Heumann helped lead disabled activists occupying the HEW regional office in San Francisco, demanding regulations to enforce Section 504.
On April 5, 1977, Judith Heumann helped organize and lead a sit-in at the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare's regional headquarters at 50 UN Plaza in San Francisco. Disabled activists across the country occupied federal buildings that day to protest the Carter administration's continued failure to issue regulations implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, nearly four years after its passage.
While demonstrations occurred in multiple cities, only the San Francisco occupation persisted, largely due to the coordinated leadership of Heumann and fellow activists such as Kitty Cone, alongside crucial community support from groups including the Black Panther Party, who provided hot meals to sustain protesters.
Heumann, already a nationally recognized activist from her teaching lawsuit victory, became one of the most visible and articulate leaders of the occupation, negotiating directly with federal officials and rallying protesters representing the full range of disabilities, including blindness, deafness, and mobility impairments.
The beginning of this sit-in marked a turning point in disability activism, showcasing the movement's ability to organize a sustained, cross-disability, direct-action campaign. It became a defining moment in the history of American civil disobedience and directly set the stage for one of the most significant achievements of the disability rights movement.