Judith Heumann Poster & Resources

Learn about Judith Heumann and advocate for human rights!

Grade Span: 8-12

Themes:

Judith Heumann pursued justice and promoted a vision of society based on compassion, empathy, and an unwavering commitment to human rights. She channeled the Jewish value of seeing the dignity in all human life and toiled to safeguard that dignity in law. Her legacy is as a tireless champion of a more accepting, understanding, and responsive society. 

• Pursuing social justice
• Promoting human rights
• Organizing social movements 

About

Born in Philadelphia to German Jewish immigrants, Judith Heumann (1947-2023) was a world renowned disability rights activist. She contracted polio as a toddler and spent the majority of her life in a wheelchair. She began waging legal battles as a child, having to fight to attend school and, as an adult, to be granted her teaching license, breaking barriers for people with disabilities. Throughout her career, she organized, led sit-ins, and harnessed the courts and legislature to promote a society that granted people of all abilities the services they needed to enjoy full lives with equal rights. Her advocacy helped bring about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

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