Entertainment · Film · 2 hrs ago
Being Heumann brings Judy Heumann’s disability rights fight to Apple TV
Being Heumann tells the story of disability rights activist Judy Heumann and her fight for accessibility in the United States.
In 1977, Heumann helped organize a nationwide sit-in at federal buildings to press for rules enforcing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Disabled activists occupied buildings for more than three weeks before the rules were signed.
The rules protected disabled people’s civil rights and helped fund changes such as wheelchair ramps and curb cuts.
The movement also helped pave the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act, passed in 1990.
Producer Kevin J. Walsh and director Sian Heder cast disabled actors in key roles and worked with an accessibility team to adapt the set.
The film is now streaming on Apple TV, and its production aimed to show how film sets can better include disabled people.
Being Heumann, a film about disability rights activist Judy Heumann, was released on Apple TV on Nov. 13.
Ruth Madeley plays Heumann, and the film is directed by Sian Heder.
The story includes Heumann’s role in organizing the 1977 Section 504 Sit-in.
Producer Kevin J. Walsh and Heder aimed to make the production accessible, including by casting disabled actors in more than a dozen key roles.
The film’s production team worked with a ten-person accessibility team and disabled crew members.
- Who
- Judy Heumann, portrayed by Ruth Madeley, is the focus of the film. Sian Heder directed it, and Kevin J. Walsh produced it.
- What
- Being Heumann brings Heumann’s disability rights fight to the screen.
- When
- The film was released on Apple TV on Nov. 13; the article does not state the year in its body text.
- Where
- The film was released on Apple TV. The 1977 sit-in took place in federal buildings across the country.
- Why
- The film tells the story of Heumann’s fight to make the world more accessible for disabled people.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Judy Heumann helped organize the Section 504 Sit-in, in which disabled activists occupied federal buildings for more than three weeks.
The disability rights movement helped pave the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Being Heumann was released on Apple TV.
- Director
- Sian Heder
- Producer
- Kevin J. Walsh
- Lead actor
- Ruth Madeley as Judy Heumann
- Accessibility team
- 10 people
- Sit-in
- More than three weeks in 1977
What people are saying
Because the movie fucking terrifies me
I’m as proud of what we did behind the scenes to redefine access as I am of the quality of this movie.
This is Shangri-La for an actor who’s disabled.