Politics and Policy in the History of the Disability Rights Movement

Although the disability rights movement consists of a small portion of all Americans with disabilities, activists have pressed claims on behalf of that entire population. The nascent movement in the early and mid-1970s drew upon policy goals of other civil rights movements, particularly at the federal level, to gain political and legal objectives. Disability rights activists achieved mixed results over the past decade despite joining broader coalitions to fight social budget cuts and a conservative civil rights agenda. If the disability rights movement is not yet fully autonomous and faces an uncertain future, it has established itself as a presence in American social welfare politics.