Being Heumann: A Conversation with World-Renowned Disability Rights Activist Judy Heumann

Judith Heumann International Disability Rights Advocate

Judith Heumann is an internationally recognized leader in the disability rights community. Her memoir, authored with Kristen Joiner,  “Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist,” is published by Beacon Press and audio recorded by Ali Stroker, who is the first wheelchair actor to perform on Broadway. Judy was featured on the Trevor Noah show. Judy is featured in Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, a 2020 American award winning documentary film directed by James LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham and produced by the Obama Higher Ground Production - available on Netflix. She has been featured in numerous documentaries including on the history of the disability rights movement, including Lives Worth Living and the Power of 504 and delivered a TED talk in the fall of 2016, "Our Fight for Disability Rights and Why We’re Not Done Yet." Her story was also told on Comedy Central’s Drunk History in early 2018, in which she was portrayed by Ali Stroker. As Senior Fellow at the Ford Foundation (2017-2019), she wrote “Road Map for Inclusion: Changing the Face of Disability in Media.” She also currently serves on a number of non-profit boards including the American Association of People with Disabilities, the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund,  Humanity and Inclusion, as well as the board of Human Rights Watch. 

Crip Camp, which has been captioned in 29 languages and audio described in 15 languages, is available for streaming on Netflix. 
Purchase Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist HERE, or access on Audible, here: Audible. Purchase Judy’s youth novel, Rolling Warrior, HERE.

Guila Franklin Siegel (gfsiegel@jcouncil.org) Chief Operating Officer

Guila Franklin Siegel is the Chief Operating Officer of the JCRC of Greater Washington. In that role, she manages the agency’s extensive school-based programming and advocacy, interfaith and intergroup outreach, Holocaust education and commemoration events, as well as the Dr. Stuart Lessans Israel Action Center.

Together with the executive director, Guila oversees and coordinates the JCRC’s wide-ranging efforts to combat antisemitism and all forms of hatred. She works tirelessly to develop relationships and strengthen partnerships throughout the region, enabling the JCRC to better respond to antisemitic incidents wherever they occur. Guila is an expert in crafting complex strategies and shaping public messaging campaigns for a variety of issues impacting the Jewish community.

An attorney by training who holds undergraduate and law degrees from New York University, Guila has nearly 30 years’ experience in Jewish community relations and public policy organizations. Prior to joining the JCRC in 2016, Guila was the founding director of the Tikkun Olam Women’s Foundation of Greater Washington, a Jewish grantmaking organization dedicated to advancing social change for women and girls, both locally and in Israel.

She frequently authors op-eds and columns related to American Jewish life, especially on antisemitism, educational equity, and disabilities, with her work published in the Washington Post, the Forward and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, among others. She regularly represents the JCRC in panel discussions or other public events.

Guila and her husband, Nathan, live in Potomac, and have three sons.