Directed by Oscar-winner Sian Heder, the film *Being Heumann* covers the activist's life, including her leadership during the historic 1977 San Francisco federal building sit-in that secured Section 504 enforcement. Heumann's trailblazing work eventually paved the way for the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Current advocates, including activist Kaleigh Brendle of Judy's League, are now organizing to defend those hard-won measures against modern legal challenges. These efforts follow a recent federal court decision that struck integration language from Section 504 regulations.
Key points
Modern disability advocates view the Americans with Disabilities Act as a baseline rather…: Modern disability advocates view the Americans with Disabilities Act as a baseline rather than an ultimate limit for civil rights.
A federal judge recently eliminated mentions of integration for disabled individuals from…: A federal judge recently eliminated mentions of integration for disabled individuals from existing Section 504 regulations.
Activists continue to organize to preserve historic legal protections established nearly…: Activists continue to organize to preserve historic legal protections established nearly fifty years ago by early movement leaders.
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Judy Heumann is known as the mother of the disability rights movement — yet she is lesser known than many of the other civil rights activists of her time. Now, a new film seeks to change that.
Being Heumann, the latest movie from Oscar-winning director Sian Heder, tells the story of the young woman from Brooklyn who led the movement to win the first civil rights protections in the country for people with disabilities.
Before the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990, there was Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It was a single sentence, written into the law, promising people with disabilities the right to fair employment and access to public life without facing discrimination.
But for years, there were no rules or regulations making the federal government actually enforce those protections.
Until the spring of 1977, when a band of activists with disabilities decided to do something about it. Led by Heumann and Kitty Cone, activists took over the former Department of Health, Education and Welfare building in San Francisco for nearly a…
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