Section 504 Sit-In, San Francisco
In April 1977, disabled activists occupied the San Francisco office of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare for 28 days — the longest non-violent occupation of a federal building in US history — to force the signing of Section 504 regulations that had been stalled for four years. It was a defining moment of the disability rights movement.
The Section 504 Sit-In
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was a revolutionary piece of legislation — the first federal civil rights protection for disabled people, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability in any program or activity receiving federal funding. It was modeled on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and declared simply: "No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."
But for four years, the regulations needed to implement Section 504 were not signed. Three successive HEW (Department of Health, Education, and Welfare) secretaries refused to sign, citing cost concerns.
The Occupation
On April 5, 1977, disabled activists and allies occupied HEW regional offices across the country. The San Francisco occupation was the longest and most consequential. More than 100 disabled people — many using wheelchairs, some with attendants, some using sign language interpreters — moved into the federal building at 50 United Nations Plaza and refused to leave.
Judy Heumann, a wheelchair user and formidable organiser who had been denied a teaching licence due to her disability, was a central leader. She had testified before Congress, organised for years, and helped found Disabled in Action. The San Francisco sit-in was the culmination of her and many colleagues' sustained advocacy.
Brad Lomax, an African American wheelchair user and member of the Black Panther Party, played a crucial role. The Black Panthers provided hot meals to the protesters daily — a coalition that the authorities had not expected and could not easily undermine. Lomax's presence illustrated the interconnection of disability rights with other civil rights struggles.
Kitty Cone, a lifelong disability rights activist and organiser, coordinated much of the logistics of the occupation and built the coalitions with labour unions and other civil rights groups that sustained it.
Inside the Building
The occupation was extraordinary. Hundreds of disabled people — many requiring significant medical support, attendant care, and accessible toilet facilities — lived in the federal building for 28 days. There were no accessible bathrooms. The government cut off phone lines. Disability organisations on the outside ran supply chains. Attendants served the protesters day and night. The Deaf participants organised their own internal communications and interpretation.
On April 28, 1977, HEW Secretary Joseph Califano signed the Section 504 regulations largely as written — a complete victory for the protesters. A delegation had flown to Washington to meet with Califano; after he stalled, the San Francisco occupation continued and ultimately prevailed.
Legacy
The Section 504 sit-in is widely considered the crucible of the modern disability rights movement. It demonstrated that disabled people could organise, endure hardship, build cross-disability and cross-movement coalitions, and win. Many of the leaders — Judy Heumann, Kitty Cone, and others — went on to lead the fight for the ADA. The tactics, the coalition-building, and the spirit of the sit-in directly shaped the movement for the next fifty years.