After her lawsuit, Heumann was hired by NYC public schools, becoming the first teacher who used a wheelchair in New York City and New York State.
On June 29, 1970, following the pressure generated by her federal lawsuit and a judge's suggestion that the Board of Education reconsider its position, Judith Heumann was hired as a teacher in the New York City public school system. This made her the first wheelchair user to teach in New York City, and more broadly, in the entire state of New York.
Heumann began teaching second grade at P.S. 219 in Brooklyn, the same elementary school she had attended as a child but had been barred from enrolling in kindergarten decades earlier due to her disability. The symbolism of her return as an educator—rather than being excluded as a student—was profound.
Her appointment shattered the prevailing assumption that physical disability was incompatible with professional competence, particularly in roles involving public trust and responsibility for children's safety. It provided a powerful, visible counter-narrative to the discriminatory 'fire hazard' rationale that had been used to deny her a license.
This achievement was not merely personal; it served as a template and inspiration for disabled people nationwide seeking employment in fields from which they had been systematically excluded. Heumann's success as a teacher demonstrated that accommodation and inclusion were both possible and beneficial, laying essential groundwork for the broader employment rights that would later be codified in Section 504 and the ADA.