“Engaging, heartfelt, and rousing.”

“Our whole lives we behaved like if we played by the rules and did what we were told, we’d be included in the American dream.”

Opening this year’s Toronto International Film Festival is the latest film from Siân Heder, Being Heumann. The film, which follows in the footsteps of Heder’s Oscar Best Picture-winning film CODA, tells the story of disability rights activist Judy Heumann in 1977, as she leads the charge for equal rights for disabled people, particularly in access and accommodations to government properties and buildings. The film is constantly engaging, rousing, and moving, while telling an important story about the history of the disability rights movement and the people who fought to make basic accessibility a right rather than a privilege.

The film begins with shots of Judy Heumann (Ruth Madeley) and other activists protesting for equal rights for disabled people in New York City, where they stage a sit-in on Madison Avenue in 1972. The film then quickly moves to 1977, where Judy leads a local group of activists in protesting the government’s inaction in putting the provisions of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 into effect. The man behind the inaction is the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW), Joseph Califano (Mark Ruffalo), who refuses to sign the section which would lead to its implementation. Judy and the other activists eventually stage a sit-in at the San Francisco HEW building, which lasts for 25 days and includes more than 150 activists. Alongside them is local television reporter Evan White (Dylan O’Brien), whose sympathetic coverage allows their treatment and conditions to be reported nationwide. Due to the sit-in, they gain national attention, and Judy and other activists travel to Washington, D.C., to bring their protest directly to Califano.

Califano seems unwilling to sign the legislation because it calls for major changes to take place within 60 days of its implementation, which would cost millions upon millions of dollars. The Section 504 regulations would require government buildings and properties to have accessible ramps, curbs, interpreters for the deaf, and a variety of other accommodations for disabled people. This seems to conflict with Califano’s previous position of supporting legislation that provided greater access for disabled children, but he argues that the protesters no longer want “a place in the bus, but a whole new bus.”

Much of the film takes place during the San Francisco sit-in, and there is a large cast of supporting characters. Many of the roles are played by disabled actors, who bring authenticity to the people being portrayed and allow for more accurate depictions. During these sections of the film, Heder highlights the many ways in which disabled people need different forms of access and assistance, while also showing how diverse the disabled community is. Interestingly, she has characters point out that a coalition is needed among disabled people and that those with physical impairments, such as wheelchair users, must align themselves with blind and deaf people in order to accomplish their goals. She also makes an important connection to the broader struggle for civil rights, highlighting the role of the Black Panthers in supporting the sit-in by providing food to the protesters and depicting protesters whose disabilities came from different circumstances, including those who lost limbs during war or developed multiple sclerosis later in life.

Heder’s focus on a broader coalition and the diversity within the disabled community is particularly important. While the film is set during the 1970s and the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1990, there are still many struggles faced by disabled people today. Califano was willing to help disabled children, but not disabled adults. As Judy responds to him, “We grow into adults.” Disabled people do not stop existing after they turn eighteen, though it can often feel that way. On social media, parents of disabled children will frequently showcase their children’s struggles, but disabled adults are not always treated with the same grace or attention. Items designed to assist disabled people are often made with children in mind rather than adults. Even advertising for disability treatment and support is generally tailored toward children, with some exceptions for disabled veterans or for those who develop disabilities later in life, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. Fifty years later, society still seems reluctant to accept that disabled people grow up and live as adults.

This also relates to the idea of a coalition. There are still large divides among different parts of the disabled community, and that also reflects broader differences in how disabilities are understood. It was seen earlier this year with the lack of public understanding surrounding Tourette’s Syndrome; and other disabilities, such as autism or bipolar disorder, are frequently misunderstood or used as catch-all diagnoses. Tourette’s and other neurocognitive conditions can seem far removed from more physically based disabilities, but the struggle for recognition and acceptance remains similar. One of the major calls from many people on social media during the BAFTA uproar earlier in the year was that disabled people simply should not go out in public, which is chillingly similar to the way the people and characters in Being Heumann were treated in the 1970s. Some things have progressed, while others have not.

On a technical level, Being Heumann is a major improvement for Heder. While CODA won Best Picture, it’s a generally weak and non-cinematic film. With Being Heumann, Heder handles a much larger cast and many more sets. The vision is broader and the themes are deeper. The film can still feel like something that could be watched on television, and it does not feature many cinematic moments, but it shows a director whose scope and range have grown while still being able to work with that larger scale efficiently and with skill. Importantly, while the themes may sound deep and the film political, it’s very much a comedy. Heder and her co-writer, Rebekah Taussig, keep the script light and heartfelt at times, which works remarkably well.  

The film also brings to mind the 2020 documentary Crip Camp, directed by Nicole Newnham and James LeBrecht. The documentary showed the lives of disabled teenagers at Camp Jened in upstate New York in 1971 and featured Judy Heumann. Being Heumann presents much of the same material surrounding Section 504 and Judy’s activism as Crip Camp does, and it may initially seem unnecessary to revisit this history in a fictionalized form. But Being Heumann is important because it brings this history to a wider audience, showing the struggles disabled people faced and the importance of equality, access, and accommodations while remaining engaging, heartfelt, and rousing. The film is a success on many levels, and hopefully it will help bring even more attention to the continuing fight for equal rights and accessibility for disabled people.