The View from Where I Sit

Tag: ADA

  • The Black Panther Party and the ADA

    As we recognize Disability Pride Month, we’re looking back at one of the most important moments in disability rights history and the coalition that helped make it possible.

    In 1977, disabled activists occupied a federal building in San Francisco, demanding the government finally enforce Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the nation’s first major disability civil rights law. The law had already passed, but without federal regulations, it couldn’t be enforced.

    The occupation became the longest nonviolent occupation of a federal building in U.S. history.

    Officials tried to force the protesters out. Phone lines were cut. Utilities were shut off. Food became harder to get. Early donations from companies like McDonald’s and Safeway stopped once it became clear this wasn’t charity. It was civil disobedience.

    That’s when the Black Panther Party stepped in.

    Through Brad Lomax, a Black Panther living with multiple sclerosis who was inside the occupation, the Party organized daily hot meals for the protesters. When officials tried to restrict deliveries, they kept showing up.

    The Panthers explained it simply: “We support you because you’re asking America to change, to treat you like human beings, like you belong. We always support people fighting for their rights.”

    For nearly a month, they helped make sure more than 100 occupiers had food. Disability rights activist Corbett O’Toole later said that without those meals, the occupation might not have lasted.

    On April 28, 1977, the government signed the Section 504 regulations, finally making the law enforceable. Those regulations laid the foundation for later disability rights protections, including the Americans with Disabilities Act.

    This victory wasn’t won by one movement alone. Disabled organizers, labor unions, churches, community members, and the Black Panther Party all played a role.

    That’s an important reminder during Disability Pride Month. Progress doesn’t happen because people care quietly. It happens because people organize, build coalitions, and show up for each other in real, tangible ways.

  • Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities vs Americans with Disabilities Act

    Did you know the difference between the CRPD and the ADA?

    The CRPD (Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) is a global human rights treaty that tells countries how disabled people’s rights should be protected.

    The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) is a U.S. civil rights law that bans disability discrimination and gives us concrete rights we can enforce here at home.

    Knowing about both matters because the ADA is what we can use right now to ask for access, push back on discrimination, and file complaints or lawsuits.

    The CRPD gives us a global standard and language to say, “Disabled people everywhere deserve more than the bare minimum” and to hold governments accountable.

    Together, they help us see when what we’re getting is just compliance with the law vs. what true disability justice and human rights should look like.

    When we understand these tools, we’re better equipped to advocate for ourselves, support each other, and push for systemic change, not just small accommodations.