April 5th, 2024, marks the 47th anniversary of the 504 sit-in. The 504 sit-in was one of the greatest displays of civil disobedience. Activists began to demonstrate and sit in at the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) offices found in regions including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, and Seattle. The most successful sit-in occurred in San Francisco, planned by Judith Heumann, Kitty Cone, and Mary Jane Owen, and lasted until May 4, 1977, totaling 25 days, with more than 150 people refusing to leave. It is the longest sit-in at a federal building to date. Close to 120 disability activists and protesters occupied the HEW building.
Section 504 states: “No otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the United States shall solely on the basis of his handicap, be excluded from participation, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”
Can you imagine so many people with disabilities and medical needs sacrificing their health and care because of this bill? Though Section 504 applied only to federally funded buildings, the regulations laid the groundwork for the Americans With Disabilities Act, which extended the protections to all private institutions and workplaces when it was enacted 13 years later.
