MSM Community Perspectives is a series of written messages to amplify the voices of the MSM community about cultural celebrations. We hope you enjoy learning more about members of our community and these important celebrations.
By Sasha Ross Becker, MSM Graphic Design Associate & Erin Houlihan, MSM Director of Design
“Disability only becomes a tragedy for me when society fails to provide the things we need to lead our lives—job opportunities or barrier-free buildings…”—Judith Huemann, “The Mother of the Disability Rights Movement.”
October is nationally recognized as National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEA). Originally founded by Congress in 1945 as “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week,” it has evolved into an initiative by the Department of Employment to raise awareness about the employment needs of people with disabilities and to recognize their contributions to the workforce. This year, we celebrate the 80th anniversary of this public recognition with the theme “Celebrating Value and Talent.”
Today, we want to honor the life-long civil rights advocate Judy Heumann (1947–2023), who was also known as “The Mother of the Disability Rights Movement.” After being denied the right to attend school as a child because she used a wheelchair, Heumann dedicated her life to fighting discrimination against disabled people. From becoming the first wheelchair user to teach in the New York City schools to co-finding the World Institute on Disability, Heumann has inspired many to make the inaccessible accessible. She was also the first Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the U.S. State Department under President Barack Obama. For me, Sasha, I find inspiration in Heumann because I too “never wished I didn’t have a disability.” I believe in our strength as a human community, and that “we are our leaders of inclusiveness… of love, equity, and justice.”
Judy Huemann passed away in 2023, but she charged society to “[Be] leaders of inclusiveness and community, of love, equity, and justice.” One way we can do that is to recognize ableism in our everyday life. Talila A. Lewis describes ableism as “a system that places value on people’s bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normality, intelligence, excellence, desirability, and productivity.” For me, Erin, I see ableism in my daily interactions. I don’t hide my disabilities, but there have been times when I do share my disability openly, and it has caused others to be uncomfortable or overly sympathetic.
It is important to remember that a person’s value is not tied to their ability to work. Despite being part of a minoritized group that almost everyone will eventually become a part of, most people don’t disclose their disability to their employers, fearing negative effects on their job security or promotion prospects. This has caused a social stigma that we need to combat.
Disability is one of the many intersections of one’s identity and for many of us; this is a vital part of our identity. The better we are at recognizing that people don’t need to fit into a specific way of being, the better we can combat the social stigma of having a disability. We will do our part to foster inclusion and find ways for our city and School to be more accessible.
Sasha Ross Becker, Graphic Design Associate
Erin Houlihan, Director of Design
130 Claremont Avenue New York, New York 10027 212-749-2802
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