Judith Heumann: Our fight for disability rights -- and why we're not done yet
Judith Heumann: Nuestra lucha por los derechos de los discapacitados continúa
Judith Heumann is a lifelong advocate for the rights of disabled people. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
a un pulmón metálico tres meses
for three years.
durante tres años.
in our Brooklyn neighborhood,
en nuestro barrio de Brooklyn,
very helpful for my parents.
muy serviciales con mis padres.
afraid of contagion,
miedo de contagiarse,
in front of our house.
por delante de nuestra casa.
walk across the street.
when my family really began to realize
mi familia se empezó a dar cuenta
significaba para algunos:
that I would live at home,
de que viviría en casa,
until I was 36 years old.
hasta tener 36 años.
with my father one night,
con mi padre una noche,
when you were two years old,
suggested to your mom and I
sugirió a tu madre y a mí
go ahead with their lives
seguir adelante con nuestras vidas
with all the disability-related things.
todo lo relacionado con la discapacidad.
not because he was a liar,
no porque fuera un mentiroso,
I was really surprised by this story,
estaba tan sorprendida con esta historia,
all across the United States,
padres en todo EE. UU.,
in walking distance to our house,
a poca distancia de nuestra casa,
up the steps into the school,
escalones dentro de la escuela,
no, I couldn't come to that school
no, no podía ir a esa escuela
would send a teacher to my house.
enviaría un profesor a mi casa.
in a real building
en un edificio real
only with disabled children
sólo con niños discapacitados
mainly nondisabled children.
principalmente niños sin discapacidades.
called sheltered workshops
talleres protegidos
or below minimum wage.
o por debajo del salario mínimo.
who left in the 1930s,
que se marcharon en la década de 1930,
and they lost parents.
y a sus padres.
their parents in the Holocaust.
durante el Holocausto.
for me in my life.
I used a wheelchair,
usaba silla de ruedas,
in New York City, in the entire city,
en la ciudad entera,
back onto home instruction
la enseñanza en casa?
with other parents.
make some of the high schools accessible.
algunos institutos accesibles.
a regular high school,
un instituto normal,
about what discrimination was,
lo que era la discriminación,
that I needed to become my own advocate.
que necesitaba ser mi propia defensora.
Long Island University,
la Universidad de Long Island,
and I took all the appropriate courses,
tomé todos los cursos apropiados,
for me to go for my license,
ir a por mi licencia,
inaccessible buildings,
edficios completamente inaccesibles,
up and down the steps
escaleras arriba y abajo
completely different.
completamente diferente.
the doctor asked me
que me hizo el médico
how I went to the bathroom.
cómo iba al baño.
for any kind of an interview,
a cualquier tipo de entrevista
of questions that people could ask you?
que la gente preguntará
no disabled people using wheelchairs
no discapacitada usando silla de ruedas
I was expecting something bad.
estaba esperando algo malo.
that teachers show their students
los profesores enseñen
that I was denied my job
se me denegó mi trabajo
sequelae of -- I'm sorry.
la polimielitis. Lo siento.
sequelae of poliomyelitis.
secuela de la poliomielitis.
what the word "sequelae" meant,
significaba "secuela",
and it meant "because of."
significaba "a consecuencia de."
because I couldn't walk.
porque no podía andar.
time in my life,
importante de mi vida,
challenging the system, me,
enfrentar al sistema, yo,
of other friends who had disabilities
de amigos con discapacidades
to move forward with this,
adelante con esto,
at Long Island University
la Universidad de Long Island.
at the "New York Times,"
el "New York Times,"
about what had happened
sobre lo que había ocurrido
what had happened was wrong.
lo que había pasado estaba mal.
in the "New York Times"
en el "New York Times"
"Human v. The Board of Education"
"Heumann contra La Junta Escolar"
came out in support
who was writing a book about civil rights.
escribía un libro sobre derechos civiles.
I want to sue the Board of Education."
Quiero demandar a la Junta Educativa."
were aligned around this court case,
se alinearon en este caso,
female federal judge --
when she saw it.
en cuando lo vio.
to offer me a job,
ofreciera un trabajo,
and I started teaching that fall
y empecé a enseñar ese otoño
mis amigos lo hicieron,
around the country,
que no conozco,
las perspectivas de otros
you needed to be cured,
necesitabas ser curado,
part of the equation.
parte de la ecuación.
from the Civil Rights Movement
Movimiento de Derechos Civiles
about their activism
sobre su activismo
the Disability Rights Movement.
