One of the most influential disability rights activists in US history tells her story of fighting to belong in school and society -a powerful role model for young adults with a passion for activism
Paralyzed from polio and raised by her Holocaust surviving parents, Judy's fight for equal access began early in life. Judy fought her high school, who initially denied her a diploma because of her inability to participate in gym; she fought her college who described her as "a fire hazard"; and she filed a lawsuit against the New York City school system, who denied her a teacher's license because of her paralysis, which she won.
These battles for equality came to fruition when as a young woman, Judy rolled her wheelchair through the doors of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare in San Francisco and organized what would be the longest takeover of a federal building in U.S. history. Demanding the implementation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, protecting the rights of all people with disabilities, Judy led 150 disabled people in a sit-in.
Adapted from
Being Heumann
, this young adult edition introduces young readers to a transformative piece of American history through the lens of Judy's life—as she evolves from a teenager simply learning to survive high school to a woman who took on the U.S. government and continues to promote rights for people with disabilities in the U.S. and across the world.