Special Education Class Discussion Board Post Reply

This is a Discussion Board post from a Special Education class. It’s fairly easy. All that’s required is a “reply” to the student’s post below. The reply should be a minimum of 7 sentences, about one paragraph in length.

Amela said:

I have chosen to follow Judith “Judy” Heumann.  She has played an important role in almost all aspects of the disability rights movement as an activist, advocate, mentor and author. She has fought tirelessly to improve accessibility and opportunities for millions of individuals with disabilities. Judy, who is disabled herself, experienced discrimination from a very early age. As a child, her parents advocated for her to have access to in school education. As she got older, she collaborate with other disabled individuals to fight for change. She took part in developing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. She also played a major role in the 504 sit in, which lead to the signing of regulations under the Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Additionally, in 2010 she became the Special Advisor on International Disability Rights for the U.S. Department under the Obama administration. (Wikipedia contributors, 2022)

In 1949, at the age of two, Judy contracted Polio which left her paralyzed. When her parents attempted to enroll her in Kindergarten she was turned away being told that her wheel chair was a fire hazard (Judy Heumann, 2020). Judy’s mother fought for her daughters rights to obtain an education in school. Eventually, Judy was able to attend a special needs school and high school. Perhaps it was her mother’s tenacity, but Judy never let her disability stand in her way. I first learned of Judy after watching the Documentary “Crip Camp” on Netflix for a school assignment. She attended camp Jened, a camp for children and teens with disabilities. She became a counselor and cared for others with disabilities. She met many individuals with an array of disabilities. (Judith Heumann, n.d.-b) It was here that she began her advocacy journey and made many friends who fought alongside her.

I have followed Judy on various platforms including twitter - , Instagram and her podcast The Huemann Perspective. Judy uses these platforms to continue promoting positive changes for the disabled community. On her podcast, Judy interviews other notable individuals with disabilities who are advocates for change. Here she discusses changes taking place in art, entertainment and policies. On both her twitter and Instagram in addition to promoting her podcast, she posts many pictures of the past show casing her fight for change at protests and rallies. She documents her attendance at endless conferences and meet and greets. She also promotes acceptance of differences.

After following Judy the five takeaways I have are: 1. A disability does not define a person. Judy herself has not let her disability stop her. She is not just a woman in a wheel chair. Although there have been many hurdles placed in her way, Judy along with many others have fought to normalize having a disability. 2. Fight for what you believe in. Judy had spent her entire life fighting. She has worked to obtain basic right for those with disabilities. Things that seem simple to the non-disabled, such as wheel chair ramps or handicap accessible bathroom, have brought those with handicaps one step closer to normalization. 3. Changes takes time. It took many years of persistency to have law such as Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act to be put into place. 4. Despite all of the work that has been done, those with disabilities still face many challenges. Disabled individuals tend to get overlooked for employment, they face high medical costs, and there is still a lot of stigma and stereotyping. 5. Representation is incredibly important. With today’s age of technology it is much easier for those with disabilities to be represented in TV, music, movies and on social media. Representation shines a much needed light on the area of disabilities. It helps educate non-disabled inviduals and helps show case the accomplishments of individuals living with disabilities. 

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