A Tribute to Judy Heumann

Welcome to Disability Matters with your host Joyce Bender. All comments, views, and opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host, guest, and callers. Now the host of Disability Matters, here's Joyce Bender.

Hi everyone, welcome to the show. This is a very special show today because, uh, we just lost Judy Heumann, my very close friend and disability rights leader, disability history leader of the world, heartbroken. But not only me, people throughout the world. Thank you, Rachel Maddow, for doing a segment on MSNBC about Judy. But I wanted to do something special., to honor Judy, and we are going to have some of the greatest disability rights leaders today making a few comments. By the way, everyone, you probably know that I can only keep you on a couple minutes, but that's because there are so many people scheduled on the show. But I want to start out with Susan Mazrui and Marcy Roth, the chair of the board of WID and the executive director. Both of you, welcome.

Thank you very much, Joyce. It's really a very sad and unbelievable day for us to be together like this.

I know it is. But Marcy, we'll start with you. I thought you maybe would want to share your thoughts about Judy, but also WID, her involvement with WID.

Well, I'll be happy to. I have known Judy since 1985, and she has been a big part of my life personally and professionally for, you know, all those many years. Both of my children had the opportunity to work closely with Judy, and she was hugely supportive of me, of my family, and of course she was a founder along with Ed Roberts and Joan Leon of the World Institute on Disability and has supported WID in so many ways and WID, for all of Judy's incredible accomplishments, and there have been so many, I think she only founded one organization, and that was WID back in 1983, and here we are celebrating our 40th anniversary.

I want everyone to hear that. Judy Heumann founded the World Institute on Disability. I'm proud to be on the board. This is our 40th anniversary. Anniversary. And of course, we'll be honoring Judy Susan Majrouei, who is a great disability rights leader and chair of the board of WID. What would you like to say?

I, I would like to say that for me personally, Judy really epitomized the civil rights movement for people with disabilities. I didn't know her as long as Marcy did, My first introduction to Judy was when she was on television fighting for 504. And it was the first time I thought about civil rights as it pertained to disability. And I think her influence on so many people, you know, from children to adults, really has been the ongoing efforts that she had, the high expectations, the personal interest she took in everyone she met, and the support and high expectations she expected of all of us. Her loss is really seismic. It is, as Neil Jacobson said, personal for so many people who she touched throughout her life, and so many people who never knew how many amazing things she did. I know it doesn't matter whether you have a disability or not, you've been touched by what she's done.

Well, thank you for those words, and, uh, both of you, thank you so much for calling in. Uh, wæd, powerful. Thank you both, both of you.

Marcy, thank you for your support.

Susan. I think we have Kelly Buckland on. Kelly, are you on the line? Hi, Kelly. Kelly's with the Department of Transportation, formerly the head of NCL, and just a wonderful person and great disability rights leader. Kelly, what would you like to say about Judy?

Well, you know, I am so humbled by all the things and great tributes that have already been done for Judy, um, I kind of thought it might be kind of nice to, uh, give it a little bit more of a personal touch of, you know, Judy was very active in NICLON, um, was one of the, uh reasons NICL was formed, let's put it that way. Um, and she always would show up at NICL conferences. And in fact, I saw a picture on, on social media, uh, somebody posted of her dancing at the NICL dance, which, uh, that's kind of how I kind of like to remember her at this point, is Her at Nickel dances out on the dance floor with Jorge, uh, dancing at the Nickel Club. So I don't know how many people know, her husband Jorge worked at Nickel for a very long time, was the accountant, uh, there at Nickel. And so there was a very family connection with Jorge there. And then, you know, I had the, uh, I had the great fortune to have lunch with Judy just a couple weeks ago. And we were talking about, uh, things. And as you know, Judy was a world traveler and had traveled all the time, and we were talking about all the things that still need to be done, uh, in regards to accessibility. So that's the thing that's also gonna remain with me and Judy, is like the fact that she still had so many things that she felt that needed to be accomplished. And I think I want to honor her memory and continue to push for that kind of stuff, which includes travel and transportation. So, uh, I plan to use— or to work hard in my position at the Department of Transportation to try and accomplish some of those goals and get more accessible and more convenient transportation for people with disabilities.

Well, Kelly, you know I love you, and thank you so much for those words and that tribute to Judy. Thank you for calling in.

My pleasure. It's always a pleasure to be with you, Joyce. Thanks for doing this tribute for Judy.

