As we see another April, the disability community celebrates an era of protest, collaboration and bold self-advocacy. On April 5, 1977, people with disabilities in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington D.C. staged sit-ins in government offices, with protests in San Francisco receiving the most news coverage for their longevity. Led by Judy Heumann and protesters from Disabled in Action, the protest in San Francisco lasted 25 days. Protesters were bringing awareness to the lack of enforcement of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The Act, which had been signed into law in 1973 stated: “No otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the United States shall solely on the basis of his handicap, be excluded from the participation, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” While the act was signed into law, protestors said that a lack of regulations regarding its enforcement meant that the rehabilitation was rendered ineffective. Following the 25-day sit-in, a delegation of protestors travelled to D.C. to increase public attention and pressure to aid their objectives. On April 28, 1977, their demands were met and regulations were finally signed by Secretary Califano. As shown by the protestors of the 504 sit-ins, disability advocacy has always been most powerful when led by the disability community and individuals with disabilities. The work of organizations advocating for those with disabilities must take their lead from those they serve. With that in mind, Disability Rights Pennsylvania is currently conducting a public comment period to assess the needs of the disability community. You can help shape our advocacy by participating in an online survey or one of our public forums. To be notified of an opportunity to register for one of these forums, please join our mailing list here. We thank all of the leaders and advocates in the disability community whose boldness has moved mountains for the disability community. We’re following your lead. |
