Bill Text: NY K00455 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Mourning the death of Judith Heumann, tireless leader and advocate for the Disability Rights Movement

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2023-05-15 - adopted [K00455 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-K00455-Introduced.html

---

Senate Resolution No. 1033

BY: Senator PERSAUD

        MOURNING  the  death  of  Judith Heumann, tireless
        leader  and  advocate  for  the  Disability   Rights
        Movement

  WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to
citizens  of  the  State  of  New York whose lifework and civic endeavor
served to enhance the quality of life in their communities and the great
State of New York; and

  WHEREAS, Judith Heumann of Brooklyn, New  York,  died  on  March  4,
2023, at the age of 76; and

  WHEREAS,  Raised  in  New  York  City, specifically Brooklyn, Judith
Heumann attended P.S. 219 in a  segregated  program  for  students  with
disabilities  beginning  in  fourth  grade,  after  years  of  homebound
instruction; and

  WHEREAS, After failing the  medical  examination  for  her  teaching
license  on the grounds that her mobility impairment and wheelchair use,
due to the effects of polio, would prevent  her  from  safely  escorting
students   out   of   the  building  in  an  emergency,  Judith  Heumann
successfully sued the New York City Board of  Education  in  a  landmark
case to obtain her teaching license; and

  WHEREAS,  Judith  Heumann  was a tireless advocate for the rights of
people with disabilities and an internationally-recognized leader in the
Disability Rights Movement; and

  WHEREAS, Recognized as the founder of Disabled in Action, now  known
as  Disabled  in  Action  of  Metropolitan  New  York,  as  well  as the
co-founder of both the National Council on Independent  Living  and  the
World  Institute on Disability, Judith Heumann is commonly viewed as the
"mother" of the Disability Rights and Independent Living Movements; and

  WHEREAS,  Judith  Heumann  was  featured  in   the   Oscar-nominated
documentary  "Crip  Camp,"  which  also  documented  her  lead  role  in
obtaining adoption of federal rules designed to protect  the  rights  of
disabled  people, and was the author of the memoir Being Heumann and its
young adult version Rolling Warrior; and

  WHEREAS, New York State honors the  memory  of  Judith  Heumann  and
celebrates  her  legacy  of activism for people with disabilities in the
United States and around the world; and

  WHEREAS, Judith Heumann's commitment to excellence, and  her  spirit
of  humanity,  carried  over  into a lifelong dedication to civil rights
advocacy; and

  WHEREAS, With her throughout has been her husband, Jorge Pineda, who
feels privileged to have been a part of her life  and  rejoices  in  her
many achievements; and

  WHEREAS,  Armed  with a humanistic spirit and imbued with a sense of
compassion, Judith Heumann leaves behind a legacy which will long endure
the passage of time and will remain as a comforting memory  to  all  she
served and befriended; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
mourn the death of Judith Heumann, tireless leader and advocate for  the
Disability Rights Movement; and be it further

  RESOLVED,  That  a  copy  of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the family of Judith Heumann.