She applied for a teaching position and was turned down. Her experience benefited both herself and others. Ms. Heumann discussed the dissatisfaction that people with disabilities have felt towards charity organizations, which have failed to come forward in meaningful ways. Tokenism has been profound. She explained that every group has similar stories.
Individuals face personal discrimination and seek ways to remedy the injustice.
They work in bigger groups, as part of a movement, to identify common areas of opportunity and goals. She painted a picture of the 1970's, where people with disabilities felt invincible. They had significant problems and believed that they had nothing to lose. These were empowering experiences. She felt it is important to be self-reflective and encouraged summit participants to look at their own histories.