Being Heumann
Apple TV
Available: Friday 13 November One-off Drama
The incredible true story of American disability rights campaigner Judy Heumann and her fight for equality is told in Being Heumann. The activist is played by Ruth Madeley, who’s well known to UK audiences for The Rapture and Doctor Who.
When the Rehabilitation Act Of 1973 was passed in the US, the late addition of Section 504 promised to change the lives of millions of disabled Americans by giving them access to all federal buildings, including schools and hospitals. But when this clause wasn’t implemented, wheelchair-user Judy targeted Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare Joseph Califano, played by Hollywood star Mark Ruffalo, to pressure him to sign the order.
‘Judy was a true leader,’ reveals Ruth Madeley, who met the campaigner on a Zoom years earlier and read her memoir she co-wrote with Kristen Joiner, upon which this film is based. ‘She cared deeply about her community and was steadfast in ensuring that disabled people got the rights they deserved.’
Judy (Ruth Madeley) fights for justice in Being Heumann.
In 1977, Judy and a group of mostly disabled activists, took over a federal building in San Francisco, staging a sit-in that lasted almost 30 days, until Califano finally caved. ‘Filming those scenes had a feeling of life imitating art and art imitating life,’ explains Ruth, who also watched Netflix documentary Crip Camp, which featured Judy, who died in 2023.
Rob Delaney as George Miller in Being Heumann.
US congressman George Miller was instrumental in pressuring Califano to sign the document. ‘I have disabled friends and family who’ve enriched my life,’ explains American comedian and actor Rob Delaney, who plays the politician. ‘So, making a film with a primarily disabled cast was very exciting to me.
‘My wife and I met 22 years ago as camp counsellors at a place like Camp Jened, the focus of Crip Camp. And our son, Henry, was quite disabled by a brain tumour and the surgery to remove it. Sadly, he died in 2018. This movie’s message is about making the world bigger, more open and more accepting of people with disabilities.’
* Take a look at Apple TV's official Being Heumann trailer below...
