Judith Heumann’s sit-ins in the 1970s to protest the lack of enforcement Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 led to increased access to educational buildings.
Transcript
Rhian – Welcome to the Case for a Better Future; a pedagogy of hope podcast. A three-episode podcast dedicated to exploring the communication and leadership lessons of three dis/ability rights activists and advocates. My name is Rhian, and I have the honor of co-hosting this podcast with the incredible Becky Willhite (Will-Height), Communications and Leadership Studies graduate and Gonzaga University Adjunct Faculty member. Thank you for allowing me to join you Becky. Once again, welcome to all our listeners, and Becky, who will you be introducing us to today?
Becky – Thank you for the kind introduction. Today, I would like to introduce you to Judith Heumann. My hope is to highlight Judith Heuman’s activism and how she crafted a better future.
Before we begin, I would like to share that when I verbalize the word disability, I spell it d-i-s-forward slash –a-b-i-l-i-t-y. In my research, I discovered this shift of terminology. The first published use of the term is in a Disability Poetry Book titled Beauty is a Verb. The shift is reflective of an individual’s preferences, interests, needs, strengths, and honors an individual's abilities.
Rhian – Thank you for sharing. I cannot wait to hear more about Judith Heumann, and with that let’s get started with the Case for a Better Future.
Becky – Yes, a better future awaits. Judith Heumann was born in 1949 and grew up in Brooklyn. At the age of two, she contracted polio. Heumann was one of nearly 43,000 children affected by the polio epidemic in the United States. On her first day of kindergarten, her mother, Ilse, helped Judith put on a nice dress, pushed her to school, and pulled her wheelchair up the steps. The principal refused to allow entry. He explained that wheelchairs were a dangerous obstruction, and that Judith was a fire hazard. In her memoir, Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist Judith states that “telling Ilse Heumann that something wasn’t possible was a big mistake . that [Ilse] didn’t really hear the word ‘no.’” Judith Heumann would continue to hear the word “no” throughout her life, and I believe she did not hear the word “no” either.
Rhian – Can you give me an example?
Becky – It is hard to pick just one. But I believe to make the case of a better future there are two I would like to highlight. The first is that Judith Heumann trained to become an educator. However, the New York School Board of Education said “no” to providing her a teaching license. Heumann was an educator at heart and filed a lawsuit against the Board. The 1972 New York Times article called the case “the first such civil rights suit ever filed in a Federal court” The hearing was presided by Judge Constance Baker Motley. Judge Motley is considered an unsung hero of the civil rights movement. Motley” knew discrimination when she saw it.” Heumann became a licensed teacher in the State of New York.
Rhian – How long was Judith Heumann a teacher?
Becky – That is a great question. I have two answers. She taught in a classroom for two years. She also entered spaces as an educator with daily learning objectives. Her curriculum was to engage in dialogue with an emphasis on removing barriers and challenge the status quo. At heart, Heumann was always a teacher.
Rhian – Did Heumann ever talk about her pedagogy?
Becky – Not directly; but I see a strong connection between Pedagogy of the Oppressed and Inclusive pedagogy. In Pedagogy of the Oppressed, encouraged dialogue which was key to Heuman’s success. Inclusive pedagogy strives to meet the needs of all students and learning styles. Heuman’s emphasis on creating spaces of listening honored everyone's communication styles. I[CC1] do not think I am the only one who saw Heumann as a global teacher. Loyola Marymount Law School also acknowledges her educator heart and advocacy with the Heumann-Armstrong Education award.
Rhian – You mentioned that you wanted to highlight two times that Heumann did not hear the word no. What was the other time?
Becky – Thank you for circling back. During her years teaching in a classroom, Heumann spent her weekends studying politics. This is how she learned about the 1973 Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. It was the stealthy work of several United State senators who inserted civil rights provisions into a bill primarily focused on employment for individuals with a dis/ability.
By 1977, the bill had not been signed into law. The Health, Education, and Welfare, or HEW, Secretary Joe Califano wanted to uphold the status quo. Heumann believed his power “rested in his ability to ignore us.” A nonverbal no.
Rhian – What was her reaction to his nonverbal no?
Becky – One of my favorite quotes from her memoir is “When other people see you as a third-class citizen, the first thing you need is a belief in yourself and the knowledge that you have rights. The next thing you need is a group of friends to fight back with.” She did exactly that. On April 5, 1977, dis/ability rights activists staged sit-ins in 10 cities across the United States. Heumann and her friends participated in the San Francisco HEW federal building sit in. They intended to stay one day but refused to leave. The 200 or so protestors stayed for 28 days.
