Judy Heumann should be a person that school children learn about, read about, and do research on. She is a quintessential element to our progress of humanity and the realization of true equity, equality, and accessibility. We first looked at the early years of Judy’s life in my July post. Also, I highly recommend watching the documentary Crip Camp available on Netflix and at the Crip Camp website.
We left off with Judy moving to Berkeley, California in the early 1970s.
It is here that Judy would become an active leader in the Independent Living Movement. Her moved also united her with some of her fellow Camp Jened friends. In 1973, the United States Government signed the very first ever civil rights protection law for people with disabilities. It was included into the Rehabilitation Act under Section 504: “no otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the United States shall solely on the basis of his handicap, be excluded from the participation, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”
Before the signing of Section 504, people with disabilities were solely responsible for ‘fitting’ into society, were second- or third-class citizens, denied basic rights and services, and even at times forcibly institutionalized. Section 504 provided the legal and policy platform to demand change. Senator Hubert Humphrey who was a long supporter and advocate for the rights of the disability community stated, “the time has come to firmly establish the right of disabled Americans to dignity and self-respect as equal and contributing members of society and to end the virtual isolation of millions of children and adults.”
The importance of Section 504 can be watched in this video below:
But if we know anything about governments, we know that change is slow and the implementation of new laws, procedures, and actual services could become stagnant. For 4 years after the signing of Section 504, there was no federal enforcement, regulation, or even funding for services. Judy knew this all too well as she helped to lead 80 activists in a sit-in on Madison Avenue in New York City before the 1973 signing. Judy and countless others tried to go through the legal means to get regulations and enforcement in place but were continuously shut out, especially by Joseph Califano, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. There was a nationwide call for protest to demand Secretary Califano to sign the approved regulations.
On April 5, 1977, Judy and Kitty Cone, lead over 150 people, many of which had varied degrees of disabilities into the Federal Building in San Francisco and to the office of HEW (Health, Education, and Welfare) regional director Joseph Maldonado. Multiple other federal buildings across the United States were also sights for protests, but it was in San Francisco, under the leadership of Judy and Kitty that the protests became an active sit in. They would hold this space for 25 days. The longest sit in at a federal building in U.S. history. You can watch actual news footage from the 504 sit in protests here.
You can also watch the episode of Drunk History about the 504 Sit in Here (caution – video contains language as well as active depictions of drinking)
For 25 days, disabled and non-disabled occupied the San Francisco federal building to push for legislation, regulations, and policies to support and protect the disabled community. This protest would gather large outside support. They were supported not only by the disablity community but by unions, the queer community, and the Black Panthers. (The documentary Crip Camp has amazing footage of the 504 sit-in). The Black Panthers provided meals free of charge for the remainder of the sit-in, even while they were being actively targeted by the FBI. The Queer community, especially the Lesbian community, came out to help provide services including personal hygiene. Bay Area churches, lead by Glide Memorial Church also supported the sit in. California state politicians supported the cause and even donated air mattresses and other medical supplies.
Not only were these protestors/activists occupying the federal building many also performed a hunger strike. During the sit-in, Pesach (Jewish celebration of Passover) and Easter took place. A Sedar and a mass were performed for both religious holidays. To try and force the protestors out, energy and phone lines were cut. The sit-in was able to use Sign Language to communicate to the outside world until California state politicians donated pay phones.
It was during this sit-in that many shared their wide range/spectrum of disabilities, needs, and experiences; including many disabilities that are invisible or not presented on the human body. New communities and awareness were being fostered at the 504-sit in. Two weeks into the sit in, a hearing was held in Washington D.C. Judy rounded up 25 people including herself to travel to D.C. to make the meeting. Once they landed in D.C., they had to rent a moving truck to transport all of them (in the dark without air circulation) to allow for the many wheelchairs as public transportation was not at all accessible.
On April 28, 1977, Section 504 was signed into regulation thanks to the pressure of Disability Activists. The 504 sit in would officially end on May 4th. In 1986, the National Council of Disability recommended an entirely separate law to cover and protect the civil rights for disabled people. You can watch Judy Heumann’s testimony to Congress for the support of new law here.
In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which made discrimination against a person due to their ‘disability’ illegal. The ADA also requires employers and institutions to provide reasonable accommodations. In 2008, the ADA, Amendments Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush which expanded the definition of disability to allow for greater protection for more people.
Judy would spend her entire life fighting for the rights, dignity, and presence of all disabled people. She co-founded the World Institute on Disability and would be the co-director until 1993. She was picked by D.C. mayor Adrien Fenty to become the first Director for the Department on Disability Services and would serve in the Clinton Administration from 1993-2001 as the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (under the Department of Education).
From 2002-2006 Judy would serve as the first Advisor on Disability and Development at the World Bank. In 2010, President Obama appointed her Special Advisor on International Disability Rights for the U.S. State Department. A position she would hold for seven years. Her position was decommissioned by the Trump Administration but has since been reinstated under the Biden Administration. Judy would pass at the age of 75 on March 4, 2023. She leaves behind an extensive legacy of activism, fortitude, and compassion.
Judy continues to call us to create a society where all bodies, all variations are worthy of dignity, respect, and the means to create a fulfilling life. I leave you with Judy and her amazing Ted Talk
Additional Resources and Websites
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
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