Places that changed disability rights.
Disabled people won the right to go to school, ride the bus, live at home and get into public buildings. Here are 47 places where that happened, or where people remember it, and what you will find there today.
We checked every entry against a source on November 4, 2026. Know a place we missed, or see a mistake? Tell us.
The Heumann Trail.
Judy Heumann helped lead the fight for disability rights for more than 50 years. These seven stops follow her life, from a Brooklyn street to a Washington bridge.
Join the Heumann Trail group in the Roll app to read one stop at a time and see what members found when they went.
All places, by region.
Some places are open to visit. Others are a marker, or only a story, because the building is gone or private. Some are memorials to people who were harmed in state institutions; please treat them with care.
Northeast
American School for the Deaf
Open to visit
The first lasting school for Deaf children in the US, where American Sign Language took shape.
There today: A working school. Visitors book a history tour through the school’s online request form.
Source: American School for the Deaf Tour request form Rate it in Roll: American School for the Deaf
Checked November 4, 2026
Camp Jened historical marker
Marker or plaque
The summer camp in Crip Camp. Heumann went as a camper and later worked there as a counselor; many campers became the movement’s leaders.
There today: A marker, set in 2021, on Ski Bowl Road, on the Hunter Branch Rail Trail, which runs through the old camp grounds. Heumann wrote its words.
Source: Camp Jened historical marker Rate it in Roll: Camp Jened historical marker
Checked November 4, 2026
East 38th Street
Story only
Heumann named this as her childhood street. At five, her local school turned her away and called her a fire hazard.
There today: Private homes.
Checked November 4, 2026
Helen Keller National Center
Story only
President Johnson signed the law creating the national center for DeafBlind youths and adults in 1967. Its Sands Point campus opened in 1976.
There today: A working center at 141 Middle Neck Road; contact it before visiting.
Source: Helen Keller National Center
Checked November 4, 2026
Long Island University, Brooklyn
Open to visit
Heumann graduated here in 1969, then sued the city’s Board of Education to win a teaching license. The case settled in 1970 and she became the city’s first teacher who used a wheelchair.
There today: A working campus in downtown Brooklyn.
Source: Long Island University, Brooklyn Rate it in Roll: Long Island University, Brooklyn
Checked November 4, 2026
Madison Avenue sit-in
Story only
After Nixon vetoed the Rehabilitation Act in October 1972, Heumann led Disabled in Action members who stopped Manhattan traffic.
There today: No marker. The exact block is not recorded.
Checked November 4, 2026
Martha’s Vineyard Deaf community
Story only
For more than 250 years, many people in these towns were born deaf, and deaf and hearing neighbors both used a local sign language.
There today: No outdoor marker. Martha’s Vineyard Museum shows a portrait and can bring out objects with 48 hours’ notice. ASL-led tours run on the island.
Source: Martha’s Vineyard Deaf community
Checked November 4, 2026
Museum of Disability History
Open to visit
A rare museum given wholly to disability history. It closed in Buffalo in 2020 and reopened at the Viscardi Center on February 17, 2026.
There today: Open on Long Island.
Source: Museum of Disability History Rate it in Roll: Museum of Disability History
Checked November 4, 2026
National Technical Institute for the Deaf
Open to visit
President Johnson signed the law creating NTID in 1965, and 70 deaf students arrived in 1968. Rochester now has the largest deaf and hard-of-hearing population per person in the US among adults of working age.
There today: Part of the Rochester Institute of Technology campus. The Dyer Arts Center is open Monday to Friday, 10 to 4, and closed on weekends, holidays, in summer and between exhibitions.
Source: National Technical Institute for the Deaf Dyer Arts Center Rate it in Roll: National Technical Institute for the Deaf
Checked November 4, 2026
Pennhurst historical marker
Marker or plaque
More than 10,500 people were held here. The Halderman v. Pennhurst case helped end such institutions.
There today: A state marker since 2010, on Route 724. The grounds host a for-profit haunted attraction; link only to the memorial group.
Source: Pennhurst historical marker Rate it in Roll: Pennhurst historical marker
Checked November 4, 2026
Perkins School for the Blind
Story only
The first US school for the blind. Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller both studied there when it stood in South Boston; it moved here in 1912.
There today: A working school. Its museum in the Howe Building is closed and offers no tours; the campus is open only for business and events. The archive, with Keller and Sullivan items, is online.
