Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist
Biography of persons with disabilities, Disabilities
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Summary
Soon to be an Apple feature movie directed by CODA&’s Sian Heder and starring BAFTA-nominated actress Ruth Madeley as Judy Heumann"This important book will help ensure that every person gets a chance to live up to their full potential and… will always have a place at the table.&”—Hillary Clinton"Her life story as an activist will enlighten readers everywhere.&”—Gloria Steinem"Her fierce advocacy and work changing the laws around disability rights have undeniably paved the way for me to achieve what I have today. . . . A must-read.&”—Ali Stroker, Tony Award–winning actressOne of the most influential disability rights activists in US history tells her personal story of fighting for the right to receive an education, have a job, and just be humanA story of fighting to belong in a world that wasn&’t built for all of us and of one woman&’s activism—from the streets of Brooklyn and San Francisco to inside the halls of Washington—Being Heumann recounts Judy Heumann&’s lifelong battle to achieve respect, acceptance, and inclusion in society.Paralyzed from polio at eighteen months, Judy&’s struggle for equality began early in life. From fighting to attend grade school after being described as a &“fire hazard&” to later winning a lawsuit against the New York City school system for denying her a teacher&’s license because of her paralysis, Judy&’s actions set a precedent that fundamentally improved rights for disabled people.As a young woman, Judy rolled her wheelchair through the doors of the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in San Francisco as a leader of the Section 504 Sit-In, the longest takeover of a governmental building in US history. Working with a community of over 150 disabled activists and allies, Judy successfully pressured the Carter administration to implement protections for disabled peoples&’ rights, sparking a national movement and leading to the creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.Candid, intimate, and irreverent, Judy Heumann&’s memoir about resistance to exclusion invites readers to imagine and make real a world in which we all belong.