Goodbye, Judy ma’am
She always smiled whenever I addressed her as Judy ma’am. Her response: “I love the way you nod your head and call me ma’am. Not many people address me that way.”
It’s been an honor to have known the legendary Judith Heumann, albeit for a brief two years, and having met her in person only once. But Judy leaves a lasting impression on anyone who comes across her, even if it’s for a fleeting moment. Her legendary status has long been cemented (she was one of TIME magazine’s Women of the Year in 1977) but her drive to work for people with disabilities till her last breath is what made her special. She was instrumental in fighting for the passage of the American Disability Act in 1990. While a lot has been achieved since, a lot more needs to be done in terms of inclusion of people with disabilities. She felt that the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in mainstream education left much room for improvement.
A scene that lasts in memory is her response to Trevor Noah on the Daily Show, where she is quick to correct Trevor by telling him, “You are not abled, you are non-disabled.” She continued, “The chances that you will become disabled, temporarily or permanently in your lifetime is statistically high.” Trevor’s response was, “Did you just threaten me?” She has threatened many in her life, and not always very gently, but always for the right reasons!
I had watched the Oscar-nominated, Obama-produced documentary Crip Camp, a fascinating history of the disability rights movement in the US. Watching Judith Heumann in action gave me the impression that she was a “kickass, no nonsense” person (she often reminded me of my mentor Dr Kiran Bedi). I felt that her chutzpah had rubbed off on another disability rights activist — the late Javed Abidi who, inspired by the movement in the US, had used the same means to pass the disability bill in India in 1997. It’s a miracle that my paths had crossed two iconic disability rights activists on two sides of the Pacific (my book The Invisible Majority is dedicated to Javed Abidi and has a blurb by Judith Heumann).
My first conversation with Judith Heumann was on Zoom during Covid times. After the call she said she wanted to see my son Vivaan. And since that meeting, she has always checked in on Vivaan’s health and progress in his school. Her last message to me was on 21 February 2023: “Let me know the test results of Vivaan pls”. She had developed an instant liking to Vivaan and so had Vivaan to Judy. The first time Vivaan met her, on 27 October 2022, he gave her a spontaneous kiss, something he rarely does. Judy was so overjoyed that she said, “Vivaan is the new love of my life”. My manager Karina who was in the room jokingly said, “I am not sure how Jorge, her husband for more than three decades, will respond to that”. Alas that love story was short-lived.
What more can be written about a woman who was not allowed to go to school because her wheelchair was considered a fire hazard and who then went on to work for two American presidents — Clinton and Obama? And what more can be written about a person who spent her life trying to make the world a more inclusive and equitable place? Not much really! Except that we were fortunate to have lived in the times of people like Judith Heumann.
She was kind enough to record a message for IIS2022 and she was looking forward to being part of IIS2023 in Bengaluru. That now, remains an unfulfilled dream. As the famous Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney said,
“History says, don’t hope
On this side of the grave.
But then, once in a lifetime
The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up,
And hope and history rhyme.”
Thank you, Judith Heumann — for your love and for giving us HOPE!
Goodbye Judy Ma’am!
