How a disability rights protest inspired the new film ‘Being Heumann’

Houston Chronicle · Pam Grady · 2026-11-06 14:00 UTC

The movie, featuring Ruth Madeley and Mark Ruffalo, will play special screenings Nov. 9-11 at some area theaters before streaming on Apple TV on Nov. 13.

In 1977, a group of disabled activists took over a federal building in San Francisco. They stayed for 26 days — a record that still stands as the longest occupation of a federal building by protesters.

Mounted by disabled activists led by Judy Heumann, the action aimed to convince Joseph Califano, the Carter administration’s secretary of health, education and welfare to enforce Section 504, a key component of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that granted civil rights protections to people with disabilities.

'Being Heumann'

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