Rights for Some, Not for Us: The MAGA Attack on Disabled individuals.
What is Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and why are MAGA and some governors trying to gut it?
What is Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973? I didn’t know until it came under attack.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a federal law that protects people with disabilities from being discriminated against for their access needs or the ways in which they fit outside of an ableist view of societal “norms.” It is a piece of legislation that made it possible for me to attend and graduate from Hudson Valley Community College and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a traumatic brain injury and severe back pain after surviving getting hit by a drunk driver. As a child, it protected me as a public school student diagnosed with ADHD and now, as an adult, it ensures that I am provided reasonable accommodations throughout the interview process and after being hired.
On September 26, 2024, 17 states across the United States sued the federal government in Texas v. Becerra. In it, they called into question whether or not Section 504 is constitution - as in, should disabled people benefitting from federal funding be protected by the U.S. Constitution? - The possible ramifications of this are far-reaching and could lead to future attacks on the Americans with Disabilities Act.
TLDR: The GOP (and their MAGA supporters) are attacking disabled people’s right to equitable access in federally funded spaces. I’ll continue to fight this by showing through my photos that disability rights are human rights. Disabled Lives Matter.