Source: Perkins School for the Blind Visiting Perkins
Checked November 4, 2026
Sheepshead Bay High School
Story only
After years at home and in segregated classes, Heumann got into this new school because it was built to be accessible.
There today: A public school building.
Source: Sheepshead Bay High School
Checked November 4, 2026
The Seeing Eye and the Morris Frank and Buddy statue
Open to visit
The first guide dog school in the US. The statue near Morristown Green shows founder Morris Frank, who was blind, with his guide dog Buddy.
There today: The Morris Frank and Buddy statue stands outdoors at Morristown Green (40.7979, -74.4808), and anyone can visit it. The main campus, west of town, opens only for booked programs; the downtown training center welcomes visitors.
Source: The Seeing Eye and the Morris Frank and Buddy statue Statue on Google Maps Rate it in Roll: The Seeing Eye and the Morris Frank and Buddy statue
Checked November 4, 2026
United Nations Headquarters
Open to visit
The UN adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities here. Heumann worked on global rights for the State Department and the World Bank.
There today: Guided tours and exhibits on weekdays.
Source: United Nations Headquarters Rate it in Roll: United Nations Headquarters
Checked November 4, 2026
Willowbrook Mile
Open to visit
Willowbrook State School’s abuse, exposed in 1972, led to new laws protecting people with disabilities in care.
There today: A memorial trail of 12 stations on the College of Staten Island campus, opened in 2022.
Source: Willowbrook Mile Rate it in Roll: Willowbrook Mile
Checked November 4, 2026
DC area
Birthplace of sensory-friendly films
Story only
A theater asked Marianne Ross’s 7-year-old autistic daughter to leave because she danced and jumped during the movie. Ross asked her local AMC manager for a changed showing. In 2007 the first one, at the AMC in Elkridge, drew more than 300 people, and AMC and the Autism Society took it nationwide.
There today: AMC still runs sensory-friendly showings: house lights dimmed but on, sound turned down, no trailers, and moving, talking and dancing welcome.
Source: Birthplace of sensory-friendly films AMC program page
Checked November 4, 2026
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
Open to visit
After disability groups pushed for it, a statue of FDR in his wheelchair joined the memorial in 2001.
There today: An open-air memorial on the Tidal Basin.
Source: Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Rate it in Roll: Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
Checked November 4, 2026
Gallaudet University
Open to visit
Deaf President Now: in March 1988, students shut the campus for a week until the board named I. King Jordan its first Deaf president.
There today: A working university with campus tours.
Source: Gallaudet University Rate it in Roll: Gallaudet University
Checked November 4, 2026
Helen Keller statue, US Capitol
Open to visit
Alabama’s statue shows Keller at about seven, at the water pump.
There today: In Emancipation Hall, Capitol Visitor Center.
Source: Helen Keller statue, US Capitol Rate it in Roll: Helen Keller statue, US Capitol
Checked November 4, 2026
Judith E. Heumann Memorial Bridge
Marker or plaque
The Connecticut Avenue NW bridge just south of Macomb Street, near her Cleveland Park home. The DC Council passed the naming in 2025.
There today: The name sign was up by May 2026.
Source: Judith E. Heumann Memorial Bridge Rate it in Roll: Judith E. Heumann Memorial Bridge
Checked November 4, 2026
National Federation of the Blind
Story only
Headquarters of the largest US group run by blind people, founded in 1940. It gives out free white canes and pushes for braille.
There today: Visits are for people on business; no public tours.
Source: National Federation of the Blind
Checked November 4, 2026
National Museum of American History
Open to visit
Shows the handwritten ‘Sign 504 Now’ sign that activist Ken Stein made and carried during the 1977 San Francisco sit-in. Also holds Ed Roberts’s custom motorized wheelchair.
There today: Free Smithsonian museum on the National Mall. The 504 sign is on show in a permanent exhibition; the wheelchair is in the collection but not on display.
Source: National Museum of American History Ed Roberts’s wheelchair record Rate it in Roll: National Museum of American History
Checked November 4, 2026
US Capitol, West Front steps
Open to visit
The Capitol Crawl: on March 12, 1990, dozens of protesters left their wheelchairs and crutches and pulled themselves up the steps to push the ADA through.
There today: You can see the steps from the West Front; tours enter through the Capitol Visitor Center.
Source: US Capitol, West Front steps Rate it in Roll: US Capitol, West Front steps
Checked November 4, 2026
US Department of Education
Story only
Heumann ran the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services under President Clinton.
