Article: “One Laid Groundwork For The ADA; The Other Grew Up Under Its Promises”

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“We will no longer allow the government to oppress disabled individuals. We want the law enforced.”

Judy Heumann, a founder of the Disability Rights Movement

“Before the Americans with Disabilities Act granted people with disabilities greater protection and accessibility, a little-known law set the groundwork.

In 1977, Judy Heumann helped lead a peaceful protest that forced the government to follow through with Section 504. As part of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, the law would force hospitals, universities and other public spaces that received federal money, to remove barriers to accessibility for all Americans. But its implementation was long delayed over the costs necessary to retrofit buildings to comply with the law.” Continue reading this article, which includes a 4-minute podcast of Judy Heumann speaking about the significance of The Americans with Disabilities Act, at NPR.

Article: “Félix Garmendía: A Poet’s Advice On Finding Your Invisible Wings”

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“I taught my students that art is open to everyone.”

Félix Garmendía

“Félix Garmendía, a poet, is an activist in the LGBTQ+ disability movements. He is the author of Flying On Invisible Wings, an anthology of poetry.  He is a 30-year HIV survivor and lives with Inclusion Body Myositis , a progressive muscle disorder that has confined him to a wheelchair.” Read Félix’s interview about his anthology of poetry, Flying On Invisible Wings at questionsstudentsask.

Article: “Producing Disability-Inclusive Data”

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“Children and adults with disabilities often face discrimination, leading to reduced access to basic social services and general lack of recognition. Addressing discrimination and promoting inclusion is an issue of concern in all sectors, and can be accomplished through quality data and evidence-based advocacy and policy.

Inclusive data are key to eliminating discrimination on the basis of disability and to accelerating global efforts towards inclusive programming. The production of inclusive data demands the involvement of persons with disabilities in all data collection processes and outcomes. This will help ensure that their experiences and needs are adequately reflected in the evidence being generated.” Continue reading at UNICEF.

Article: “Campus archives reveal genesis of U.S. disability rights movement”

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“It was 1997, and Jane Rosario, a librarian at UC Berkeley’s Bancroft Library, was on her way to visit Mark O’Brien, a former Berkeley student with an extensive literary collection of his own works. He was a poet and journalist and larger than life — and Rosario had the job of collecting his poems, essays and book reviews to include in the library’s archives on disability rights and the independent living movement of the 1960s and 1970s.” Continue reading this article by Anne Brice at Berkeley News.

Article: “Reflections on #ADA30 as a Young Lawyer with a Disability”

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Article Preview: “During the summer of 2004, I was about to enter fourth grade. That summer was one of discovery and basic understanding of disability identity for me. My parents told me I was autistic in a way that I believed I had magic within me, and the Americans with Disabilities Act existed. I didn’t quite grasp what the ADA implied or what protections I exactly had under the ADA, but I figured it was an important authority to be respected.” Read the whole article by Haley Moss at The Jurist.

Article: “How the ADA Gave Birth to a Black Sexpert”

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Article Preview: “I grew up in a world after the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act (504). In 1964, 1965, and 1968 the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act respectively were enacted, bringing an end to the Jim Crow system of legal racial segregation. As a black American woman with multiple disabilities, these laws had a profound impact in my life.” Continue reading this article with audio by Robin Wilson-Beattie at the Disability Visibility Project.

Community Resources from Oregon DHS

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Between the overlapping crises of the Covid-19 pandemic and the wildfires across Oregon, many of our community members are under increased stress, isolation, and anxiety. Many families and individuals are feeling strain on their physical and mental health, as well as household resources. For a list of health services for youth, elders, drug users, and other community members, visit the Oregon Department of Human Services website.

Chalking for a Cause: #BeautyForAccess

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On a beautiful September morning, a group of chalk artists of various ages and (dis)abilities gathered in downtown Corvallis to kick off the sidewalk chalk art campaign Beauty For Access. Beauty For Access helps mark the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act while also calling caring public attention to the ongoing inaccessibility of material environments for people with disabilities. Participants beautified material spaces (e.g. sidewalks and plazas) to imagine them as more welcoming to the bodyminds of disabled people.

  • Josephine and Allison getting ready to make art
  • Abstract chalk art shaped like petals and lightning bolts points to an uneven part of the sidewalk
  • George and Laura create sidewalk art
  • A group of five chalk artists stands six feet apart from a pair of chalk artists in sunny downtown Corvallis; both gorups are holding containers of chalk.

Article: “Disabled Americans can’t be a Covid-19 afterthought”

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Article Preview: “The Covid-19 pandemic continues to unearth some uncomfortable truths about our nation, as the inequities that too often live below the surface are bubbling up for all to see.One such failure that must be more widely addressed and immediately rectified is the neglect of people with disabilities, many of whom are among the most endangered by Covid-19, as their conditions or chronic illnesses may leave them at greater physical risk of suffering the virus’s devastating effects.” Continue reading this article by Richard E. Besser and Rebecca Cokley at CNN.

Article: “Ending Census Early Could Impact Disability Programs For Years”

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Article Preview: “Plans to end the census a month ahead of schedule may mean fewer people are counted and less funding is available over the next decade for disability services, advocates warn. The U.S. Census Bureau was expected to collect responses from people across the nation through the end of October after making adjustments to its plan earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. But this month, the agency announced that it would instead halt all collection activities Sept. 30.” Continue reading this article by Michelle Diament at Disability Scoop.