Lineage of disability direct action

Grounding current work in over 200 years of struggle.

Early Foundations and Section 504

  • 1935 Sit-In: The League of the Physically Handicapped staged one of the earliest organized protests at NYC’s Emergency Relief Bureau.
  • 1970s Confrontation: Disabled In Action (DIA), founded by Judy Heumann, used tactics like blocking traffic to protest Nixon’s veto of the Rehabilitation Act of 1972.

While other occupations like the 1969 Occupation of Alcatraz (19 months) and the 1973 Wounded Knee Occupation (71 days) were longer, they occurred on Indian land and were not in federal buildings.

1977 Section 504 Sit-Ins (San Francisco and nationwide)

  • Duration: April 5–30, 1977 (26 days)
  • Significance: This was the longest non-violent occupation of a U.S. federal building in history.
  • Target: Over 150 activists occupied the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) offices to compel Secretary Joseph Califano to sign binding regulations for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which hadn’t been enforced or put into action. 
  • Outcome: On April 30, 1977, Section 504 was signed. This mandate for accessibility and non-discrimination led to widespread physical changes (curb cuts, ramps) and paved the legal way for the ADA in 1990.
  • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a landmark federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.  It was the first U.S. law to explicitly protect disabled people from discrimination, shifting the view of disability from a medical issue to a civil rights issue. 
  • The law mandates that covered entities, such as public schools, hospitals, and workplaces, must provide reasonable accommodations and ensure accessibility.  It applies to anyone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, ensuring they are not excluded from participation or denied benefits solely due to their disability. 

Transportation Access and National Legislation

  • 1978 “Gang of 19”: Denver activists blocked buses after transit officials refused to add lifts, making Denver one of the first cities with accessible buses.
  • Founding of ADAPT: Originally formed as Americans Disabled for Accessible Public Transit following the Denver protests.
  • 1990 Capitol Crawl: Activists abandoned their wheelchairs to climb the U.S. Capitol steps, highlighting government inaccessibility and pressuring the passage of the ADA.
  • 1990 ADA Passage: Guaranteed equal access to employment, public services, and transportation.

International Campaigns and Legacy

The Disabled People’s Direct Action Network (DAN) was a prominent UK disability rights organization established in 1993 by founders Barbara Lisicki, Alan Holdsworth, and Sue Elsegood. The group utilized non-violent direct action, civil disobedience, and high-profile street protests to campaign for full civil rights and accessibility, most notably contributing to the passage of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and securing funding for accessible transport. 

DAN organized over 100 actions between 1993 and 1998, including major national campaigns such as blocking buses in London and protesting at the Telethon.  Their efforts led to significant legislative and practical changes, including the EU-wide requirement for all new buses to be fully accessible by 2001.  

  • UK DAN (1993): Organized over 50 actions, including bus blockades and telethon pickets, fighting patronizing attitudes and demanding accessible transport.
  • 1995 DDA: DAN’s protests contributed to the UK’s first robust civil rights law for disabled people.
  • EU Influence: Later influenced laws mandating fully accessible buses by 2001.
  • Modern Focus: Groups like ADAPT now target enforcement gaps, advocating for nursing home rights and challenging cuts to social services.

DAN return to London (March 18, 2022)

Reasserting presence after a decade of inaction and responding to pandemic-era deaths.

  • Members of DAN returned to the streets more than 10 years after their last demonstration, blocking all three entrances to the Department of Health and Social Care in central London.
  • To protest the “hostile environment” facing disabled people and demand accountability for the estimated 100,000+ disabled people who died during the pandemic due to systemic failures.
  • Key Demands:
    • An independent inquiry into deaths in care settings during the pandemic. 
    • A ban on imposing “Do Not Attempt Resuscitation” (DNAR) notices without consent.
    • An end to care charges and a plan for properly funded independent living.
  • Activists chanted “Disabled People Are Not Disposable” and “Do Not Resuscitate This Government,” linking pandemic mortality rates directly to state neglect and institutionalization.
  • The action featured veteran DANNERS alongside younger activists from DPAC and WinVisible, highlighting the ongoing struggle against austerity and the medicalization of disability.
  • Coinciding with the BBC drama “Then Barbara Met Alan,” this action served as a “call to arms,” signaling that the direct action tradition remains active and necessary in the face of ongoing cuts to social services.