There today: A federal office building, not open to tourists.
Source: US Department of Education
Checked November 4, 2026
White House South Lawn
Story only
President George H. W. Bush signed the ADA here on July 26, 1990.
There today: Public tours do not go onto the South Lawn; you can see it from the Ellipse.
Source: White House South Lawn
Checked November 4, 2026
South
Georgia Regional Hospital, Atlanta
Story only
Lois Curtis was held here, in and out of state hospitals for years, and kept phoning a Legal Aid lawyer to get her out. Her case, Olmstead v. L.C., gave disabled people the right to live in the community.
There today: An active state hospital.
Source: Georgia Regional Hospital, Atlanta
Checked November 4, 2026
Ivy Green
Open to visit
Helen Keller’s birthplace and the water pump where she first spelled ‘water’.
There today: A museum and home, open Monday to Saturday.
Source: Ivy Green Rate it in Roll: Ivy Green
Checked November 4, 2026
Roosevelt’s Little White House
Open to visit
FDR came here for polio treatment and set up a rehab center. He died here on April 12, 1945.
There today: A state historic site with a museum, including the car he drove with hand controls. Over 100,000 visitors a year.
Source: Roosevelt’s Little White House Rate it in Roll: Roosevelt’s Little White House
Checked November 4, 2026
The Dot Experience at APH
Open to visit
The American Printing House for the Blind has made braille books and learning tools since 1858. Its new museum aims to be the world’s most accessible, with something to touch in every exhibit, braille beside every printed sign, and ASL and audio guides.
There today: Opened October 30, 2026: a $22 million, 28,000-square-foot museum at 1839 Frankfort Avenue, open daily 10 to 5. The mayor named the day Dot Experience Day in a proclamation printed in braille. APH also runs factory tours.
Source: The Dot Experience at APH Rate it in Roll: The Dot Experience at APH
Checked November 4, 2026
Midwest
Museum of Deaf History, Arts and Culture
Open to visit
An independent public museum of Deaf history, arts and culture, across the street from the Kansas School for the Deaf (founded 1861).
There today: Open Wednesday to Saturday, 10 to 4, free. Deaf-led tours for a fee. 455 East Park Street.
Source: Museum of Deaf History, Arts and Culture Rate it in Roll: Museum of Deaf History, Arts and Culture
Checked November 4, 2026
The first white cane
Open to visit
In 1930, Lions Club president George Bonham watched his friend Elmer Thomason, a blind newsstand owner, struggle to cross a busy street. Bonham painted Thomason’s dark cane white with a red tip so drivers would see him. In December 1930, Peoria passed the first white cane law, giving blind people the right of way.
There today: The first white cane is on loan to the Peoria Riverfront Museum and on show on its lower level.
Source: The first white cane Rate it in Roll: The first white cane
Checked November 4, 2026
Mountain
Atlantis Community
Open to visit
The independent living center that helped people leave nursing homes and planned the Gang of 19 protest.
There today: Still serving Denver. Wade Blank’s flag hangs on its wall.
Source: Atlantis Community Rate it in Roll: Atlantis Community
Checked November 4, 2026
Civic Center Park Gang of 19 monument
Coming soon
A 2023 Mellon grant of $2.3 million funds new park art; about $2 million of it goes to a Gang of 19 memorial.
There today: Designed and part of the park rebuild, which runs through 2027. Set to open around 2028, the protest’s 50th year.
Source: Civic Center Park Gang of 19 monument
Checked November 4, 2026
Colfax Avenue and Broadway (Gang of 19)
Marker or plaque
On July 5–6, 1978, nineteen disabled people from Atlantis Community blocked two RTD buses for about 24 hours to demand lifts. They went on to start ADAPT.
There today: A sidewalk plaque at the bus stop, re-dedicated in 2005, honors Rev. Wade Blank.
Source: Colfax Avenue and Broadway (Gang of 19) Rate it in Roll: Colfax Avenue and Broadway (Gang of 19)
Checked November 4, 2026
Wade Blank Civic Center Station
Marker or plaque
Holds a Wade Blank plaque honoring the Gang of 19.
There today: RTD put the plaque back in early 2023 after the station rebuild. In 2026 it renamed the station Wade Blank Civic Center Station.
