Rolling warrior The incredible, sometimes awkward, true story of a rebel girl on wheels who helped spark a revolution

ldquo;I don't think my life is a tragedy because I've had a disability," says disability rights activist Judy Heumann in this inspiring and wryly humorous young readers edition of her adult memoir Being Heumann (2020). Paralyzed at 18 months after falling ill with polio, Heumann, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, relates her lifelong fight to be treated as an "equal citizen." From being denied kindergarten attendance because the principal thought she was a "fire hazard" to being humiliated at her public high school graduation because the stage had no wheelchair ramp, she took on the New York City school system and won after they denied her a teaching license because she was disabled. She was the driving force behind a rousing 24-day San Francisco sit-in by disabled activists that forced the passage of regulations supporting disability rights in federally funded programs. At age 41, Heumann finally became an "equal citizen" in 1990 when, through her own and others' tenacity, the ADA was passed. She then went on to fight for disability rights worldwide. Readers will be outraged to read about the treatment disabled individuals have faced and still face and cheer as Heumann persists against incredible odds. Necessary reading.

Gr 6--9--Heumann was paralyzed after contracting polio as a baby in 1949. Many disabled children were institutionalized at the time, but by age six, she was getting around by herself in a wheelchair. This was tricky not because she wasn't capable but because there were stairs everywhere, there were no wheelchair ramps, and motorized wheelchairs weren't available yet. On the first day of kindergarten, Heumann went home early after the principal told her parents that she was a "fire hazard." She graduated from college with aspirations of teaching but was denied a job after doctors unfairly determined she was medically unfit to teach. Compelled to make a change, Heumann turned to activism. In 1977, she organized a sit-in of a San Francisco federal building that set the groundwork for the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. She seamlessly weaves together her personal journey and the harrowing adventure of her decades-long fight for disability rights as a white disabled woman, while offering clear, accessible explanations of the legislative process. VERDICT Adapted for young readers, this captivating story shines a light on the critical fight for disability rights and will empower aspiring activists to find their own voices.--Allison Staley, Lake Oswego P.L., OR