Judy was born on December 18, 1947, in Philadelphia in a German Jewish immigrant family. She contracted polio when 18 months old and mostly used a wheelchair. Throughout her life, she faced discrimination and exclusion from several societal quarters (denied kindergarten attendance, denied teaching license, etc.). Her parents fought for her rights including access to education and she later continued that fight for herself, her friends, and millions of disabled people worldwide as a strong proponent for independent living.

Judy's words portray her pain and anger against societal discrimination for disabled people perceived as liabilities in every sphere. This kickstarted her activism while attending college and propelled her to sue the Board of Education of New York City (BOENYC) when they denied her teaching license thinking she wouldn't be able to lead herself or her students to safety in case of a fire. The case was settled in Judy's favor, and she became the first teacher who was a wheelchair user in New York City!

When pursuing the case against BOENYC, Judy realized that the fight was bigger than herself! She was fighting the society and systems in place for herself, her friends, and millions of disabled people in the US! Disability Rights are Civil Rights! And she was just getting started....

To secure rights for disabled people under civil rights law, Judy and her friends formed the Disabled in Action (DIA) Organization. Judy and the DIA led an 80-person sit-in on Madison Avenue in New York City stopping traffic to protest President Nixon's veto of early versions of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

The Independent Living (IL) Movement was started by Ed Roberts and other students with disabilities in Berkeley, California. The guiding principle was that necessary support should be provided to individuals to live and be part of communities. Being a strong proponent of the IL movement, Judy moved to California to work with Ed and helped craft supporting legislation.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was the first US federal civil rights protection for disabled people. In 1977, Joseph Califano, US Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, refused to sign the regulations which meant that Section 504 accommodations could not go into effect! Judy and her friends organized sit-in protests at federal buildings in various US cities to push Califano to sign the regulations. Government officials, under Califano's instructions, allowed no meals or medications into the buildings, turned off hot water supply, and even faked a bomb threat to scare the protesters into leaving the building! As of today, the longest sit-in in a federal building was the 28-day protest organized by Judy and her friends in San Francisco. Over 120 disabled people and activists participated in the San Francisco sit-in and the protesters were supported by various external organizations that delivered food and medication to them. The sit-in and other nationwide protests were successful and the 504 regulations were finally signed!

Judy's work continued till her death in 2023 serving her country and the world in various capacities, fighting for rights of people with disabilities and making the world more inclusive! A true warrior!