Book Review: Being Heumann

Author: Judith Heumann with Kristen Joiner

Published: 2020

Believe it or not, I had not heard about Judy Heumann, the struggle over 504, or the fight for the Americans with Disabilities Act until I watched Crip Camp, a documentary on Netflix. It was a whole new world to me. How had I never heard about any of this before? It’s clear that the history of the struggle for disabled rights still has not quite made it into mainstream education. That is part of the point of this book.

Judy Heumann got polio when she was very young. As a result, she could not walk and had a hard time using her arms and hands. She viewed these as obstacles certainly, but they never made her feel like she was less of a human in any way. Society did that.

Although I have different struggles from Heumann, I think anyone with any kind of disability would feel her outrage and her sadness. From her not being allowed to go to school with other kids to being told she couldn’t be a teacher because she was a fire hazard, the way she was treated was the fuel that brought her into advocacy. So it is with many disabled people. Alas.

Already in 2020, the war against the disabled had heightened in its vitriol. Judy and her peers would be so very dismayed to see what is happening now.

Being Heumann is a fantastic reminder that the ADA and 504, which have so recently been under attack, are still very young, and people sacrificed time, safety, blood, sweat, and tears to get them. Read this book when you get a chance. Whether you are disabled or not, it is an amazing education about something we still don’t talk about enough.