The 25 day sit-in that changed history
In April 1977, disability rights activists organised the longest ever occupation of a federal building in the history of the US. Judy Heumann was one of them.
When Judy Heumann was growing up in the 1950s, expectations for someone like her were low. Her disability wasn't her main problem, it was other people's prejudices. Judy Heumann was the first person in a wheelchair to become a teacher in New York, and she went on to dedicate her life to fighting discrimination. In doing, so has helped shape history. In April 1977, she helped orchestrate the longest ever occupation of a federal building in the history of the US. As a result of that, important regulations were brought in which made it both illegal and costly to discriminate against disabled people in many areas. And those regulations paved the way for further victories. Her book is called Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist.
Presenter: Emily Webb.
Producer: Fiona Woods.
Picture: Judy Heumann.Β
Credit:Β Rick Guidotti/Positive Exposure.
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The Outlook Podcast Archive
True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives
