The Disability Rights Movement refers to activism that is specifically aimed at the creation and passage of legislation and policy that protects the rights of disabled people. The movement notably contains activism that was built off of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, leading to the passage of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1975 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
These pieces of legislation are what enable disabled Americans to receive accommodations, navigate physically accessible spaces, and access more equitable education. These rights were extremely hard-fought, and are beautiful pieces of our country's history, and the history of disabled people.
