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BALTIMORE, MD (July 14, 2020) — Disability Rights Maryland (DRM) is honored to welcome Judith Heumann to present the first-ever Judith Heumann Champion of Justice Award at DRM’s 2020 Breaking Barriers Awards Gala this fall. Established to commemorate Heumann’s activism and passion for disability rights and justice, this prestigious award recognizes one outstanding honoree for a lifetime of advocacy for the disability rights movement and all the civil rights movements with which it intersects. Heumann will personally present this year’s award to the 2020 honoree, Wade Henderson, at this year’s virtual gala on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020.

Heumann’s remarkable career spans her entire life. Heumann has helped pass landmark legislation for the disability rights movement, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. She served as the Obama Administration’s Special Advisor for International Disability Rights, the World Bank’s first-ever Advisor on Disability and Development, and the Clinton Administration’s Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. The recent Netflix documentary Crip Camp, produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, captures the progression of Heumann’s activism from her time at Camp Jened, a summer camp for people with disabilities, to the transformative legislative and regulatory victories that she later achieved. This year’s honoree, Wade Henderson, has exemplified similar leadership. In his two decades as the president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and in his prior time at the American Civil Liberties Union, Wade helped pass key national legislation for disability rights, including the Fair Housing Amendments Act and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008.

The Breaking Barriers Awards Gala is DRM’s signature annual event which honors individuals, law firms, and organizations that have demonstrated exceptional leadership, vision, and achievements in promoting and safeguarding the legal rights of people with disabilities in Maryland.

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BALTIMORE, MD (July 13, 2020) — Disability Rights Maryland (DRM) is pleased to announce Wade Henderson, former president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (The Leadership Conference), as the 2020 honoree of the newly established Judith Heumann Champion of Justice Award. This prestigious award recognizes Henderson for his lifetime of advocacy and passion for civil rights and the disability rights movement. Renowned disability rights activist Judith Heumann will personally present the award to Henderson at the virtual 2020 Breaking Barriers Awards Gala on November 12, 2020.

In Henderson’s two decades of leadership at The Leadership Conference, he secured vital national legislation for people with disabilities and positioned The Leadership Conference as a determining force in the struggle for further legislation. Henderson’s advocacy for equal access to education, transportation, public benefits, and employment has empowered people with disabilities to build better quality lives with dignity and normalcy. His long and ongoing struggle to combat discrimination against people of color and people with disabilities has moved this country closer to fulfilling its promise of freedom and equality for all. Through his leadership, advocacy, and lifelong commitment to justice, Henderson inspires a rising generation of civil rights advocates.

Henderson has helped pass key legislation including the Fair Housing Amendments Act, the Help America Vote Act, the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008. His work has not only helped people with disabilities live integrated lives in communities across the country, but it has also laid the crucial legal groundwork for DRM to continue fighting for the full and equal access of all Marylanders with disabilities.

DRM’s signature Breaking Barriers Awards Gala honors those individuals, law firms, and organizations that have demonstrated exceptional leadership, vision, and achievements in promoting and safeguarding the legal rights of people with disabilities in Maryland.

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BALTIMORE, MD (July 10, 2020) — Disability Rights Maryland (DRM) is pleased to announce Andrew D. Levy, partner at Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP., as the 2020 honoree of the prestigious Lorraine Sheehan Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of his commitment and lifelong service to people with disabilities and his embodiment of the spirit and attributes that the award celebrates. The award will be presented to Mr. Levy at the virtual 2020 Breaking Barriers Awards Gala on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020.

As chair of the Maryland Commission on Disabilities from 2010 to 2015, Mr. Levy’s exceptional leadership led to improved and streamlined services for people with disabilities. Acting as lead counsel for many years, he successfully grappled with and overcame community resistance to establishing group homes for persons with disabilities. The landmark Potomac Group Home case, in which Mr. Levy was lead counsel, resulted in the elimination of state and local laws that required neighbor notification and public hearings as prerequisites to the establishment of community-based homes.

Among a small select group of attorneys, Mr. Levy has been listed in Best Lawyers in America for 20 years, a reflection of the high level of respect he has earned for his abilities, professionalism, and integrity. His prolific leadership in the legal community is legendary, and the scope of his work spans both criminal and civil litigation. Mr. Levy is and has been a teacher and mentor to generations of law students.

“Like Ms. Sheehan,” DRM Executive Director Robin C. Murphy stated, “Andy is integral to the disability rights movement in Maryland. His many years of public service have brought about systemic change on the ground by instituting new policies that integrate people with disabilities into the wider community.”

DRM’s signature Breaking Barriers Awards Gala honors those individuals, law firms, and organizations that have demonstrated exceptional leadership, vision, and achievements in promoting and safeguarding the legal rights of people with disabilities in Maryland.

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