Martin Luther king
published in the Republican January 2021
This week, we are honoring the work of Martin Luther King. He is best known for civil rights and standing for equality. His work has helped shape the disability rights movement.
Empowered by his work, many disability advocates joined the fight, which led to many advances in accessibility for disabled people. For example, in 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed, which banned discrimination on the basis of race, color, natural origin, religion or gender. However, it did not ban discrimination against the disabled.
Disability advocates worked to achieve the same legal protections for the disabled. Due to stereotypesof disabled people being a burden, they were often segregated, such as being institutionalized. Changes started in the 1960s, such as mass transit systems being required to include wheelchair lifts, buildings made accessible and children with disabilities were no longer excluded from public schools.
These strides in disability equality remind us of Dr. King’s words that, “Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.”