Heumann's memoir 'Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist' was published, chronicling her decades of activism.
On February 25, 2020, Judith Heumann's memoir, Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist, co-written with Kristen Joiner, was published by Beacon Press. The book chronicled her personal journey from a childhood shaped by polio and exclusion to becoming one of the most influential disability rights leaders in modern history.
The memoir provided a detailed, first-person account of pivotal moments including her federal lawsuit against the New York City Board of Education, her leadership during the 1977 Section 504 sit-in, and her subsequent work within the federal government and international institutions. It offered readers rare insight into both the personal toll and triumphant victories of grassroots disability activism.
Being Heumann received widespread critical acclaim and was praised for making the history of the disability rights movement accessible to general audiences, many of whom had never learned this history in school. It quickly became an essential text for disability studies courses and activist training programs.
The book's publication, combined with the release of the documentary Crip Camp just weeks later, significantly amplified public awareness of Heumann's legacy and the broader disability rights movement, introducing her story to new generations of readers, students, and activists worldwide.