The history and progress of the disability rights movement

If you’ve ever been frustrated by a lack of accessible ramps, or wondered why public services sometimes seem oblivious to the needs of people with disabilities, you’ve brushed up against an issue the disability rights movement has been tackling for decades. This movement, fighting for equality, accessibility, and respect for people with disabilities, has a long, complex history driven by activism, legislation, and sheer determination.

Early days of exclusion and silence

Long before people with disabilities had the platforms they do today, they were often seen as less-than-human, sometimes even hidden away in institutions or featured in circuses as curiosities. 

As recently as the early 1900s, people with disabilities were commonly institutionalized and denied education, employment, and social participation. You could find laws that mandated sterilization of people with disabilities, all based on deeply flawed and cruel ideas of eugenics. 

Yes, this was real—Indiana passed the first such sterilization law in 1907, which spread to over 30 other states in the following decades.

But slowly, things started to change, thanks to the perseverance of activists who refused to accept these grim realities. The disability rights movement would grow from small advocacy efforts into a full-fledged civil rights battle, gaining ground bit by bit.

World wars bring visibility but also challenges

Ironically, the wars that caused so much human suffering also began to shift public attitudes about disability. 

Following World War I, disabled veterans returning from battle were impossible to ignore. People who had lost limbs or experienced other injuries demanded to be seen and treated with dignity. The U.S. government responded by creating rehabilitation programs, marking a pivotal moment in disability awareness.

However, even as World War II veterans pressured the government for better rehabilitation services, they were still hitting walls. 

People with disabilities faced physical barriers in public spaces—there were no ramps, no elevators, and certainly no accessible transportation options. Getting a job? Forget about it. Employers routinely turned people away, regardless of their skills or talents.

The 1960s: civil rights for all (yes, that includes people with disabilities)

While the 1960s are best known for the civil rights movement led by African Americans, this era also became a watershed moment for disability rights. Taking inspiration from the fight for racial equality, disability activists began organizing, demanding the same rights that were being secured for other marginalized groups. 

Parents of children with disabilities spearheaded the call for inclusive education, rejecting the idea that their kids belonged in institutions or special schools far from society.

This momentum led to a big win in 1973 with the Rehabilitation Act, specifically Section 504. For the first time, it was illegal for federal agencies, contractors, and organizations receiving federal funding to discriminate against individuals with disabilities. 

Schools, public services, and public buildings had to accommodate people with disabilities—and activists were just getting started.

The sit-ins that changed the game

Section 504 may have been law, but nothing happens overnight, right? It wasn’t until 1977 that regulations were signed to enforce the provisions of Section 504. And this happened only after activists staged sit-ins at federal offices across the country, most famously in San Francisco, where protestors camped out for 25 days. 

Their actions sent a clear message: disability rights were civil rights, and people with disabilities weren’t going to be passive recipients of charity—they were going to demand equality.

Education gets a boost

A major victory in the 1970s was the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, which guaranteed every child, regardless of disability, the right to public education. 

This law was a game changer, and it paved the way for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990, which gave parents more rights to advocate for their children’s education and ensured that students with disabilities were integrated into mainstream classrooms as much as possible.

Enter the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Then came the big one: the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. After years of advocacy and struggle, Congress passed the ADA, one of the most significant civil rights laws in U.S. history. 

The ADA prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private spaces open to the general public.

The ADA requires businesses to make “reasonable accommodations” for people with disabilities, which means making places like stores, restaurants, and offices accessible. Public transportation had to follow suit. If you’ve ever seen a bus lower itself for someone in a wheelchair or a sidewalk equipped with curb cuts, that’s ADA in action.

Progress, but the fight continues

The disability rights movement made extraordinary strides over the last century, but the fight isn’t over. While laws like the ADA have greatly improved the landscape, activists continue to push for better enforcement, more accessible technology, and further integration of people with disabilities into all aspects of life.

There’s still work to be done to change societal attitudes, break down stereotypes, and ensure full equality for people with disabilities. The disability rights movement shows that progress is possible—one step, or ramp, at a time.