In Memoriam – Judith Heumann

ATLANTA (March 06, 2023) —

On Saturday, March 4th 2023, the global disability advocacy movement lost one of its pioneers with the passing away of Judith E. Heumann. Born in Philadelphia, and raised in New York, Judith spearheaded a new era in the history of disability rights and activism in the US and worldwide. Judith’s work inspired many disability leaders around the world who adopted the model of Independent Living which she started to advocate in the early 1970s, alongside other leaders such as Ed Roberts.

Together with advocates from around the world, her leadership helped shape many dispositions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which has had a profound impact around the world. Judith also participated in the foundation of several initiatives and organizations in the United States and internationally, including the World Institute on Disability, the Independent Living Center in Berkeley California, and the American Association of Persons with Disabilities, of which she was a board member until her passing. Between 1993 and 2001, she was appointed as Assistant Secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services in the Clinton Administration. From 2002-2006, she served as the first Advisor on Disability and Development at the World Bank. From 2010-2017, during the Obama Administration, she worked as the first Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the U.S. State Department. She was more recently appointed as Washington, D.C.’s first Director of the Department on Disability Services.

All along her career, Judith has been an extraordinary leader and true mentor and friend to many persons with or without disabilities, leaving behind her a unique legacy of disability rights advocacy that will continue to inspire disability rights advocates and leaders worldwide.

The disability movement owes Judith tremendous gratitude for promoting a culture of disability inclusion, where disability is no longer, and should not be anymore, perceived as a subject of shame or pity. Judy’s advocacy has paved the path for many persons with disabilities, who today can stand up against all forms of stigmatization and discrimination and claim their role in society on an equal basis with others.

Judith Heumann, you will be missed dearly, and you will remain in the hearts of many friends and colleagues. You will remain the role model for many disability rights advocates for many generations to come.

The Board of Directors together with the entire team of G3ict extends its warmest and most sincere condolences to Judith’s family, and the disability movement in the US and worldwide.