Longtime disability rights attorney James Weisman, who helped to write the Americans with Disability Act, reflects on the legacy of his friend, Judy Heumann. Jim is General Counsel for United Spinal Association.
The Gospel According to Judy
Judy Heumann was really funny. She appreciated a good joke, loved when the joke was on her, and never lost her New York brass or passion for righting wrongs.
Her take-no-prisoners attitude has inspired several generations of New York City activists, whose advocacy made buses, subways, polling places, street corners, libraries, colleges, theaters, and tourist attractions and stores accessible. It has taken 50 years, but New York City politicians speak the Gospel According to Judy. So do policymakers in California, Washington, D.C., and even globally.
The concept of reasonable accommodation, while still evolving, began with Judy and the early advocates of the disability movement. We in the disability rights movement will continue to emulate Judy’s advocacy and tenacity.
In The Beginning
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, New York City was a petri dish for the disability rights movement.
Long Island University-Brooklyn student Judith “Judy” Heumann was studying to be a teacher after attending public school as a wheelchair user, as well as crutches and braces, due to polio.
LIU was making its campus accessible to attract disabled students, whose tuition was sponsored by New York’s vocational rehabilitation agency. Judy and other students with disabilities in the LIU and Brooklyn College communities emulated the Black civil rights movement. Their demands are as relevant today as they were then — affordable, accessible housing and transportation, accessible public education, places of public accommodation, being included in government planning, and, ultimately, obtaining employment.
The NYC Board of Education denied Judy a teaching job because of her post-polio condition. She fought back and eventually sued. In 1970, at 22 years of age, she founded Disabled In Action, a civil rights group in NYC that is still active. NYC’s disability community was electrified. Her brash, in-your-face leadership style made mincemeat of those who would discriminate against — or worse, patronize — people with disabilities.
We Will Accept No More Discussion of Segregation
My friend Paul Hearne, a Hofstra University disability rights leader of the same period, introduced me to Judy right before she moved to Berkeley, California. There, she worked with Ed Roberts to begin the independent living movement. Paul and I opened the first accessible Legal Services Corporation office in NYC for poor people with disabilities. Judy inspired us and hooked us up with Frieda Zames, Denise and Pat Figueroa, Marcie Goldstein, Marilyn Saviola, and dozens of people with disabilities struggling to overcome the effects of discrimination.
They couldn’t travel to meetings or even find accessible sites to hold meetings. Nevertheless, the movement Judy started progressed.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, prohibiting discrimination based on disability by the recipients of federal money, was signed into law in 1973 by Richard Nixon after he vetoed it in 1972. It took four more years to get the first set of implementing regulations written. Judy led a national movement with sit-ins that lasted weeks at HEW Regional Offices all over the USA.
The sit-in at San Francisco’s HEW building, which Judy helped organize, lasted almost an entire month. It’s still the longest occupation of a federal building.
When a federal official spoke patronizingly to the activists, Judy told him, “We will no longer allow the government to oppress disabled individuals. We want the law enforced. We will accept no more discussion of segregation. And I would appreciate it if you would stop shaking your head in agreement when I don’t think you understand what we are talking about.”
HEW Secretary Joe Califano relented, and “reasonable accommodation” by recipients of federal funds became the law of the land due to the leadership provided by Judy.
One Last Favor
I spoke with Judy one last time about two weeks ago. I needed her help. A United Spinal member struggled to maintain employment with the federal government and receive personal care attendant services at the workplace. This problem, common to so many of our members, plagued Judy, too. She was thoughtful, understanding, and helpful.
Judy tackled big issues and neutralized many who opposed disability rights. She was always interested in the rights of others who were less powerful. Her contribution was so enormous it’s almost impossible to evaluate in our lifetimes. Generations from now, her accomplishments will be celebrated, but she would rather we focused on elevating the economic, political, and social status of those she fought for.
Of course, we will remember her and miss her greatly.
United Spinal Association is the largest disability-led membership organization in the nation. We are dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for America’s 5.5 million wheelchair users. Contact our Community Support team for more information about our chapters and programs, and join us by signing up for a free membership. All photos in this post are by Rodney Choice.
