Being Heumann: The Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist

Description

Former advisor to Presidents Clinton and Obama, star of the Oscar-nominated Crip Camp and one of the planet's most influential disability rights activists, tells her personal story of fighting for the right to receive an education, have a job, and just be human. A story of fighting to belong in a world that wasn't built for all of us and of one woman's activism--from the streets of Brooklyn and San Francisco to inside the halls of Washington--Being Heumann recounts Judy Heumann's lifelong battle to achieve respect, acceptance, and inclusion in society. Paralyzed from polio at eighteen months, Judy Heumann began her struggle for equality early in life. From fighting to attend grade school after being described as a "fire hazard" to later winning a lawsuit against the New York City school system for denying her a teacher's license, to leading the section 504 sit-in that led to the creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Judy's actions set a precedent that fundamentally improved rights for disabled people around the globe. Candid, intimate, and irreverent, Judy Heumann's memoir about resistance to exclusion invites readers to imagine and make real a world in which we all belong.

Judith Heumann (Author) Judith Heumann is an internationally recognized leader in the Disability Rights Movement. She has advocated for disability rights at home and abroad, serving in the Clinton and Obama administrations and as the World Bank's first adviser on disability and development. She lives in Washington, DC. Kristen Joiner (Author) Kristen Joiner is a writer and activist who tries to tell stories that change how people see the world. Her writing on exclusion, inequality and social change has been published in numerous outlets including the Stanford Social Innovation Review. She lives in New Zealand with her family.

Judy's advocacy for disability rights began as a fight for her own future and then, as a leader of the movement, spanned the nation and the globe. * Hillary Clinton * Judy's story has shaken me to the core. For the first time, I see myself in someone else. Her fierce advocacy and work changing the laws around disability rights have undeniably paved the way for me to achieve what I have today. . . . A must-read. * Ali Stroker, Tony Award-winning actress * A marvelous memoir by a disability hero who has paved the way for many of us. Full of fascinating stories from the disability rights movement, this book will guide future leaders as we work toward a barrier-free world. * Haben Girma, author of the bestseller Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law *