By Colin Wilfrid

In 2025, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will reach its 35^th anniversary. Signed into federal law in 1990, the ADA is quite possibly the most important piece of disability rights legislation in United States history.  This law has been responsible for elevators in multi-story buildings, handicap parking spots, braille on signs and ballots, individualized education programs (IEP), and much more. In 2015, there was a celebration in honor of 25 years of the ADA held at Westlake Park in Downtown Seattle. This gathering celebrated the hard work and dedication of the disability community to get this bill signed

The battle for disability rights legislation that led to the ADA began with the formation of the Independent Living movement in the 1970s. This movement was founded to challenge the normative idea that people with disabilities should be hidden from society and placed in institutions. Rather than viewing people with disabilities as problems, the people behind the Independent Living movement saw the disability community as the solution. They believed that people without disabilities should learn to be more accepting and inclusive towards people with disabilities rather than trying to “fix” them. This led to the first Center for Independent Living to be built in Berkeley, California in the 1970s. The Center focused on helping people with disabilities live independently with supports as needed. This approach was an instant success and led to more Independent Living Centers opening in the future.

The rise of Independent Living Centers was made possible in part by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act states that people with disabilities shall not be denied access to the federally funded services that they need to be included in the community. Under Title VII of the Rehabilitation Act, support services such as Independent Living Centers became recognized by the US Government as services that should receive funding because of Section 504.

During the 1980s, disability rights advocates and politicians who supported Section 504’s impact concluded that there should be even more civil rights legislation for people with disabilities. Particularly, they found that Section 504 did not apply to private businesses, various employers, telecommunications, transportation, and healthcare. This led to the first official draft of the ADA to be written in 1986, with the bill being introduced to Congress in 1988. This was a crucial year for the ADA’s success, as the bill was testified in a rare joint session of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. At the hearing, representatives and senators testified on why they thought the ADA could do wonders in terms of stopping ableism. In 1988, the Reagan Administration also called for the passage of a law that recognized those with HIV and AIDS as people with disabilities, which the ADA included in its final version. This was also a presidential election year, and George H. W. Bush promised to seek the passage of the ADA if elected. On July 26, 1990, President Bush delivered on his promise and signed the ADA into law.

The 25^th Anniversary Celebration of the ADA in Downtown Seattle acknowledged important progress achieved by the ADA while also recognizing that there was still a great deal of work to do. Numerous disability rights advocates and public figures spoke about why the ADA is important to them and local musicians and entertainers took the stage to support the disability community. Performers included the Boeing Klowns, the Living Dream band, and King Khazm who got the crowd grooving with his rap about the ADA: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTZXu6fcTpM.

The event also featured remarks on how disability rights in the United States could be improved upon. Laura Caparroso, a blind attendee at the event, pointed out that the ADA was written with a focus on changing the architecture of facilities, such as making bathrooms accessible, and less focus on changing the attitudes of people without disabilities to make them more accepting to those with disabilities: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BESYrsxAnOg. Ivanova Smith, a disability rights advocate, addressed the normative idea that people with disabilities are burdens, as well as the importance of seeing people with disabilities in a positive light rather than a negative one: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZzatYIpbqA.

This rally is an important part of Seattle’s disability activism history because it reminded the public of just how hard the disability community worked to get the legislation signed into law, and highlighted the continued work needed to fight for equal rights and accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

The Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Historic Preservation staff have been supporting a team of researchers and advisors to gather information on the history of disability activism in Seattle for a historic context study.  The project is designed to be an inclusive and intersectional exploration of disability activism in the city. We are working directly with the disability community to share stories and experiences that highlight advocacy efforts for equitable access and disability justice.