Disability history is a rich well of information full of major events that have shaped the trajectory of not only the world people with disabilities live in today but has also positively impacted the landscape of the United States as we know it.
The Capitol Crawl was one of those important moments in disability history that few people may know about. This article will take a closer look at the details and explain the importance of learning more about disability culture.
Disability activists had been calling for increased access and inclusion in society since the time of the civil rights movement. The planning and execution of the events that occurred the day that would be later dubbed “The Capitol Crawl” are an excellent example of how peaceful activism can lead to real change that has a positive impact on everyone. This demonstration took the disability rights movement into visibility and catapulted the message of inclusion and access into the mainstream like never before
The Capitol Crawl was a demonstration that was organized by activists in the disability community which took place on March 12, 1990, in Washington DC. It was organized by disability activists to get the attention of legislators so that they would move forward in having the Americans with Disabilities Act become the law of the land. The demonstration saw many individuals with disabilities abandon their wheelchairs, crutches and canes to struggle up the steps of the United States Capitol to demonstrate the importance of removing the physical barriers that people with disabilities experienced in society when accessing services in their community.
This demonstration was an important event in disability history because it put a face on people with disabilities who had previously not been as vocal about their needs until the disability rights movement began and demonstrated the obstacles people with disabilities must encounter every day to accomplish routine tasks of daily living. The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed by George H.W. Bush just a few months later that year on July 26, 1990.
Activism such as events like the Capitol Crawl and the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act helped open doors to level the playing field for individuals with disabilities in society that could only be imagined before the activists took action to gain rights previously unavailable to our community. The impact of the legislation signed into law by President Bush is far reaching and still evident today in schools, places of employment and other aspects of every community across the country. It also serves as an example of what steps should be taken to effectively influence the changes we want to see around us to foster a more inclusive society.
As an additional bonus, the events of the Capitol Crawl were also illustrated in a children’s book titled All the Way to the Top: How One Girl’s Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything. This book illustrates one girl’s efforts to gain increased access to the world around her despite her disability during a time when there were barriers in front of individuals with disabilities who wanted equal access to the world. This book is a wonderful children’s book that is a great way to start teaching young children about disability acceptance and the importance of disability history.