Being Heumann

with someone she didn t know at all. The story was that a distant relative came from the States to visit my mother s family in Germany and brought news of the worsen-ing situation.

The information convinced my grandparents to send my mother, their one child, away to live with this distant relative. I have often imagined what it must have felt like for my mother. You re twelve years old and one day someone you don t know, someone you ve never met before, comes to visit your family and two weeks later you re suddenly gone from Germany forever, living alone in Chicago with unfamiliar people. My mother always thought that her family would be together again. Even during the war, she was working to save money to bring her parents over. Only later did she learn that they d been killed. IF I D BEEN born just ten years earlier and become disabled in Germany, it is almost certain that the German doctor would also have advised that I be institutionalized. The difference is that in-stead of growing up being fed by nurses in a small room with white walls and a roommate, I would have been taken to a special clinic, and at that special clinic, I would have been killed.Before Auschwitz and Dachau, there were institutions where disabled children were eliminated. Hitler s pilot project for what  would ultimately become mass genocide started with disabled children. Doctors encouraged the parents to hand their young children over to specially designated pediatric clinics, where they were either intentionally starved or given a lethal injection.

When the program expanded to include older children, the doctors ex-perimented with gassing.Five thousand children were murdered in these institutions. The Nazis considered people with disabilities a genetic and financial burden on society. Life unworthy of life.So when

people with disabilities is often the last on the list of included groups in this country. . . . I met Judy Heumann almost four decades ago, and her writing, activist skills, and kindness helped me to see this simple truth. Her life story as an activist will enlighten readers everywhere.
Gloria Steinem

Judy s vision of a society that embraces all aspects of the human condition and where we face adversity with wisdom is truly transformative. . . . All who read her book will be better for it.
Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, author of Lean In

Judy s story has shaken me to the core. For the first time, I see myself in someone else. Her fierce advocacy and work changing the laws around disability rights have undeniably paved the way for me to achieve what I have today. . . . A must-read.
Ali Stroker, Tony Award winning actress

A marvelous memoir by a disability hero who has paved the way for many of us. Full of fascinating stories from the disability rights movement, this book will guide future leaders as we work toward a barrier-free world.
Haben Girma, author of the bestseller Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law

Being Heumann changed me. This clear-eyed, gripping book is necessary reading for anyone in a body. Judy Heumann is a true heroine: practical, courageous, and totally badass.
Sharon Guskin, author of The Forgetting Time

Full of stories of triumph, love, and total badassery, Being Heumann is a look into a world and moment in history that very few know or appreciate. You don t have to have a disability to completely relate to Judy s story. Haven t all of us been dismissed by others at some point in our lives? Readers will finish this book with a whole new perspective on people with disabilities and on their own lives too. Judy doesn t just believe in the power of community and the potential of democracy to deliver equality and justice she and her many friends and allies set out to prove, against all odds, that it is true. Their epic struggle to achieve civil rights protections for people with disabilities has remade our world, whether we realize it or not. Intimate and engrossing, this book is a profound gift. It should be read and cherished by all, as both an unforgettable portrait of one of our greatest activists and a road map for how to build a more just and inclusive world.
Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht, directors of Crip Camp

For everyone who cares about human rights around the world, Judith Heumann s moving story and message of belonging is also a powerful call to action. A must read.
Yetnebersh Nigussie, disability rights activist

If you re searching for an excellent primer on the disability justice movement or a firsthand account of the power of the collective voice, you ll want to pick up this book!
Jey Ehrenhalt, Teaching Tolerance School-Based Programming and Grants Manager