Rhian – 28 days?
Becky – I know, 28 days. It is the largest peaceful protest in United States history.
Rhian – This was pre-Grubhub. How were they able to stay for 28 days?
Becky – Well, it was not easy. Heumann’s memoir shares insights on the logistics. In Heumann’s words “for people with disabilities, a sleepover is not as simple as tossing some sandwiches and a toothbrush into a backpack. In addition to personal assistance, a fairly high number of us also require various types of daily medications and have things like catheters that need to be changed, or the need to get turned at night to avoid bedsores.” In addition, there wasn’t Grubhub for 200 but even if there were, the FBI cut phone lines.
Rhian – How were they able to communicate with individuals outside of the building?
Becky – They had a secret weapon; American Sign Language.
Rhian – Does her memoir share how they accessed meals?
Becky – Yes, it does. I hope you don’t mind if the answer is a teaser for our next Case for a Better Future.
Rhian – Not at all. What happened after Section 504 was signed?
Becky – Changes started right away. Curb cuts, ramps, accessible bathrooms, widened doors are all a direct result of Section 504. It laid the foundation to the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act and the Telecommunications Act of 1996 which implemented closed captioning on all televisions.
Rhian - Earlier, you mentioned that Judith Heumann entered spaces as an educator. Could you expand upon that?
Becky - Heumann’s curriculum included reinforcing a common goal. In her memoir she shared that “When I look back now, I see that one of the greatest aspects of the 504 sit-in was the way it united us. We weren’t focused on how we were different – we were focused on our common goal, our collective focus.”
I think it is important to note that she met resistance throughout her career. She supervised the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services under President Bill Clinton. It is a role made her “the highest-ranking disabled person in US government.” In a meeting regarding education an individual told Heumann “let’s just deal with education for non-disabled children first. Then we can worry about the kids with disabilities.” She was familiar with the flawed logic. In her words, “he underlying assumption is that individuals with a dis/ability have less potential to learn, less ability to contribute, are less capable.”
In the moments she faced resistance, Heumann engaged in dialogue as an educator. This was a lesson she learned as a child to “slow down enough to listen and truly see each other. Ask questions. Connect. Find a way to have fun. Learn.” An educator approaches life with a desire to teach and learn.
Rhian – What a powerful approach to advocacy and activism. I am curious, what was Heumann’s case for a Better Future?
Becky – Heumann advocated for authentic representation. I think that is an area of growth in curriculum selection and varied learning styles.
Rhian – Please, tell me more!
Becky – Absolutely, thank you for asking. Curriculum selection can be a time-consuming task. I created a Digital Library to catalogue links to articles and videos. It is a simple Google document where I link videos. This way I create a wealth of content from diverse voices at my disposal.
Recently, I was teaching an Intercultural Communication course and included Stella Young’s TED Talk. I had several students share information about their dis/ability after viewing. One student mentioned sharing the video with friends and family. That is the power of including diverse voices to ensure students see themselves in the content.
Videos are beneficial for multiple reasons. They provide images and closed captioning for visual learners. Dialogue is available for auditory learners. If an educator organizes a think, pair, and share after the video it allows social learners to collaborate with their peers. Kinesthetic learners can take notes during the think and pair portion.
Rhian – What is your perspective on learning styles and student choice?
Becky – I think it is important to provide choices within assignments while equally encouraging students to expand their skills. For example, during my internship with Gonzaga I created a Travel Writing course. Destination marketing includes video production, podcasts, infographics, photography, and creative writing. My course includes Discussion Board posts where students have low-stake options to learn and grow. I guess this is another teaser but classrooms that are designed for all users create an environment where everyone can succeed.
Rhian – Ooh another teaser, but sadly I think we are out of time. Would you like to leave our listeners with one last case for a better future?
Becky – Judith Heumann is considered the mother of dis/ability rights activism. At heart, Judith Heumann was a teacher. She entered spaces as an educator with daily learning objectives. In the simplest terms, she understood that teaching two plus two did not equal four right away but with time students would become proficient in that math because they were taught from an educator’s heart. Her curriculum was to engage in dialogue with an emphasis on removing barriers and challenging the status quo. She passed away on March 4, 2023. I hope we all march forth toward a better future.
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