Judith+Heumann


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= = =Judith Heumann=

Judith Heumann had polio when she was 18 months old. Because of this, she was not allowed to go to school until fourth grade. She was told, in her wheel chair, she would be a fire hazard. Later as an adult, although qualified, she had to sue the NeYork City Board of Education for discrimination in order to be given a job as a teacher in the New York City school system. They tried to prevent her from teaching, because she used a wheel chair.

Having her own experiences with discrimination, Judith Heumann began working for the rights of others with disabilities. She helped develop the laws that became the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), she helped draft the American's with Disabilities Act (ADA). She also helped develop the regulations for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. In 1983, she was Vice President of World Institute on Disability (WID), which was the first research center devoted to disability issues. She helped set up WID with Joan Leon and Ed Roberts.

Since 1993, she has been the Assistant Secretary of Education for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS). She, and her staff of over 300 people, work with a budget of over $5.5 billion to improve the lives of adults and children with disabilities across the country. They manage things like the Office of Special Education Programs, Rehabilitation Services Administration, and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

Judith Heumann has gotten many awards and honors. She was the first person to receive the Henry B. Betts Award for "efforts that significantly improve the quality of life for people with disabilities." Ms. Magazine said she was "one of the 80 women to watch in the 80s." In 1990, the State of California Legislature called her their Women of the Year. She has also been a representative internationally for the disabled community of America. She also went to Beijing, under the appointment of President Clinton, for the Fourth United Nations World Conference on Women.

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