Remembering Judy Heumann

We at Disability Empowerment Center join the many people who are mourning the loss of a legend this week.

Judy Heumann, civil rights leader and role model in the disability movement, passed away on March 4.

Here are some facts about Judy and her remarkable legacy:

• Judy was a polio survivor who used a wheelchair from a young age

• She had to fight to go to school and to become a teacher, at a time when people in wheelchairs were not guaranteed an education or employment. She ultimately became New York City’s first teacher in a wheelchair.

• Judy was part of the disability civil rights movement from its infancy in Berkeley, Calif., in the 1970s and continued until her death

• She authored two books, Being Heumann, a memoir, and Rolling Warrior, a young adult novel, and was featured in the documentary Crip Camp

• Judy served as assistant secretary of education under President Clinton and special assistant to the secretary of state under President Obama

There is so much to say about Judy’s life. Learn more about her work on her website and read The New York Times’ beautifully written obituary.

'"Disability only becomes a tragedy when society fails to provide the things we need to lead our lives — job opportunities or barrier-free buildings, for example. It is not a tragedy to me that I'm living in a wheelchair."'

~ Judy Heumann