Name - Akul

Course – B.A English (Hons) VIth Sem

Roll No. – 0222031

Paper – Literature And Disability

Question : Write an essay on the history of disability rights movements in America

The fight for disability rights in America and Britain has been a long and complex
struggle, shaped by social attitudes, legal battles, and activism. Historically, disabled
individuals faced widespread discrimination, institutionalisation, and exclusion from
public life. However, the rise of the disability rights movement in the mid-20th century
challenged these injustices, advocating for equal opportunities, accessibility, and legal
protections. In both countries, activists pushed for landmark legislation, such as
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States and the Disability
Discrimination Act (DDA) in Britain, transforming the rights and lives of disabled
people. In my essay, I will talk about the history of the disability rights movement in
America and Britain, key milestones and figures in the movement, and the impact of
the movement on the world.

American history of disability The right movement can be dated back to the
19th century with both the founding of formal education for the Deaf and the Deaf-
Blind communities along with the invention of Braille. Differently-abled citizens were
always seen from three perspectives: moral, medical, and social. Moral models saw
their disability as god doing either for their sin or as a god trial. The medical model saw
disabled people as broken that should be scientifically cured; on the other hand, the
social model saw the idea of being someone disabled as a societal construct that makes
a person disabled by not providing to them what they need. Rejecting the stigma,
isolation, and dependency that have
Long characterised the social position of people with disabilities in Western nations,
the disability rights movement has promoted the idea that prejudicial attitudes and
exclusionary practices are far greater barriers to societal participation for many disabled
people than are their physical or mental impairments. Even after being the largest
minority in America, fighting for their rights has not been easygoing; their persistent
effort to be seen as equal is still going on.

Disability in America was not even seen as considerate discourse until they faced
two world wars, and suddenly war veterans were coming back as disabled, not
only physically but psychologically too. In 1918, the Smith-Sears Veterans
Rehabilitation Act became law and provided for the promotion of vocational
rehabilitation and return to civil employment of disabled persons discharged from the
U.S. military. Then in 1935, the League of the Handicapped formed to fight for
employment during the period of great depression. Around this time, the White House
became one of the first government buildings to be wheelchair-accessible because of
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who used a wheelchair because of his paralytic illness.
In 1940, the American Federation of the Physically Handicapped was formed by Paul
Strachan, the first cross-disability national political organisation to urge an end to job
discrimination. After the second world war again, veterans from war faced disability
challenges, pressuring the government to look after them and accommodate them in
normal life.

The rise in the disability movement comes from the 1960s, when the civil rights
movement was starting to take shape. Disability movement activists joined hands with
them, though they didn’t gain much success from the joined movement but did get a
sense of what kind of law they wanted for themselves. The 1973 Rehabilitation Act is
one of the first major milestones in the disability movement; this act makes sure the
civil rights of people with disabilities were protected by law. Then in 1975 came the
Education of All Handicapped Children Act, which guaranteed children with
disabilities the right to public school education. The Education for All Handicapped
Children Act was renamed in 1990 to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA). From the 1980s aspirations for one umbrella legislation act for differently able
people, much like the civil rights movement for Black Americans. After tremendous
effort by disability activists in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was
passed. This was by far the biggest achievement for them; it prohibited discrimination
and ensured equal treatment and opportunity for people in the spheres of employment,
state-rendered services, and public accommodation and services. ADA also makes a
mandate for businesses to restructure or modify jobs and equipment, and all public
accommodations were expected to have modifications made to be accessible to people
with disabilities. With this piece of legislation, the US government identified the full
participation, inclusion, and integration of people with disabilities in all levels of
society.

