WHO

Eunice was a blind disability rights activist and president of the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities (ACCD). After the 504 regulations sat unsigned for 4 years, Eunice and the ACCD organized the 10-city protest that led to the sit-in.

WHERE

The 504 Sit-in took place in ten cities across the USA. It is most often associated with San Francisco, CA, because the demonstrators stayed the longest there.

WHERE

After 2 weeks of demonstrating in San Francisco, some of the demonstrators traveled to Washington, DC. There, they urged lawmakers to sign the regulations for Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, which would give them equal rights for the first time in US history.

WHAT

After 24 hrs, everyone was forced to leave the government buildings, except for the demonstrators in San Francisco. They worked their way inside the building. There, over 100 demonstrators would sleep over for nearly an entire month!

WHO

Brad was a participant in the sit-in, and a member of the Black Panthers, an organization that fought for a better life for Black Americans. When food supplies were shut off from the demonstrators, Brad reached out to his fellow Black Panthers for help.

WHAT

When the building’s security guards told the demonstrators that they could not re-enter the building if they left, they used sign language to communicate with people outside the building to organize the delivery of food and supplies.

WHO

Kitty was a disability rights activist who spent much of her life fighting for a better world for people with disabilities. She was a lead organizer of the 504 Sit-in.

WHO

Ed was a disability rights activist who helped people with disabilities live independently. During the sit-in, Ed motivated the demonstrators with a speech.

WHAT

Local supporters, including the Black Panthers, Salvation Army, and Gay Men’s Butterfly Brigade delivered meals, beds, and supplies to the demonstrators.

WHO

Judy was a key leader of the sit-in in San Francisco. As a kid, Judy loved to learn, but was not allowed in school because of her disability. Today, Judy continues to fight for a fair and accessible world for people with disabilities.

WHAT

The demonstrators kept their spirits up by celebrating Easter and Passover with an Easter egg hunt and Seder inside the building.

WHAT

On April 28, 1977, the Section 504 regulations were signed into law.

WHY

After 4 long years, the disability community became fed up with waiting for the regulations of Section 504 to be signed into law. Without this law, people with disabilities were regularly shut out of public schools, work, and other spaces. The demonstrators at the sit-in refused to leave until this law was signed.

WHY

At that time in history, individuals with disabilities were almost invisible. This is because they were often not allowed in school, work, and public places. There were no laws giving the disability community equal rights to these places and spaces.

HOW

The 504 Sit-in made America a more accessible and welcoming place for people with disabilities. It became the law to install ramps and other accessibility features in public buildings. It became illegal to exclude people with disabilities from public schools, work, and other spaces. This paved the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act, which made it illegal to exclude people with disabilities from all schools, work, and spaces.

HOW

The 504 Sit-in transformed the way individuals with disabilities were viewed by others and the way they viewed themselves. They proved they were more than capable of fighting for change. And for many, the 504 Sit-in marked the first time that disabled people felt proud of who they were. The disability flag and infinity sign have become symbols of solidarity and pride in disability communities.

WHO

Frank was a deaf disability rights activist, known as the “Father of Section 504.” During the sit-in, he addressed lawmakers and moved his fellow demonstrators to tears by stating, “We are not even second-class citizens, we are third-class citizens.”

WHO

The 504 Sit-in was led by many people with different kinds of disabilities.

WHO

The 504 Sit-in was led by many people with different kinds of disabilities.

WHAT

Because travel was so inaccessible, demonstrators who used wheelchairs were loaded into the trunks of box trucks to travel around Washington, DC.

WHAT

Local supporters, including the Black Panthers, Salvation Army, and Gay Men’s Butterfly Brigade delivered meals, beds, and supplies to the demonstrators.

WHY

At that time in history, individuals with disabilities were almost invisible. This is because they were often not allowed in school, work, and public places. There were no laws giving the disability community equal rights to these places and spaces.

WHAT

Local supporters, including the Black Panthers, Salvation Army, and Gay Men’s Butterfly Brigade delivered meals, beds, and supplies to the demonstrators.

WHAT

The demonstrators held a hearing from inside the building to educate lawmakers and the public on what life was like with a disability, without equal rights.

WHAT

For some people with disabilities, a sleepover is not always an easy thing. Without their beds, changes of clothes, medicine, or usual help from friends, family, and personal assistants, many of them got sick or hurt. But they persisted.