Being Heumann

“For any story of changing the world is always a story of many. Many ideas, many arguments; many discussions; many late-night, punchy, falling-apart-laughing brainstorms; many believers; many friendships; many failures; many times of almost giving up; and many, many, many people.”

In her memoir and through her stories of activism, Judith expresses The Power of Unity in Effecting Change and how change takes many types of people coming together to collaborate, discuss ideas, and compromise on solutions. Furthermore, change also requires perseverance and the willingness to sacrifice. Judith does not give credit only to herself as she recounts events like the 1977 protests or the creation of the ADA; instead, she repeatedly presses the idea that none of this would have been possible without her community.

“Most things are possible when you assume problems can be solved.”

Judith believes that a sense of optimism is one of the key factors in achieving success while fighting for justice and civil rights. This mentality can be traced back to her childhood when her friends would find ways to include her in games and get her around and did not think twice about doing so. Judith‘s wheelchair was sometimes a problem to be solved but never one that she and her friends were unwilling to tackle. This sense of optimism and self-efficacy is what allowed Judith to achieve so much in her life.