Judith Heumann
The Heumann Connection
United States
Judith Heumann is a lifelong and internationally recognized disability rights activist. A force behind countless national efforts to advance disability inclusion and independent living, she has taken on many leadership roles throughout her career, including Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the U.S. Department of State under President Barack Obama. As a senior fellow at the Ford Foundation from 2017-2019, Heumann was the lead author of a report entitled “Road Map for Inclusion: Changing the face of Disability in Media.” Her first book, written with Kristen Joiner, Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist, was published in 2020.
Heumann is featured in the award-winning documentary film Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, directed by James LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham and produced by Obama Higher Ground Productions, now on Netflix.