The disability rights movement is a civil rights movement that works to advocate for and secure equal rights for people with disabilities by breaking down institutional, physical, and social barriers. There are about 40 million people in America living with disabilities of some kind, and the goal of the disability rights movement is to make sure each of those people has access to opportunity that is equal to that of able-bodied people.
Disability Rights Movement History
The disability rights movement blossomed out of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, but it had been brewing long before that.
In the 1800s, the treatment of people with disabilities was abysmal. They were considered burdens to society, either seen as pitiful or worthy of ridicule. Some ended up as circus exhibitions, while others were hidden away in institutions and asylums. Many people assumed that those with disabilities were feeble-minded, leading to many being sterilized against their will.
General attitudes toward people with disabilities began to shift as wounded and disabled veterans returned home from World War I. This led to the creation of new technology as well as an increase in government assistance, allowing people with disabilities to become more self-sufficient.
Awareness increased when the first president with a disability, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, took office. While he was an advocate for the rehabilitation of people with disabilities, he still believed that having a disability was shameful and that all disabilities needed a medical cure or fix.
When World War II ended, veterans made disability issues more visible to society by pressuring the government to provide rehabilitation services and vocational training. While these advancements helped, people with disabilities often still could not access bathrooms, office buildings, stores, and public transportation.
The 1960s saw the emergence of the civil rights movement, a movement dedicated to advocating for equality and freedom for people of color. This offered disability advocates the opportunity to work with other marginalized groups to fight for equal rights and access.
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973. After marching on Washington and lobbying Congress, people with disabilities finally had their rights protected through the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act prevented employment discrimination by federal agencies, while Section 503 prevented employment discrimination by federal government contractors. The biggest impact was made by Section 504, which tackled many disability rights issues by providing people with disabilities equal access to federally funded programs. Section 504 mandates:
- Public schools to provide a free and appropriate education to all students, meaning schools must provide services to accommodate students with disabilities
- Public schools to include students with disabilities in mainstream classes unless the students were not able to achieve a proper level of education in those classes
- Equal access to public services like public housing and transportation, which led to the establishment of the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board
- The allocation of money toward vocational training
The 504 sit-ins. The enactment of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 led to one of the most well-known disability rights protests. While the Act was a start, it was nothing without clear, enforceable regulations that outlined what qualified as a disability, what counted as disability discrimination, and what the procedures would be to enforce the law. Without these regulations, courts could interpret the law in whatever way they wanted. The U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) was supposed to provide these regulations, but they dragged their heels.
In response to the lack of progress, the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities (ACCD) was formed to push for these regulations. Finally, regulations were drafted and ready for HEW Secretary Joseph Califano to sign. Still, HEW continued to stall, creating a task force to discuss the regulations, a task force that notably was missing any disability representation. This task force weakened the regulations. In response, the ACCD demanded the regulations be issued as originally written.
On April 5, 1997, activists began sit-ins at HEW offices across the country. 300 people marched on Secretary Califano’s home in D.C., while in San Francisco, 500 people attended a rally at Civic Center Plaza. The San Francisco protests continued, with 150 people occupying the office of regional HEW Director Joseph Maldonado inside the Federal Building. The San Francisco sit-in lasted until Secretary Califano enacted the Section 504 regulations on April 28, 1977.
Education for All Handicapped Children Act. While activists waited for 504 regulations to be established, another act was passed. The Education for All Handicapped Children Act, passed in 1975, guaranteed every child the right to an education. The law stressed that children with disabilities be allowed in mainstream classes unless they were not able to get a proper education in these classes due to their disability.
In 1990, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was worked into the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which expanded on the inclusion of children with disabilities in the classroom but also established the right of parents to be involved in educational decisions for their children. IDEA mandated that schools work together with parents to create Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for children with additional education needs.
The Americans with Disabilities Act. In the 1980s, disability activists began to advocate for disability rights protections to be encompassed under one civil rights statute. In 1990, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which aims to prevent disability discrimination in areas like:
- Employment
- Places of public accommodation
- State and local government services
- Telecommunications services
- Transportation
Thanks to the ADA, businesses must provide reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities and public services can not deny services to people with disabilities.
The Disability Rights Movement Today
While the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act have made huge strides in disability rights, the fight isn’t over. People with disabilities face prejudice and stereotypes every day. As a result, there are many situations in which disability accommodations are still lacking. Today, disability rights advocates don’t just work to make sure the ADA is enforced, but they bring attention to issues that people with disabilities face, and continue toward advancing the equal rights of people with disabilities.