Movimiento de Derechos de la Discapacidad.
a couple of riddles.
un par de acertijos.
to stop a bus in New York City
para parar un bus en Nueva York
because you're in a wheelchair?
por estar en silla de ruedas?.
right in front of the steps
justo frente a los escalones
to learn how to do that,
aprender cómo hacerlo,
vetoed the Rehabilitation Act.
vetó la Ley de rehabilitación.
to be promulgated to implement that law
promulgadas para implementar esta ley
With Disabilities Act, the ADA,
discapacidades actúan", el ADA,
proclamación de emancipación,
in fact be passed in the House or Senate,
por la Cámara o el Senado,
the United States came together
de todo EE. UU. se reunió
escalones del Capitolio.
on the lawn of the White House.
en el césped de la Casa Blanca.
statements he had in his speech
más famosas en su discurso
of exclusion finally come tumbling down."
de la exclusión finalmente caigan."
or maybe or even 40 or older,
o quizás 40 o más,
there were no ramps on the streets,
no había rampas en las calles,
bathrooms in shopping malls,
accesibles en los centros comerciales,
a sign language interpreter,
un intérprete de lengua de signos,
or other kinds of supports.
u otro tipo de apoyos.
want laws like we have,
quiere leyes como las que tenemos,
of Persons with Disabilities.
Personas con discapacidad.
have joined this treaty.
han unidado a este tratado.
human rights treaty
de derechos humanos
que el Senador de EE. UU.
that we ratify the treaty.
que nosotros ratificamos el tratado.
into force until ratification,
no president can ratify a treaty
puede ratificar un tratado
to enable us as Americans
permitirnos como estadounidenses
people and governments around the world
y a gobiernos de todo el mundo
that we've been doing,
que hemos estado haciendo,
have the same opportunities
tengan las mismas oportunidades
don't have the same laws as we do
las mismas leyes que nosotros
are more limited.
discapacidad serán más limitadas.
violence and rape
la violencia y violación
these forms of violence
estas formas de violencia
and people that they know,
y gente que ellas conocen,
are not adjudicated.
no son adjudicados.
ofrecido trabajos
where there's a quota system,
con un sistema de cuota,
in the facility."
en la empresa."
the door of your vehicle,
puerta de tu vehículo,
in the community with appropriate supports
comunidad con apoyos apropiados
lives of despair.
con desesperación.
needs to be doing more to correct.
el país debe hacer más por corregir.
be doing together?
you can join at any point in your life.
podrían unirse en un momento de su vida.
how many of you have ever broken a bone?
¿cuántos se han roto un hueso?
you to maybe write a couple of sentences
que escribieran un par de frases
has been like for you,
que haya sido similar para Ud.
I couldn't do that.
no podría hacer aquello.
They acted differently towards me."
Actúan diferente conmigo."
and other disabled people see
y otros discapacitados ven
and watching this TED Talk --
y viendo esta TED Talk ,
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Judith Heumann - Disability rights activistJudith Heumann is a lifelong advocate for the rights of disabled people.
Why you should listen
Judith (Judy) Heumann contracted polio in 1949 in Brooklyn, NY and began to experience discrimination at five years old when she was denied the right to attend school because she was a "fire hazard." Her parents played a strong role in fighting for her rights as a child. Heumann determined that she, working in collaboration with other disabled people, had to play an increasing advocacy role as she and others experienced continuous discrimination because of their disabilities. She is now an internationally recognized leader in the disability rights community and a lifelong civil rights advocate. As a Senior Fellow at the Ford Foundation, she is currently working to help advance the inclusion of disability in the Foundation’s work and is leading a project to advance the inclusion of disabled people in the media.
President Obama appointed Heumann as the first Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the US Department of State, where she served from 2010-2017. Prior to this position, she served as the Director for the Department on Disability Services for the District of Columbia, where she was responsible for the Developmental Disability Administration and the Rehabilitation Services Administration.
From June 2002- 2006, Heumann served as the World Bank's first Adviser on Disability and Development. In this position, she led the World Bank's disability work to expand the Bank’s knowledge and capability to work with governments and civil society on including disability in the global conversation. From 1993 to 2001, Heumann served in the Clinton Administration as the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in the Department of Education. She was also responsible for the implementation of legislation at the national level for programs in special education, disability research, vocational rehabilitation and independent living, serving more than 8 million youth and adults with disabilities.
Heumann graduated from Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY in 1969 and received her Master’s in Public Health from the University of California at Berkeley in 1975. Her goal in life is to continue to advance the rights and empowerment of ALL disabled people around the world. She is also currently building an online presence through The Heumann Perspective which can found on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
Judith Heumann | Speaker | TED.com