The Issues Stay the Same, But the Fight Continues...
The word “protest” usually brings a vivid image to most people’s mind. A large group of people holding protest signs, marching, and chanting for their cause. People with disabilities aren't often included in that image.
A History of Activism
People with disabilities have a long history of protesting. The earliest of these protests were sit-ins. They were protesting the lack of accessibility of public buildings in the 50s. One of the most notable protests is the Capitol Crawl.
The Capitol Crawl on March 13, 1990, was part of a week of demonstrations. During the Capitol Crawl, hundreds of people with disabilities crawled up the steps. Those people wanted to give Congress a face to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act. The advocate group called ADAPT organized a series of protests in 2017. The protests argued against cuts for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Police removed protesters from their wheelchairs. The police carried the protesters down the Capitol steps.
A New Era of Activism
The launch of social media has allowed people to start funds to support their causes. People with disabilities can now share petitions on their social media pages. They can email members of Congress. This way they can fight for a cause they believe in without the fear of spending a night in jail.
Now we all can fight to make the world a better place for everyone even if you can't make it out to a protest.
This article was inspired by the podcast episode with Bill McKibben linked below:
https://youtu.be/MIUmIrsNG04
Photo by johnhain courtesy of Pixabay.
Stephanie Wyatt has Cerebral Palsy and uses a manual wheelchair. She spends her free time hanging out with her best friend, Carmen and her dog, Ama Angelica.
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