Eunice Fiorito
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.
Golden Gate Bridge
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.
Washington Monument
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.
Sleeping Person
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!
Brad Lomax
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.
Person Signing in Window
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.
Kitty Cone
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.
Ed Roberts
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.
Group of Black Men with Food
WHAT
Local supporters, including the Black Panthers, Salvation Army, and Gay Men’s Butterfly Brigade delivered meals, beds, and supplies to the demonstrators.
Judy Heumann
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.
Easter Eggs
WHAT
The demonstrators kept their spirits up by celebrating Easter and Passover with an Easter egg hunt and Seder inside the building.
"Sign 504" Sign
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.
No Reflection in Mirror
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.
Ramp
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.
Disability Pride Flag
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.
Frank Bowe
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.”
Wheelchair
WHO
The 504 Sit-in was led by many people with different kinds of disabilities.
Box Truck
WHAT
Because travel was so inaccessible, demonstrators who used wheelchairs were loaded into the trunks of box trucks to travel around Washington, DC.
Cot
WHAT
Local supporters, including the Black Panthers, Salvation Army, and Gay Men’s Butterfly Brigade delivered meals, beds, and supplies to the demonstrators.
School
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.
Slice of Bread
WHAT
Local supporters, including the Black Panthers, Salvation Army, and Gay Men’s Butterfly Brigade delivered meals, beds, and supplies to the demonstrators.
Microphone
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.
Medical Cross Symbol
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.
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