Yes, no, of course. All right, I think that we have on the line the Honorable Tony Coelho, who Wow, he's known Judy a long time. Tony, welcome.

Thank you, Joyce Bender. That was a nice tribute from Kelly. He's such a wonderful person, so very nice for him and his comments.

How about you, Tony? You've known Judy a long time. What would you like to say?

I've known Judy for just about 40 years. I think the overall thing, you know, people talk about her being the mother of our community. I think that's right, but the real issue is that Judy was real. She fought the fight. It was because of the fight. It wasn't about her. It wasn't about make an impression with somebody and so forth. She was the real deal. She was a fighter and, and made so many things happen just by her being present and speaking up. As you know, Joyce, I've always talked about speaking up to power, not be afraid to do so. Judy was the epitome of that. She wasn't afraid to stand up for what she believed in, also was willing to talk about what she'd been through. A lot of our people, a lot of people in our community are reluctant to talk about what they go through and so forth. The way that— what is important about that is that you impact stigma that surrounds those of us with disabilities. And if you're not willing to speak up, then you in effect enhance the stigma. And Judy understood that. She went after that all the time. She wasn't afraid to talk about the troubles she has. She wasn't afraid to talk about the troubles of other people and so forth. She was, I say, the real deal. She was committed. She helped so many people. I don't think any of us can truly appreciate just how many people in the disability community, for sure, but how many families of those of us in the disability community that she had an impact on, that she helped by helping those of us with disabilities. Um, her impact is tremendous, not only here in the United States, but As you know, she was a special assistant to Hillary Clinton when Hillary was Secretary of State, and her position was in international disability rights. And as a result, she was very involved with Bob Dole, myself, and others in regards to the International Treaty on Disabilities. So she had an impact worldwide, and not many people can say that, except probably for presidents or secretaries of state or whatever. But she, as an individual, had a huge impact nationwide. So I don't think, as I said, I don't think many people understand or appreciate that, but it was significant. And I loved her. She and I could have heated arguments and we'd end up, of course, being good friends. And that's what I admire so much about her.

Well, Tony, you know, what powerful words coming from you. And we feel the same way about you. Author of the ADA. Tony, thank you for calling in.

No problem. Thank you, Joyce Bender.

And I think we have Kathy Martinez on hold. Many of you know as the Assistant Secretary of ODEP, CEO of DRA, uh, very involved forever in the disability rights community. Kathy, welcome.

Thank you, Joyce. Thank you so much, and thank you for hosting the opportunity for those of us who knew and loved Judy to honor her memory and her legacy.

Of course. What would you like to say?

Uh, well, I just want to thank Judy for everything she's done for the disability rights community. I met Judy in 1979 through our mutual friend Kitty Cone. And so I've known her for a very long time. And we've been through lots of changes together. She was my boss at one point when I worked for the World Institute on Disability, where she really encouraged me to go into the international arena and work outside of the country. Really taught me that, you know, that just because, you know, we had USAID contract money didn't mean that everybody's experience is the same. She taught me a lot about context, cultural context in different countries, and, you know, to not assume that every person with a disability had the same experience. So I thank her for that, for really encouraging me to, you know, to be a part of the work on the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. When I decided to go to Expedia, where I am now, she was very supportive. She, you know, really felt like there needed to be more people in the corporate world. And I think, you know, for those of us who are carrying on her legacy, the best thing we can do is to just keep fighting for our rights and disability justice. And, you know, think about, ask yourself, what would Judy do?

Yeah. Well, isn't that the truth? What would Judy do? So true. Well, Kathy, thank you calling in. It means a lot, and thank you for those words.

All right, thanks, Joyce Bender.

You're welcome. Okay, we have Diego, and Diego, I don't want to pronounce your last name wrong. How do you pronounce it? Diego, are you with us?

Yes, yes, yes.

Diego, how do you pronounce your last name correctly?

Mariscal.

Mariscal. Well, Diego, you know I love you. Uh, thank you for calling in. What would you like to say about Judy?

Oh my God, what is there to say?

Oh my God.

Well, I mean, I, I would just say that I met her about 8 years ago at the U.S. Conference of State Parties and UN Conference of State Parties. And since then, we— she was the last person and often the first person that I would speak on the phone every single day. I would tell her about my day and I would And she would ask me about— she would give me advice and she would give me recommendations and we would often disagree on different things and have really passionate debates and arguments. But at the end of the day and at the end of the call, she would always— we would always end each other by saying, you know, "Love you. Have a good night." And I think that was a very special and unique relationship. And I hope that through the work that we're doing, you know, with Together International and other work that I know I will go on to continue to do, that I continue to make her proud. And, you know, that I say that, please, Judy, wherever you are, keep keep the phone lines open because I will continue to call you every day.