Source: Wade Blank Civic Center Station Rate it in Roll: Wade Blank Civic Center Station
Checked November 4, 2026
West
Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley
Open to visit
Holds the Disability Rights and Independent Living Movement oral histories, with Heumann’s own interviews.
There today: A research library open to the public: register online and bring photo ID. Heumann’s oral history is also free online.
Source: Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley Rate it in Roll: Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley
Checked November 4, 2026
Center for Independent Living (first site)
Story only
The world’s first independent living center, run by and for disabled people. Heumann joined its board in 1973 and was deputy director from 1975 to 1982. It inspired about 400 centers in the US and many abroad.
There today: CIL still works today from the Ed Roberts Campus. It began in 1972 in a two-bedroom apartment at 2521 Haste Street, then moved to University Avenue (1974) and 2539 Telegraph Avenue (1975).
Source: Center for Independent Living (first site)
Checked November 4, 2026
Ed Roberts Campus
Open to visit
Named for Ed Roberts, father of independent living. Home to the World Institute on Disability, which Heumann co-founded, and to DREDF.
There today: A building made for universal access, at the Ashby BART station.
Source: Ed Roberts Campus Rate it in Roll: Ed Roberts Campus
Checked November 4, 2026
Federal Building, 50 United Nations Plaza
Marker or plaque
More than 150 disabled people took over the building on April 5, 1977, and about 120 stayed 26 days to force the Section 504 rules. Heumann led it with Kitty Cone and Mary Jane Owen.
There today: A working federal building on the National Register of Historic Places since 2017; view it from the plaza. The city approved a sidewalk plaque for Heumann in 2023, but it was never installed.
Source: Federal Building, 50 United Nations Plaza Rate it in Roll: Federal Building, 50 United Nations Plaza
Checked November 4, 2026
Glide Memorial Church
Open to visit
Glide and other local groups brought blankets, supplies and food to the 504 sit-in.
There today: A working church and community center in the Tenderloin.
Source: Glide Memorial Church Rate it in Roll: Glide Memorial Church
Checked November 4, 2026
Judith E. Heumann House
Coming soon
UC Berkeley named its new People’s Park student housing for Heumann, who earned her public health master’s there in 1975.
There today: Under construction near the UC Berkeley campus.
Source: Judith E. Heumann House
Checked November 4, 2026
Judy Heumann Adult Transition Center mural
Story only
A program for young adults named for Heumann. Students and staff painted a mural of her life, unveiled in April 2024.
There today: A school program site, not open to visitors.
Source: Judy Heumann Adult Transition Center mural
Checked November 4, 2026
Outside the US
Louis Braille House
Open to visit
Birthplace of Louis Braille, who made the raised-dot code at 15.
There today: A small museum east of Paris; guided visits only, closed Monday and Tuesday. Building work blocks wheelchair access to the common room, with no end date published.
Source: Louis Braille House Rate it in Roll: Louis Braille House
Checked November 4, 2026
Musée Valentin Haüy
Open to visit
A museum of daily life for blind people through history, with raised-print books, tactile maps and early writing machines.
There today: At 5 rue Duroc. Open Tuesday and Wednesday, 2:30 to 5, and on Heritage Days; closed in July and August.
Source: Musée Valentin Haüy Rate it in Roll: Musée Valentin Haüy
Checked November 4, 2026
Snoezelen, the first sensory room
Story only
In the late 1970s, two Dutch therapists, Jan Hulsegge and Ad Verheul, tried a sensory tent at the De Hartenberg institute. It led to the calm multisensory rooms now used around the world. A similar trial ran in 1974 at Haarendael, in Haaren.
There today: No public visitor site; the linked page explains how visits to De Hartenberg are arranged.
Source: Snoezelen, the first sensory room Visiting De Hartenberg
Checked November 4, 2026
Stoke Mandeville
Open to visit
In 1948, 16 injured servicemen and women held an archery contest at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. These games grew into the Paralympics.
There today: Stoke Mandeville Stadium (opened 1969) is a working sports center and home to the National Paralympic Heritage Centre.
Source: Stoke Mandeville Rate it in Roll: Stoke Mandeville
Checked November 4, 2026
Tiergarten 4 memorial
Open to visit
Marks the office where the Nazis planned the killing of about 300,000 disabled people across Europe.
There today: An open-air memorial beside the Philharmonie, opened in 2014. Step-free and open all day.
Source: Tiergarten 4 memorial Rate it in Roll: Tiergarten 4 memorial
Checked November 4, 2026
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