Disability Activism Built America
It’s that time of year, the sun is always shining, warm weather is here, and students are out of school, memories are being made which means summer has officially arrived! As July approaches many are often thinking about vacation, where they are going to go camping, swimming, 4th of July and barbeques in honor of “freedom and celebration.” However...are we really free?
It’s 2026 and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), their families, and loved ones are still fighting for their rights to live and access their communities. There is more in the month of July than just Independence Day.
In July we celebrate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a civil rights movement signed into law on July 26, 1990. This federal legislation policy was signed into law to ensure that those with disabilities have similar opportunities, rights, and protections as others in the United States. This is supposed to guarantee equal rights and access to employment, housing, education and other state or government services as well as protect those with disabilities against discrimination. On March 12, 1990, another notable movement in disability history would be The Capital Crawl, a historical disability rights protest in Washington, D.C. where over 60 activists left their mobility aides aside and dragged themselves up the 83 marble U.S capital steps. This act of free speech sent a powerful message and demonstrated the many barriers and limited access individuals with disabilities faced, which in result pressured Congress to pass the ADA.
Leading up to the ADA there were other notable policy changes and historic movements rooted in advocacy that happened in U.S history, such as the 1973 Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) which was led by disability activist Judy Heumann. It took Congress another four years to enact this law. Huemann organized the 1977 protests held at the 28-day sit-in at San Francisco Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW). This ended up being a nationwide movement as multiple allies and advocates across the Unites States participated in this sit-in protest. With the spark in public outrage and activism, Congress was given no choice to finally enforce the law. In the documentary Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (available on Netflix), we learn more about Judy Heumann and the history behind the 504 Rehabilitation Act. The documentary shows authentic insight into the journey individuals with disabilities and other activists s were on to advocate for this law. Have you heard of or have a child with a 504 plan in school? The reason why students have access to those is because of this federal legislation it was named after.
Just like the 504 Rehabilitation Act, the federal piece of legislation known as the Individuals with Disabilities Act was also signed into law by congress on November 29, 1975. This federal law specifically protects students with disabilities rights with necessary accommodations in place so a student with a disability can have access to a quality education. This federal law is why students with disabilities can receive an Individual Education Plan, they can receive specialized instruction to limit barriers to education.
Why do these movements in U.S. matter today? The timeline of these federal policies relates to one another. Without these federal policies in place, it would mean that discrimination against those with disabilities would be legal. People with disabilities otherwise wouldn’t have access to education, transportation, access to public buildings services, housing, medical etc. Theses policy changes wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t have disability activists advocating alongside allies, fighting for our rights we have today! These disability activists paved the way for future disability advocates which would later build more legislation to better the lives of individuals with disabilities for years to come. This is why our generation of advocates can’t give up on protecting disability rights and federal laws that protect the IDD community. If we don’t keep advocating then our future generations of individuals with disabilities wilk have fewer rights than we do, the same rights that previous generations fought for us to have. Currently the disability community is at a significant risk of losing these same rights nationwide.
Parents and family care providers are at risk of not being paid to care for their loved ones.
The Office of Special Education is being moved from its own entity to Department of Human Health Services, which could delay justice for students and families facing discrimination in education.
The Department of Justice declared their own rendition of (Olmstead vs. LC) that says states don’t have to provide home based community services to individuals with disabilities. This goes against The Americans with Disabilities Act.
This is why we simply can’t stop advocating and fighting to protect disability rights. As Americans, the most patriotic thing we can do is advocate, stand up for our rights, collaborate alongside allies so future generations will get to keep the same rights that generations of advocates before us fought for. The Constitution protects our right to free speech to advocate for change. Let’s not take that for granted.
Let us continue to move forward, not backward.