Disability-Specific Resources

Resources on the Disability Rights Movement/History

The rich civil rights history of hard fought legislation continues today for persons with disabilities and their advocates. Inspired by the success of the Civil Rights Movement that resulted in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that forbid racial discrimination, the Disability Rights Movement has influenced legislation that resulted in the American with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Only an hour away, in Buffalo, NY, the new Museum of disABILITY History houses a collection of physical exhibits as well as a virtual museum. The Smithsonian National Museum of American History has an online, interactive history of the Disability Rights Movement. Further website suggestions include the Disability Social History Project and the Disability History Museum.

Finally, the University of California Berkeley has compiled a website of history, resources and research on the history of the Disability Rights Movement. An exhibit at the Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability in San Francisco has a comprehensive exhibit on the historic "Section 504 Sit-in" entitled Patient No More.