So, ah, Diego, you are so awesome. Well, Diego, thank you for calling in, and thank you about those kind words. Um, I know we have to move on, and I'm so excited to have King Jordan with us. King, are you on?

I'm here, but I don't know I'm using a relay service. Can you hear me okay?

Yep, I can hear you clearly.

Okay, thank you. It's good of you to let me participate in this call. Joyce, that's a good thing for you to do. Wow, what a loss.

I know, what a loss is right. What do you have to say? Do you want to say anything about Judy King?

Well, I think I should say first that I came to know her really well when she was Assistant Secretary in the Department of Education for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, because in that role she had direct responsibility as the liaison between the department and my university. She was basically my boss for 8 years during the Clinton administration, and we became very close. And I can tell you, it's really good to have a good friend as your boss, and that helped me and it helped Galadad. I do want to say But I find it really ironic that people call her the mother of disability rights because, well, I find it ironic for two reasons. One, she began her advocacy when she was just a girl. I mean, she, she couldn't get into school, she couldn't become a teacher after she graduated from college. She was a very strong advocate when she was young. And the second reason is her mother, to use her brother's words, was a real bulldog. Judy really learned at her mother's knee. From the time she was a child until the time she passed at 75, she was always a passionate and strong voice for the rights and abilities of people with disabilities. And she always told us who have disabilities, be yourself, be who you are, be proud of yourself, and, and always wear your disability with pride.

Well, that is so true, King. And I know we have another caller coming in, but I want to thank you. It means so much to me that you called in to talk about Judy. Thank you.

Thank you, Joyce Bender.

All right, but while we're waiting, I want to tell my story about Judy, and that is that a lot of people don't know how I met Judy. When I received the President's Award at the White House from President Clinton, she was there. And she just, ah, so wonderful to me. And then DREDEF had a gala. Now we're really going back in time here, and one of the things you could auction was a dinner with Judy Heumann, and of course that was it. And there I am with her and Jorge at her house, and you know what? From that point on, we became so close. That's why this is so hard for me. I'm heartbroken. But she always encouraged me. She always told me, "You are a disability rights leader. It doesn't matter that you come out of the business world, Joyce. You are making a difference." And when she acknowledged me in her book, Being Human, Do you know I was so overwhelmed I called her crying? I was just so appreciative. But I want to take time. I don't want to take all your time. I want to move into our next call. I think we have Mary Dolan and Helena Berger. Mary and Helena, welcome. Thank you for calling.

We are here.

And what would you like to say, both of you?

Well, I'll start in, and I hope Halina can hear this as well. But Joyce, thank you for your leadership on every— on so many things, but especially in gathering the community to mourn a great leader, a legend, and our hearts are just are in shock. So, Judy was and is a name that is sacred in my house. And as I wrote in our newsletter this week for the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee, which she was an advisory board member of, that I literally would chase out the door my son when I was not clear that he was going to use all of his IEP accommodations and modifications in school. And I would run after him and tell him with my phone in my hand, I'm about to call Judy Heumann because she fought for you and to make sure that you can be successful and go to school. And he knew what that meant. And thank God because of that, he is a kid with disability who's going to be graduating in a couple of months. And that is where the rubber hits the road for everything that she did.

So true. And I have another comment to make in a minute. Do we have Helena with us?

Thanks for doing this. And thanks for having us. You know, I'll start out by saying that As chair of the board of the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee, we certainly appreciated all of Judy's early support and continued support for the committee. But I want to talk more on a personal level. I mean, we all know what a titan and an icon Judy was in the disability community, but on a personal level, you know, knowing her for a couple of decades, is getting to know how her warmth and her kindness and her concern. I recently mentioned on another call that when you were with Judy, no matter how many people were surrounding her to talk to her, she focused on you and she listened to you and she cared about what you had to say, what was going on in your life. And it was always somebody you can count on to pick up the phone and have a conversation with her if there there was something going on, and she would genuinely be interested and would care. So we not only lost this disability rights icon, but I think so many of us lost a dear friend. And, you know, fortunately, her work, her impact, her legacy will live on, but I think there's a big void today in many of our hearts.

