#AdvocacyMatters: The Long March Towards Equity
January 17, 2025 / #AdvocacyMatters
A society of true equity has long been the goal of many. This driving force has manifested in many different movements across most of our nation’s nearly 250-year history. The march has not been easy, and those whose cries broke through the noise to advance our collective discussion have earned lasting recognition. These voices, though, shouldn’t be viewed as the “winning” messages of a completed cause. Rather, their timeless words of wisdom should continue to inform and inspire those who carry this heavy torch today.
Next week, we’ll pause to remember the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Banks will close, the mail won’t run, and many students will receive a day off from classes. First recognized in 1986 – nearly 20 years after his assassination – this federal holiday provides opportunity to honor and reflect on King’s life and legacy. His use of inspiring messages and peaceful protest elevated the concepts of equity and racial justice at a very inequitable time. King’s messages weren’t strictly related to race relations, however, and in many ways kickstarted the movement for disability rights across the US.
"Of all forms of discrimination and inequalities, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhumane."
-Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Civil Rights Act of 1968 led directly into the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. As the first federal law designed to protect people with disabilities from being discriminated against, the Rehabilitation Act aimed to prevent discrimination in employment, programs, and activities that receive federal funding. This progress pushed even further with the signing of 1990’s Americans with Disabilities Act. Extending protections further than the Rehabilitation Act, the ADA protects people with disabilities from discrimination in daily life by guaranteeing “that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to enjoy employment opportunities, purchase goods and services, and participate in state and local government programs.”
Today, more than 50 years after the ADA’s passage, challenges remain. Protection & Advocacy Systems – like Disability Rights Ohio – work tirelessly and constantly to enforce these ADA protections. Dating back nearly 90 years, having been instituted decades before the Civil Rights Act and the ADA, is a provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 that allows employers to pay people with disabilities a rate less than minimum wage. Yesterday, we asked you to join our partners at the National Disability Rights Network in supporting a proposal to end this outdated and discriminatory exemption. “Originally intended to provide job opportunities to people with disabilities unable to find work in the competitive job market, this well-intentioned law developed into an industry that perpetuates the stereotype that people with disabilities cannot work in competitive and integrated employment.”
"The future Dr. King dreamed about would only be possible by centering the voices, choices, and experience of the individual. This idea has perpetuated through the disability rights movement with the central theme being 'nothing about us without us.' Just like Dr. King, and the Civil Rights Movement he lead, centering people, their needs, and empowering their advocacy is the only way to achieve an equitable future."
-Jordan Ballinger, DRO Policy Director
This Monday we encourage you to take time not only to reflect on the legacy of Dr. King, but to invest a bit of yourself in pushing his vision forward. Though the road towards true equity is long, together we can carry on.
#AdvocacyMatters