The American Disability Movement owes its success to its activists who provide a
structure to the whole movement: Ed Roberts, Judy Heumann, and Justin Dart. Ed
Roberts, also known as the father of the independent-living movement, was diagnosed
with polio at the age of 14, which led to paralysis of his body from neck to down, which
made him require a respirator to breathe. He faced multiple obstacles for completing his
high school education, and he also became the first severely disabled person to get
admission to UC Berkeley in 1972. He founded the Centre for Independent
Living, which was for disabled people's rights that would give them community life.
Judy Heumann is another important activist in the disability movement, known as
the mother of the disability rights movement. She was contracted with polio when she
was 18 months old, which paralysed her. Judy is most famous for leading the
historic 1977 Section 504 sit-in. This was an important section of the Rehabilitation Act
that protected individuals with disabilities from being denied benefits and services from
any program that receives federal funds. Justin Dart is widely known as the Godfather
of the Disability Movement. He was also contracted with polio, which confined him to
a wheelchair. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan appointed him as vice-chairman of the
National Council on Disability. Dart and other council members drafted a national
policy on equal rights for disabled people, and the document ultimately became the
foundation of the ADA.
Britain’s disability rights movement has a similar history as the American disability
movement; much like the American status of disabled people, in Britain disability was
seen from the eye of charity and pity, mostly excluded from mainstream society, and
the forced institutionalisation of these people created a backdrop for the movement.
Post-World War One led to demand to accommodate war veterans facing disability in
mainstream society. In 1920, the National League of the Blind organised a landmark
march under the slogan of “Justice, not Charity,” which led to Britain’s first law
recognising disability rights—the Blind Persons Act of 1920. During the Second World
War, when the majority of the population was involved in the war, this created a void
in the workforce, leading to the employment of disabled people. This, near the end of
the war, led to the Disable Person (Employment) Act of 1944 that mandated a 3%
employment quota for disabled workers.

In Britain, the rise in the disability movement comes from the 1970s, with Chronically
Sick and Disabled Person Act activism for this act being led by Alf Morris, who later
becomes the first minister for disabled people. This mandates local authorities to
provide housing, education, and support to disabled people. Later, Anne Rae co-
founded the Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation (UPIAS), which
completely rejected the medical model to see disability, stating disability as a social
construct and obstruction rather than an individual impairment. In America, the ADA
was the landmark judgment that protected the civil rights of disabled people in America,
and in Britain, the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 ensured that discrimination
against disabled people in employment, education, and public service was prohibited.
Sir Bert Massie was a key figure in drafting the DDA.

The disability movement in America and Britain has a significant effect on the world
perspective on how people with disabilities are perceived; persistent effort and hardship
of decades lead to the landmark act of 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA), and the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act. The American ADA and Britain's
DDA laid the foundation for the legislation needed to protect the civil rights of disabled
people while ensuring their equal participation in employment and government and
publicly rendered services. Countries like Japan and Australia took inspiration for their
policy from ADA, while DDA principles were mirrored in European Union directives
and Commonwealth Nations policies. Legislative enforcement was an important aspect
of the disability movement, but how did these movements lead to demand for equality
over pity? The redefinition of what being disabled means changed the world's
perspective, seeing it through the social model that saw disability as a social barrier.
Important protests and marches like the 1977 section 504 sit-in , capitol crawl, and
Direct Action Network “piss on pity” campaign were blueprints for protest in countries
like Canada, South Africa, India, etc. The shift from institutional care to community-
based care, championed by Ed Roberts, inspired global initiatives like this. Both
American and British activism shaped the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities; Judy Heumann made sure it was aligned with the social
model, which was later adopted by 185 countries. Exposure through media and sports
also added a new layer to discourse around disability. Documentaries like “Crip Camp,”
based on a 1977 sit-in, humanised the disability struggle. Globally, even like
Paralympic, it normalised disability in athletes, which led to global acceptance of
disabled athletes.

In conclusion, the disability rights movement in both America and Britain has led to a
substantial shift in how disability is perceived and changes in law around disability that
enable them to have equal opportunities. The landmark judgment of ADA and DDA led
to inclusivity in society. Activists like Ed Roberts, Judy Heumann, and Justin Dart in
the US, alongside Alf Morris and Bert Massie in Britain, played crucial roles in shaping
the movement. The influence of the disability movement has been global, laying down
the foundation for other countries to follow; Japan, Australia, India, and even the EU
mirrored aspects of the movement to draft policy around disability. The shift from
institutional care to community-based care and the involvement of media led to the
normalisation and inclusion of disabled people in mainstream media.