Yeah, Helena. And, of course, you know Helena Berger as former CEO of AAPD. Now the chair of the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee, is that— I mean, Legacy Board, is that right?

Legacy Committee, that's correct.

And I'm so honored to be on it, and as I said, Helene is the chair, and before we move on, I just want to say how just poignant your call is when we think it's the FDR Memorial, which of course they both lived with polio. And I, I, I just hope all of you listening will remember that and take time to go and support the committee, because I was thinking that I saw her in Berkeley, but the time I saw her before that was at the anniversary celebration at the FDR Memorial, and I was there with Gerald, who works with me, but with Tom and Senator Tom Harkin and King Jordan, and it was just beautiful. So thank you both for calling in. So right on. Thank you both, Halina and Mary.

Thank you.

Thank you, Joyce. Thank you, Joyce.

And I think we have Perri Jude Radesic on the line. And you all know Perri Jude is on the half hour every show giving a news update, but I wanted her to come on to make some comments. Perri, welcome.

Joyce, thank you so much for this show and thank you for having me. You know, when I think about Judy as a person with mental illness, I benefit so much from her legacy. She left us a legacy of advocacy, mentorship, and leadership in our community. Judy also left us with an incredible legacy of spearheading legislative and regulatory change that included people with disabilities just like me. We're talking about the 504 and the ADA, among other achievements. So, for me, it's about continuing her zealous advocacy. So, anything that we can do to become as powerful as Judy, to become that powerful advocate that she was, that powerful mentor, that powerful leader in our community, I think is each of our responsibilities. So that we can chart that next course in our disability rights movement, Joyce. And really, thank you for the opportunity here, and thank you for having the show to pay tribute to Judy.

Oh, and thank you. You're a great disability rights leader. Uh, Perry, thank you for calling in to talk about, uh, Judy. And I know we have Holly O'Donnell and Jaylen Radziminski on the line, of course, from Bazelon Center on Mental Health Lodge. Holly, are you with us? And Jaylen?

Yes, I am.

Thanks, Joyce. Jaylen, sorry, I always pronounce your name wrong. Holly, we'll go with you. What did you want to say?

Well, first, thanks so much, Joyce, for hosting this radio tribute in honor of Judy. Actually, long before I joined the Bazelon Center, I I first met and worked with Judy in the Clinton administration at the Department of Education. And I was a young appointee, and from Judy, I watched and learned how to be a powerful advocate inside the federal government.

And when I got back to Baseline—

when I got to Baseline in 2018, I reconnected with Judy, and working with her 20-plus years later, outside of government was even better.

Her commitment to all people with disabilities, including mental disabilities, and her ability to, in just one meeting, get results, make changes that would take meetings, years, or might never happen, left me in awe.

And so I'm going to Let Jalen share.

Thank you so much again. Thank you, Joyce Bender, for having us, and thank you, Holly. So, I actually met Judy the last— for the first time last year. And just from meeting her, I feel like it was in one of the most beautiful ways imaginable. I— it was the summer right before I was starting law school, and I had to give a speech at the Vice President's residence, and she is just known for really being encouraging and a great mentor to emerging leaders like myself. And at the event, I spoke about being one of the first generations born into the ADA, like after the ADA was passed and after, you know, Olmsted v. Lois Curtis set the integration precedent for people with disabilities like myself. And I spoke about how important that is to have integration inclusion. And right after my speech, that's when I met Judy. I was already nervous, so maybe it was better I saw her afterward anyway because she's such a giant in this space. And she held my hand so tight and just full of love and told me that she was proud of me and she wanted to keep texting. And I found out later from other folks she loves texting and reaching out to mentor people. And later, actually this or last year, I, in the fall, after I started my first semester in law school, she jumped in to help me in my advocacy without hesitation to fight for Medicaid, advocacy mobilizing around Supreme Court cases that impacted people with disabilities' access to different resources. And every time I felt nervous in my advocacy in that space as well, Judy was just telling me that I was a good advocate and that I will make a great lawyer one day. And I am still really sad about this, but I really holding on to just her legacy of encouraging us as well as, you know, my generation is also fighting to keep her legacy and all the things that she fought for going.

Thank you. Well, you are a fighter, both of you. Thank you for calling in. It means a lot. So, I think we have Pat Pat Wright on the line. Pat, are you there?

I am.

Hi, Pat. Thank you so much for calling in. Thank you. What an honor to have you call in. What would you like to say about Judy?

