UC Berkeley Mourns, Celebrates Life of Disability Rights Icon

BERKELEY, CA -- UC Berkeley staff, faculty and alumni are remembering the life of Judy Heumann, considered the "mother” of the disability rights movement.

Heumann, who graduated from the university in the 1970s, died in Washington, D.C. last weekend at age 75, leaving members of the Berkeley campus community mourning her loss.

The imprints of Heumann’s life’s work can be found by walking through UC Berkeley’s campus, from the braille signage on restroom walls to the curb cuts and ramp accessible structures. Campus resources like the Disabled Students’ Program and the newly opened Disability Cultural Community Center demonstrate the systemic changes Heumann inspired nearly 40 years after she graduated.

Beyond Berkeley, Heumann’s impact is also seen around the world in every building, classroom and institution that initially rejected people because of their disabilities. Heumann fought for, and eventually won, access for them.

That unyielding moral compass to fight for a once segregated disabled community is what propelled Heumann to be called “the mother” of the disability rights movement. In the 1960s and ‘70s, her mission spearheaded the passage of disability rights legislation including Section 504, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act.

“As we mark her passing, I know Judith’s zealous leadership and love of community are here with us,” Dania Matos, Berkeley’s vice chancellor for equity and inclusion said in an article posted on the university's website. “She will undoubtedly continue to inspire disability rights and collective liberation work, both here on campus and beyond, for decades to come.”

Fellow Berkeley alumna and disability rights advocate Ella Callow was quoted as saying that Heumann was “the heart” of the disability movement and had an ability to unite people across various generations.