2023 -- H 6130

========

LC002492

========

     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023

____________

H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

EXTENDING CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF DISABILITY RIGHTS ACTIVIST,

JUDITH ELLEN HEUMANN

     Introduced By: Representatives Spears, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Cotter, Carson,
Donovan, Speakman, Henries, Morales, and Kennedy

     Date Introduced: March 07, 2023

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, It is with sadness that this House has learned of the passing of Judy

Heumann, leader of the San Francisco contingent, who protested for twenty-four grueling days, in

their ultimately successful fight for enforcement of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act; and

     WHEREAS, Born in Philadelphia, Judy Heumann was the daughter of Werner and Ilse

Heumann. At three months old, she contracted polio and spent three months in an iron lung, and

resultantly spent her life in a wheel chair; and

     WHEREAS, Ms. Heumann’s parents were both survivors and fighters. Her father and

mother’s parents had perished in Nazi Germany under Hitler after having sent their children to

safety in America, and her mother spent many years fighting for Judy’s education rights at a time

in our country’s history when disabled often meant 2nd class, shunned or ignored; and

     WHEREAS, Eventually, at the age of nine, Ms. Heumann was enrolled in special

disabled classes. She attended a special high school, graduated from Long Island University, and

earned her Master’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley; and

     WHEREAS, In 1970, while still in school, Ms. Heumann gained recognition for her

efforts as an advocate for the disabled, a calling and journey that would last throughout her life;

and

     WHEREAS, In 1973, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act had been signed into law by

then President Richard Nixon but was still not enforced. The American Coalition of Citizens with

Disabilities (ACCD), which Ms. Heumann had helped to found, and protestors from ten States

began protests to force the Health, Education and Welfare Secretary to sign and enforce the

regulations; and

     WHEREAS, After a few days, many of the protest groups had given up, but the San

Francisco protestors, led and organized by Ms. Heumann continued their efforts, sacrificing every

human comfort and bringing about a revolution that clearly illustrated the resilience and strength

of herself and those she was fighting to protect; and

     WHEREAS, On April 28th of 1977, victory was achieved after 24 days of protest, which

became the longest sit-in of a federal building in American history, a record that still holds today;

and

     WHEREAS, Section 504 paved the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

in 1990, which extended the anti-discrimination rules to private sector workplaces, and resulted in

significant changes to accessibility for disabled individuals; and

     WHEREAS, Ms. Heumann’s fight for the rights of the disabled did not end there. From

1993 to 2001, she served in the Clinton administration as an Assistant Secretary in the Office of

Special Education and Rehabilitation Services in the Department of Education, and was

appointed Special Adviser on International Disability Rights by President Barack Obama. She

also held positions as an adviser, was a fellow or board member with myriad institutions, and was

involved in passage of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities,

which was ratified in May 2008; and

     WHEREAS, Judy Heumann dedicated her life to fighting for access for herself and others

to a life fully and equally lived and fully enjoyed with all the benefits that must be bequeathed

and entitled to all; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby

extends deepest condolences on the passing of Judith Heumann, and recognizes and honors her

memory and accomplishments in the disability rights movement; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Rick Heumann and Family.

========

LC002492

========

LC002492 - Page 2 of 2