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March 6, 2023

Judy Heumann, "Mother of the Disability Rights Movement," Dies at 75
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The trailblazing civil rights activist Judy Heumann died Saturday at the
age of 75. Heumann was widely known as "the mother" of the U.S.
disability rights movement, for breaking down barriers faced by disabled
people and leading campaigns for historic legislation, including the
Americans with Disabilities Act.

In 1970, Heumann became the first teacher in New York to use a
wheelchair. In 1977, she led a 26-day sit-in protest at a federal
building in San Francisco that led to enforcement of the Rehabilitation
Act's prohibition on discrimination against disabled people.

President Biden honored Heumann in a statement, writing, "After her
school principal said she couldn't enter Kindergarten because she was
using a wheelchair, Judy dedicated the rest of her life to fighting for
the inherent dignity of people with disabilities."


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