Riding at The Back of Societies The Bus, What does it mean to be disabled in America today?
"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.". People with disabilities now share Rosa Park’s seat at the back of the bus It is no longer just Rosa Parks fighting for African American rights; now, the fight includes people like Justin Dart, Jr., the founder of the American Association of People with Disabilities. It takes hubris to equate the struggles undertaken by the African American community in the early 60s with the challenges facing people with disabilities today. The disability rights movement is one of the last significant Civil Rights movement in America that has not gotten mainstream attention. While people with disabilities have the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is only a single piece of legislation. It by itself is only a Band-Aid and does not improve the lives of people with disabilities. It has been nearly thirty years since this ground-breaking piece of legislation, but has muc...