Abstract
“Our anger was a fury sparked by profound injustices. Wrongs that deserved ire. And with that rage we ripped a hole in the status quo.” In 1949, eighteen-month-old Judith Heumann contracted polio, losing her ability to walk. Heumann’s parents, German Jewish immigrants to New York, were unaware of the consequences using a wheelchair would have on their daughter’s ability to participate in certain activities. When it became time for Heumann to begin kindergarten, the principal refused to allow the family into the school, stating that Heumann was a “fire hazard.” But Heumann’s mother was tenacious, and the principal eventually admitted Heumann. Heumann later attended Long Island University, where she began a long career as a disability rights activist by demanding ramp access to classrooms for wheelchair users. Following her graduation in 1969, the New York Board of Education refused to give Heumann a teaching license out of fear she could not effectively evacuate students if there was a fire. Nonetheless, Judith Heumann fought for her license and became the first teacher in New York to use a wheelchair. .
Recommended Citation
Brooklyn N. Cross,
The Disability Discrimination Dilemma: Resolving the Circuit Split Regarding Culpability Standards in Education,
91 Mo. L. Rev.
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Available at: https://scholarship.law.missouri.edu/mlr/vol91/iss3/14