Heumann collaborated with Ed Roberts as the deputy director of the Center for Independent Living in California from 1975 to 1982, during which time he also played a significant role in the Independent Living Movement.
More than 8 million children and adults with disabilities have benefited from the legislation she helped achieve at the national level for programs in special education, disability research, vocational rehabilitation, and independent living.
Heumann did not see her condition as a tragedy despite being diagnosed with polio at the age of 18 months and spending the majority of her life in a wheelchair.
However, she thought that disability only becomes a tragedy when society fails to give those with disabilities the infrastructure and support they need to live complete lives.
Heumann’s mother, Ilsa Heumann, was a prominent community activist who contributed significantly to the fight against the prejudiced practices that denied Judy access to a quality education. Her brother Joseph Heumann, a film professor and author, is all that is left to her after the war claimed her grandparents and great-grandparents.
How old was Judith Heumann when she got polio?
Was Judy Heumann a quadriplegic? Heumann contracted polio at the age of 18 months and spent most of her life in a wheelchair. Hermann claims that her impairment is not a tragedy, adding that “disability only becomes a tragedy for me when society fails to give the things we need to lead our lives—job chances or barrier-free buildings, for example. Heumann became a quadriplegic as a result of polio and now utilizes a wheelchair for mobility. She never wished she didn’t have a disability.