First, Joyce, thank you for doing this, and thanks to all the advocates around the country and the world who are calling in and remembering Judy. Um, Judy was a woman warrior. I think that it's only appropriate that on Wednesday, which is International Women's Day, Judy will be put to rest. Many of us will always think of Judy as the leader in organizing in the disability rights community, but from Berkeley to Beijing, He was also committed to seeing that women's issues and the women's community recognized disability as a civil rights issue. Judy really was a woman warrior. He was also committed to seeing the world, that the world could be a better place for all people with disabilities, no matter what your disability is, whether it was through independent living or civil rights. She carried our mantra of rights-bearing attitude to all countries, big and small. Judy truly was a woman warrior. She practiced Tikkun Olam, which means you have to do your part to repair the world. I think Judy has done her part in repairing the world, and I would say, good night, my friend. You've earned the rest. May we carry on your work.

Oh, thank you. And thank you, Pat, for taking time to call in. Someone I also look up to. Thank you so much, Pat.

Thank you, Joyce Bender.

You're welcome. Okay, let's see. We have Imani Barberin on the line. Imani, are you there?

Hi, yes.

Hi, Imani. Thank you for calling.

Hey, Joyce.

Thank you for having me.

What would you like to say about Judy?

I think the cool thing about Judy was that she was very much so set in not allowing disabled people to accept the bare minimum and think that that wasn't enough. And a lot of her advocacy was not just telling non-disabled people that we are here, that we exist, and that we have autonomy, was also telling disabled people that it is okay to be loud and strong about the things that we want for our lives, the ability to move freely about our communities and throughout society, to want to be a part of community and to be a part of the world. Nothing was too big for us to accomplish if we came together to do so. I think that that set the tone for many disability advocates that work in this space today that really want to speak on our own terms and tell our own stories and to have our voices be heard. The disability community that we see today, especially in online spaces, is a direct result of the advocacy and the voice that Judy Heumann helped provide us. I thank her for her advocacy, and I thank her for being bold and strong. And loud about everything that we as disabled people want to accomplish for ourselves and our communities.

Thank you, and you are one. You are bold, and you are a wonderful, loving person. Thank you for calling Any Money.

Of course, thank you.

You're welcome. Hey, I think we have Chris Griffin on the line. Chris, are you there?

Yeah, hi, hi Joyce.

Hi Chris, thank you for calling in.

Thank you for doing this show, this is really good.

Uh, oh, least I can do. So Chris, what would you like to say about Judy?

Just say, you know, my memories of Judy— I have two memories. I, the last time I actually saw her, I've talked to her on the phone since then, but I saw her at the end of October when she did— I was doing a 6-week disability rights course here at the retirement community place where I live. And she was one of the guest lecturers. It was at the end of October. I think it was actually Halloween. And she spent 2 hours talking to the people that had signed up for the course. And, of course, we started the course with watching Crip Camp, and then everyone had a copy of her book, Being Human. So, people really felt like they got to know Judy. And I can't tell you how many people have emailed me to say, oh my God, I just saw that she had died, because there's so many tributes to her on television, on PBS and on Rachel Maddow and everything that everyone watches. And it was, of course, in all the newspapers, including the Boston Globe. So everyone's been emailing me saying how fortunate they were to get to meet her, and, uh, and I'm really glad they did. But my favorite Judy story is Years ago, when Congress still would allow these lavish sort of lobbying parties at the Capitol, I think Paralyzed Veterans of America was doing some big event, and we all went, and, you know, lots of people with disabilities were there, and, you know, it was a chance to meet, you know, members of Congress as well as their staff, and There were, you know, you could drink and there were lots of food, and Judy's mother was in town and she came with Judy to this event. And at one point, Judy and I sit next to each other in our wheelchairs, and Judy's mother, because it was so crowded, was going and getting plates of all these great hors d'oeuvres and popping them into our mouths, actually feeding us. And I said to Judy, "Oh my God, we're disability rights advocates and someone's sitting here, your mother is actually feeding us." And Judy said, Who cares? This is delicious. And I think of that sometimes and I just laugh. But she was a good friend and a good person. And she did so much for all of us. And for the world. So thank you for allowing me to share that.

Thank you. And thank you for that story. Because Judy was a fighter. She was bold. But she also had joy. And liked to have a good time. So thank you very much. Maria, thank you. Maria, do we have you on the line? I'm—

I hope so. This is Maria.

