Judy Heumann
An internationally recognized social justice leader, Judy Heumann has been a longtime human rights advocate—especially for people with disabilities. Since the early 1970s, when she sued the New York City Board of Education and became the school system’s first teacher in a wheelchair, her efforts have been instrumental to the disability rights movement and other movements for justice. Today, through The Heumann Perspective, she is working to broaden discussions about intersectionality and disability, with a growing presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other digital platforms.
As a senior fellow, Heumann focuses on advancing the inclusion of people with disabilities in both traditional and new media platforms. Her project will explore current portrayals of disability in the media, and how to transform outdated and limited stereotypes about people with disabilities that persist in the stories we consume today.
