disabled people in becoming educators themselves. Advocating when we see the education system falling short and failing to uphold the rights of disabled people. Securing seats at the table, so that when decisions about education for students with disabilities are being made, the voice of disabled people is there.

“Change never happens at the pace we think it should. It happens over years of people joining together, strategizing, sharing, and pulling all the levers they possibly can. Gradually, excruciatingly slowly, things start to happen, and then suddenly, seemingly out of the blue, something will tip.” -Judy Heumann

To learn more about Judy, her life and legacy read her book Being Heumann, watch Crip Camp on Netflix and watch her TED Talk “Our fight for disability rights – and why we’re not done yet.”

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