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.