Academic Success is excited for #JudithHeuman’s visit, but her journey to our event has been a long one. Judith has been fighting for #disabled individuals’ rights for decades. Learn more and register for free at https://rockcha.lk/celebrate-ada ! #ADA30 #NDEAM

Judith Heumann was diagnosed with polio when she was 18 months old and had already spent most of her life in a wheelchair. She was unable to attend public school as she was deemed a “fire hazard.”

Heumann v. Board of Education of the City of New York: Heumann was denied her teaching license because the board did not believe she could get herself or her students out of the building in case of a fire. She sued the board of education on the basis of discrimination.

Heumann received so much support early on that she founded Disabled in Action (DIA), an organization focused on protecting people with disabilities through civil laws and political protest.

Heumann helped lead the 504 Rehabilitation Act sit-in, the first federal civil rights protection for people with disabilities. The sit-in lasted 28 days, the longest federal sit-in to date. She was also named “TIME Woman of the Year” in 1977.

Heumann was appointed by President Barak Obama to be the Special Advisor on International Disability Rights for the U.S. State Department. She served from 2010-2017.