Maria Town, CEO of AAPD. Uh, Maria, what would you like to say?

Well, I'd like to first say that, um, Judy believed in the power of cross-disability organizing. She was always one who wanted disabled people to get together as a community. And she brought a lot of faith to AAPD's mission and to many others because she understood that we are stronger together. And speaking of joy, Joyce, one of the things that has brought me joy over the past few days is really acknowledging that many of our disability rights luminaries do not get to live to 75, and even fewer of them get the recognition that Judy received, especially over the last few years of her life. Um, when I think about Judy, you know, her kind of first act was as an organizer and an agitator. And in her second act, she led the institutions that she previously fought so hard to change from the outside.

And in her third act, she was this, you know, media darling.

She was in Vogue.

She was on The Daily Show. And when I think about how hard Judy worked to create space for other people and how hard she worked to really support, you know, younger advocates like myself. I hope that we can all really celebrate how much time we had with Judy, how much recognition she received, and create space for other advocates' stories to be told, create opportunities for recognition for all of the great work that is happening across the United States and around the world, because that's what Judy would be trying to do right now.

Yes, you are right about that. And Maria, thank you for your advocacy and for being a disability rights leader for all of us. Judy looked up to you. Judy was on the board of AAPD, and I'm proud to be on the board. But Maria, Keep leading on.

Thank you so much, Joyce.

You too. Love you.

Love you too. Okay, well, we have a famous person here, a celebrity. Lachi, are you on? Are you on the line?

Yes, can you hear me?

I do, I do hear you, Lachi. Thank you for calling in, Lachi. And what would you like to say about Judy?

Oh, I am so honored to be here, and thank you for holding this space, Joyce. I just wanted to quickly come in and make sure I said something. I mean, I'm a badass, and I know a badass when I see one, and Judy was a badass. Are we allowed to say that on here?

Right ahead.

Yes, it's a fact. Fearless. She was, she was fearless. I mean, she was selfless and just endless acts of badassery. But I just wanted to say, I mean, of course Judy did a lot. She took down the Board of Ed. She faced the federal government. I mean, she saw the spark in society that society could be better on a global level. But honestly, my relationship with her was the fact that she saw the spark in me on a personal level, and she saw the spark in so many other leaders that we have today on a personal level. And I love what Maria Town said before me about how she was all about bringing disability activists and advocates together to really propel this message of change. And she also understood the importance of using the media to do so as well. You know, Judy actually had encouraged me to start R.A.M.P.E.D., which is the Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities, and we're now all over the place, award-winning, UN-sanctioned, all of this stuff. And it all started because of Judy's encouragement. Like, Judy encouraged me in my advocacy to do music and to get out here. Judy was who I called when we were trying to take down some of these major music labels and some of these major music organizations. And I would call her in tears at all hours of the night, and she would pick up, and she would be the only one that could console me, comfort me, and give me action items. But then she would call me and make me sing happy birthday to all her friends. It was such a beautiful relationship. And I'm definitely privileged to have been able to be with her as not only a colleague, but as a friend all the way up until now. I mean, she— everyone who was able to know her personally knew her as a close friend. I don't know how she did that with so many people, but she was able to. And I'm just excited to have been one of them. Judy, you were just such a light and such a changemaker, and you never ever backed down. You are literally one of the people that so many can thank for where they are now, for the rights and the privileges that they have now, for the entitlements that they have now. So thank you for all of your hard efforts. With love, with light, and with continued disability pride. Thank you.

Lachi, thank you so much for calling in. And so you know, Lachi is a celebrity, a singer, well-known singer, Grammys. I just want to say that she took time to call and say, "Could I call in?" That's how humble she is. So you keep fighting that fight, Lachi. We'll see you at the AAPD gala.

For sure.

Yes.

All right.

Thanks, Lachi. Bye-bye. Okay. We have Jill Houghton. Jill, are you on the line?

Yes, I am.

Hi, Jill. How are you? And Jill's the CEO of Disability:IN. Jill, thank you for calling. What would you like to say about Judy?

