We invite you to join us at a cocktail/buffet reception to celebrate diversity awareness and to honor Judith (Judy) Heumann for her lifetime commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are proud to present her with our Eighth Annual “Make a Difference” Award.
Judy will discuss her experiences and accomplishments in a fireside chat with attorney Ted Kennedy, Jr., of Epstein Becker Green.
Judith (Judy) Heumann
Judy is a lifelong advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. She contracted polio in 1949 in Brooklyn, New York, and began to use a wheelchair for her mobility. Judy was denied the right to attend school because she was considered a “fire hazard” at the age of five. Her parents played a strong role in fighting for her rights as a child, but Judy soon determined that she, working in collaboration with other disabled people, had to play an advocacy role due to continuous discrimination.
Throughout her life, Judy has traveled to countries on every continent, in urban and rural communities alike. She has played a role in the development and implementation of such major legislation as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Judy is now an internationally recognized leader in the disability rights community.
Judy was a founding member of the Berkeley Center for Independent Living, the first grassroots center in the United States, and helped launch the Independent Living Movement both nationally and globally. In 1983, Judy co-founded with Ed Roberts and Joan Leon the World Institute on Disability, one of the first global disability rights organizations established and continually led by people with disabilities that works to fully integrate people with disabilities into the communities around them via research, policy, and consulting efforts. From 1993 to 2001, Judy served in the Clinton administration as the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in the U.S. Department of Education.
Click here to learn more about Judy Heumann.
About the Epstein Becker Green “Make a Difference” Award
Epstein Becker Green created the “Make a Difference” Award in 2013 to acknowledge those individuals who, through their outstanding commitment, dedication, and abilities, have made a difference in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Past honorees include:
- 2020 Honorees – Carrie Valiant, Clifford Barnes, and Susan Gross Sholinsky (the Chair and Vice Chairs of Epstein Becker Green’s Diversity and Professional Development Committee), Thalia Bowen (Diversity Manager at Epstein Becker Green), and Amy Simmons (Director of Attorney Recruitment & Professional Development at Epstein Becker Green)
- 2019 – Wade Henderson, Interim President and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
- 2018 – Christine C. Quinn, President and CEO of Win (formerly Women in Need)
- 2017 – Eric T. Washington, Retired Chief Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
- 2016 – Laurie N. Robinson Haden, former Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel of CBS Corporation (now Paramount Global) and Founder, President, and CEO of Corporate Counsel Women of Color
- 2015 – William A. Keyes, IV, Founder and President of The Institute for Responsible Citizenship
- 2014 – Kenneth G. Standard, Esq., General Counsel Emeritus of Epstein Becker Green
- 2013 – Shirley Ann Higuchi, Esq., Associate Executive Director of the American Psychological Association’s Office of Legal & Regulatory Affairs; Chair of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation; and Past President of the District of Columbia Bar
For more information or to register, please contact Thalia Bowen.
