Partnering for Change: Disability Rights, Advocacy, and the Power of Interprofessional Teams

Join us for a screening of Being Heumann, a powerful documentary tribute to Judith Heumann, widely known as the "mother of the disability rights movement." From being denied entry to elementary school as a child to leading the historic 504 Sit-In and helping shape the Americans with Disabilities Act, Heumann's story is a masterclass in what persistent, collective advocacy can achieve.

Before the screening, we'll explore why advocating for our clients matters — and why advocating together, as an interprofessional team, can drive meaningful change not just for individual clients, but for the policies that shape their lives. Come ready to reflect, discuss, and think critically about your role as a future healthcare professional and advocate. This event includes a facilitated discussion following the film.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Describe at least two systemic barriers faced by individuals with disabilities (e.g., educational exclusion, employment discrimination, inaccessible built environments) as illustrated through Judith Heumann's life and connect these barriers to the client populations they will encounter in practice.
• Analyze the role of collective, cross-disciplinary advocacy in achieving policy change, using the 504 Sit-In and the passage of the ADA as case examples of what sustained, coordinated action can accomplish.
• Formulate at least one concrete strategy for advocating alongside a client within an interprofessional team, distinguishing between advocacy for a client and advocacy with a client as active partners in their own care and rights.

Register for this event