March 4th was a sad day for the disability community, the country and the world. Judy Heumann, the star of the movie “Crip Camp,” and known as the “Mother of the Disability Rights Movement,” passed away at the age of 75 in Washington, D.C.
Heumann was “a lifelong advocate for the rights of disabled people. She contracted polio in 1949 in Brooklyn, and began to use a wheelchair for her mobility. She was denied the right to attend school because she was considered a “fire hazard” at the age of five. Later in life, Heumann was denied her teaching license after passing her oral and written exams but failing her medical exam. She sued the Board of Education and went on to become the first wheelchair user to become a teacher in the state of New York.
Heumann was an internationally recognized leader in the disability rights community. She was instrumental in the development and implementation of legislation, such as Section 504, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities — all helping to advance the inclusion of disabled people in the U.S. and around the world and fighting to end discrimination against all those with disabilities.
Heumann will be honored in Montclair at the 3rd annual Disability Pride Parade on Saturday, May 20th (rain date May 21st), organized by the People with Disabilities Committee in partnership with the Montclair Friday Group and Montclair State University. The guest speaker will be Steve Way from the hit Hulu show, Ramy. Other guest speakers and performers will represent the beauty, strength and power of the disability community.
Participants will assemble at Hennigburg Field in Montclair; a Walk and Roll Parade to a rally at Rand Park will follow.
The People with Disabilities Committee for the Township of Montclair also worked with the Township Council on a proclamation for April to be Autism Acceptance Month. The proclamation was presented at the April 12th Township council meeting.
Such an honorable thing to do. Montclair should take great pride in this.
Agree, but there is still so much work remaining to elevate this civil right to an equal level of support and protections we give our other civil rights. It is the low-hanging, easy solves that frustrate me on this beautiful Spring weekend. Today I reached out directly to Council members for help to address a long-standing accessibility and general safety issue at Mountainside Park. I have tried for years to work with County government with inadequate results. If County Commissioner Gill is reading this, your assistance to work with the Township would be both timely and appreciated.