Thank you for the opportunity to come and to celebrate our friend and our mentor. When she called, you answered. When she texted, you responded. And it was always with joy. She was always working to solve an issue, to help a person, to help a students, and she was a gift. I'll leave you with one story, and I think it's an important story to tell. She was at the Disability:IN conference, and she was surrounded by a group of business leaders, and they were calling disability diversely-abled, differently-abled, special, and she actually started to cry, and she said, you know, excuse me, But disability is an important part of one's identity, and it's an important part of my identity, and it's not something that's bad. It's a beautiful part of the human experience, and may we lead with disability, and may we embrace disability. And that was such a poignant moment and a moment that will live forever, and I think that her memory, and we need to follow in those, with her guidance, and embrace the fact that disability is a beautiful part of the human experience, and it's actually a strength, and we need to embrace that part of our identity And we also need to love each other and help each other. Whether it's somebody that we meet at the synagogue, on the street, in the school, she was always working to connect and help each other. So thank you so much for the opportunity to celebrate such a beautiful human.

Oh, thank you. And Jill is also a wonderful person and a disability rights leader, and as I said, the person running Disability:IN. So thank you for taking time to call in, Jill. Okay, I think we have Joan Stein on the line. Joan, are you there?

I am here.

Hello, Joan. Hi, Joyce Bender. Joan has her own business. She is a consultant expert in the area of accommodations. And a dear friend of mine. Joan, thank you for calling.

Well, I wish I was calling under happier circumstances, but we, we all owe it to Judy to keep her memory and her work alive, and you are certainly doing that today, Joyce, by having people call in. I'm surprised that you don't have people booked through for 3 days to call in. But, you know, it's interesting. I've been thinking, I've been thinking a lot about Judy the last couple days, obviously. But every time I give a presentation or a speech and I want to tell people the impact that the Americans with Disabilities Act has had on the lives of people with disabilities, particularly those of us who are old enough to have lived before the passage of the ADA. And I know for our younger generation, much the same as it's hard for them to believe that we didn't have smartphones and, and all the technology, so many of us had to suffer through discrimination that at that point was lawful. And I use a story that Judy told that I, I keep going and keep it alive, and that is that when she was a young child living in Brooklyn with her family, she and her mother went to the movies. And of course, in those days, there were no cutout areas in movie theaters to be able to pull into— with your wheelchair to watch the movie. So, of course, they sold Judy's mother the 2 tickets and they went into the movie theater and Judy had to park her wheelchair in the aisle. And within a matter of minutes, the movie theater manager came and said, you have to leave. You are a fire hazard. And so not only were Judy and her mother escorted out of the movie theater, but they weren't even refunded the price for their tickets. And, you know, those of us today think, oh my God, how could that have happened? But that was commonplace, much the same as our friends can tell and do tell stories of, you know, not being allowed in a restaurant or any place with their guide dogs or anything like that. So, I keep Judy alive not only in my heart, but in educating people and saying to them, these are the things that we are blessed and fortunate to have the rights and opportunities that we have in 2023 because of the work that Judy Heumann did starting back in the early 1970s. So, Judy was Jewish, as am I, and we have a saying, "May her memory be a blessing." I want to say Judy's memory is a blessing, and the best honor that we can give her is to keep the work going.

Thank you so much, and thank you, Joan, for calling in. We've come to the end of the show. Joan's right, so many people wanted to be on, but get in touch with me, we can do something in the future. But before we go, Neil Jacobson, one of her oldest friends, said, "This weekend I was at my computer crying since my speaking ability has become laborious and unintelligible. I'm trying to verbalize my grief. No article, book, movie, or TV segment adequately describes the Judy I loved and who loved me. I won't try listing all of her accomplishments achieved for people with disabilities. I can't remember the well-deserved tributes, accolades, honorable doctorates, and awards that she received. Throughout my life, many family and friends have died. Judy's death feels different, more personal, and like the end of an era. I know the world will continue, justice will slowly prevail, and someday people will eliminate discrimination, and it will never feel the same without Judy. Please give someone you love a big hug and hold them close. Neil Jacobson. We are at the end of the show. Judy, I love you. I will love you forever. You had such an impact on my life. She said, Judy said, the other issue is to stop being afraid of discussing disability. People just need to get over it and just need to recognize that the CDC says that 1 in 4 adults in the United States Live with a disability. And by the way, I have a disability. Please don't relabel me, said Judy Heumann. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice, where disability matters at voiceamerica.com. We love you, Judy. And in the words of Mary Brogger, choose joy.

Voice America would like to thank you for tuning in. Please join us next Tuesday at 11 AM Pacific Time and 2 PM Eastern Time for another installment of Disability Matters right here on the Voice America Variety Channel. We are the leader in live internet talk radio. VoiceAmerica.com.