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1970–1990 · New York and San Francisco, California

Judy Heumann & the disability-rights movement

Disability & access

Judy Heumann
Judy HeumannFederal government portrait
Photo creditU.S. Department of Education / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain (US federal government). Cropped/resized.

Photographs are cropped to fit. Photo dates and original images are available through the source credits.

Judy Heumann challenged exclusion from education and employment and helped organize the 1977 Section 504 sit-in. Her memoir and Crip Camp connect personal experience to collective action for accessibility and civil rights. The story includes the community that formed around a summer camp for disabled young people.

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The Story

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When1970–1990
WhereNew York and San Francisco, California
In this collection5 resources

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Blogs & Essays

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Blogs & essays

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Outside essays and reading guides reflect their authors’ perspectives. Compare claims with reported and primary sources.

Social Security Administration blog

Remembering Judy Heumann, the Mother of Disability Rights

A remembrance considers Heumann’s advocacy, memoir and impact on disability rights.

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Books

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Books

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Judith Heumann with Kristen Joiner

Being Heumann

Heumann’s memoir is a companion to Crip Camp, which covers several activists rather than adapting only her book.

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Movies & TV

Documentaries & Adaptations

Movies

1 items
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Film / television guide

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (2020)

Documentary following disabled campers and the civil rights movement. Official Netflix listing; subscription and regional availability apply.

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Audiobooks

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Audiobook

Being Heumann

By Judith Heumann with Kristen Joiner

Narrated by Ali Stroker

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Fiction Work

Adaptations & Inspirations

Fiction Work

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Scripted stories and fictional inspirations. Scenes, characters, and dialogue can differ from the record.

No verified fictional adaptation or inspiration has been identified in this collection. Nonfiction coverage is listed in the other media sections.

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Podcasts

Episodes & Audio Stories

Podcasts

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Audio episodes and oral histories. Personal recollections are attributed perspectives; some services require sign-in.

StoryCorps · audio interview · 3 minutes

Remembering the Mother of the Disability Rights Movement

Judy Heumann talks with April Coughlin about being denied a teaching license and challenging that discrimination. A firsthand recollection, with audio and a transcript.

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Social Media

Videos & Conversations

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News & Reading

Reporting, Clippings & Archives

More Reading & Audio

3 sources

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OverDrive · Library Access

Being Heumann — Audiobook

Judith Heumann with Kristen Joiner. Related reading for Judy Heumann & the disability-rights movement. Check participating libraries for this edition. Borrowing requires an eligible library card; availability and waits vary.

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Being Heumann — Ebook

Judith Heumann with Kristen Joiner. Related reading for Judy Heumann & the disability-rights movement. Check the current subscription terms and available sample; trial offers are not permanent free access.

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Reading Access Notes

Search reviewed 2026-09-16. Sources searched: Google Books, Internet Archive, Open Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Magazine, The Atavist Magazine, Google Books (case/title search), Scribd, Everand, OverDrive and hoopla (combined title search). Search indexing is incomplete; this is not an exhaustive list of the web. Access can change by edition, country and library membership. Library loans may require sign-in or a wait. Everand titles may need a paid subscription; a trial is not permanent free access. Scribd documents are third-party uploads, with uploader details noted where checked. We link to source pages and write our own descriptions rather than reproducing copyrighted books.

A separate Texas Monthly search was blocked by the publisher’s automated-access rules and could not be verified.

News & reporting

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Newspaper clippings

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Court & Files

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Court records & documents

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Documents are labeled by type and scope. Allegations in filings are not findings of guilt. This collection is not the complete case file.

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Positive Outcome

Laws, Advocacy & Change

Positive Outcome

1 items
About these sources

Documented laws, advocacy and reforms. Listing a change does not claim it is effective or universally supported.

Federal regulation and disability-rights advocacy · National Park Service

1977: Section 504 regulations signed

The sit-ins pressed the government to issue implementing regulations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The law predated the protest; the 1977 victory concerned its implementation.

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