#SeeHer Story

#SeeHer Story: Judy Heumann

How this disability activist put herself on the line for equal rights

I profiled disability rights activist Judy Heumann. Judy lost the use of her legs after a childhood bout with polio and became an activist on her very first day of school. “The principal denied me entrance into the school because I couldn’t walk and he said I could be a fire hazard,” she told Daily Show host Trevor Noah. As an adult, she sued the NYC board of education after she was denied a teaching license — and she won, becoming the first wheelchair user to teach in NYC.