Interview
Judy Heumann: “Unless all Disabled people are
liberated, none of us can be liberated” In September 2021, Michelle Daley (ALLFIE Director), Micheline Mason, (Founder of ALLFIE), and Melody Powell (Inclusion Now editorial member), had the pleasure of interviewing Judy to talk about her activism, the film ‘Crip Camp’, disability justice and inclusive education.
Judy Heumann describes herself as a white, Jewish, 73-year-old, Disabled Woman. Judy was 18 months old when she contracted Polio. When she was 2 years old, a doctor recommended that it was in Judy’s best interest for her parents to place her in an institution, which they ignored. She now lives in Washington DC and is a lifelong activist for Disabled people’s human rights. From 2010 to 2017, Judy served as the first Special Advisor for International Disability Rights under President Obama in the US. In 2020, Judy was featured in one of the most talked about, revolutionary films, titled ‘Crip Camp’. ‘Crip Camp’ is an American awardwinning film which followed the journey of an unconventional summer camp of Disabled Young people. Many of the Young people that attended the camp went on to become activists and prominent leaders within the Disabled People’s Movement.
“I do believe things have been changing over the last decades, because of people like us and many others. But obviously the discussions we’re having today around education are because we don’t believe we’ve achieved what we want to be able to achieve”
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