History of DISABILITY Rights
History of DISABILITY Rights
Did you know that in July 1953 Camp Jened, a camp designed for Disabled children and adults, was opened in the Northern Catskills of New York. This camp was the first of it’s kind. All the staff at the camp, some disabled themselves, were trained in how to support Disabled people. The camp offered the campers an opportunity to see themselves represented in ways they didn’t see back home. The documentary Crip Camp shares the story of the campers in their own words.
Did you know that in 1975 congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) to support states in meeting the individual needs and protecting children and youth with disabilities. In 1990 the law changed its name to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Before this law was enacted Disabled children were denied access to education and other opportunities to learn. In the 1970’s U.S. schools had laws to exclude children who were deaf, blind, emotionally disturbed or had an intellectual disability.
The Department of Education had the responsibility of providing annual funding to local governments to support special education programs to meet the needs of children with disabilities ( students with IEPs, intervention services, speech & language services, etc). “Congress extended that commitment to our youngest learners by establishing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) preschool grants (Part B, Section 619) and grants for infants and toddlers with disabilities or delays (Part C). According to the most recent data from ED supplied through its budget request, IDEA supports more than half a million preschoolers and more than 400,000 infants and toddlers with disabilities or delays.
Did you know that on March 12th, 1990 the “Capital Crawl” took place? On this date over 1,000 people marched from the white house to the U.S. Capitol to demand that congress pass the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Around 60 marchers cast aside their wheelchairs and crawled up the Capitol steps to demonstrate how inaccessibility impacts people with disabilities.
One of the youngest protesters, pictured above, was then eight-year-old Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins. At the time of this march Jennifer had been protesting and advocating for accessibility for two years. Jennifer’s story is shared in the book All the Way to the Top. The ADA was signed into law on July 26, 1990.
Did you know that on March 20th, 2025 an executive order was signed by President Trump to dismantle the Department of Education.
Our history is our history. We can’t erase the parts we don’t want to remember; instead, we need to remember the parts we want to erase so we don’t repeat them. If eight-year-old Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins can crawl up the capital steps to advocate for change, we have no excuse not to fight for the rights of ALL children and families.
