Judy Heumann, who lost her ability to walk at age 2 after contracting polio, has been called the “mother of the disability rights movement” for her longtime advocacy on behalf of disabled people through protests and legal action, her website says.
She lobbied for legislation that eventually led to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Rehabilitation Act. She served as the assistant secretary of the U.S. Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, beginning in 1993 in the Clinton administration, until 2001.
Judy Heumann cause of death: How did Judy Heumann die?
Judy Heumann, a renowned activist who helped secure legislation protecting the rights of disabled people, has died at age 75. The news of her passing on Saturday in Washington, D.C., was posted on her website and social media accounts and confirmed by the American Association of People with Disabilities. A cause of death was not immediately revealed.
Judy was at the forefront of major disability rights demonstrations, helped spearhead the passage of disability rights legislation, founded national and international disability advocacy organizations, held senior federal government positions, co-authored her memoir, Being Heumann, and its Young Adult version, Rolling Warrior, and was featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary film, Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution.
