US Disability: 1970-1980

Key Events regarding Disability in the US: 1970 to 1980:

1970: While living in a nursing home, Max Starkloff founded Paraquad. The goal of the company was to help people with Disabilities Live Independently.

1970: The Urban Mass Transportation Act became law, and it required all new American Mass Transit vehicles be equipped with Wheelchair lifts. APTA delayed implementation for 20 years. Regulations were finally issued in 1990.

1970: Disabled in Action was founded by Judith Heumann.

1970: The American Association for the Abolition of Involuntary Mental Hospitalization (AAAIMH) was an organization founded by Thomas Szasz, George Alexander, and Erving Goffman for the purpose of abolishing involuntary Psychiatric Intervention, particularly involuntary commitment, against individuals.

1970: Developmental Disabilities Services and Facilities Construction Amendments became law in the U.S. These Amendments contained the first legal definition of Developmental Disabilities. They also authorized grants for services and facilities for the rehabilitation of people with Developmental Disabilities and State DD Councils.

1971: The Javits–Wagner–O'Day Act, a U.S. Federal Law requiring that all Federal a=Agencies purchase specified supplies and services from nonprofit agencies employing persons who are Blind or have other Significant Disabilities, was passed by the 92nd United States Congress in 1971. It was an expansion of the Wagner-O'Day Act of 1938.

1971: The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) published American Standard Specifications for Making Buildings Accessible to, and Usable by, the Physically Handicapped (the A117.1 Barrier Free Standard). This landmark document, produced by the University of Illinois, became the basis for subsequent Architectural Access Codes.

1971: The National Center for Law and the Handicapped was founded at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. It became the first Legal Advocacy Center for people with Disabilities in the U. S.

1971: The U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama, decided in Wyatt v. Stickney that people in Residential State Schools and Institutions had a Constitutional Right "to receive such individual treatment as (would) give them a realistic opportunity to be cured or to improve his or her mental condition." Disabled people were no longer to be locked away in custodial institutions without treatment or education.

1971: The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 was amended to bring people with Disabilities (other than blindness) into the Sheltered Workshop System.

1971: The Florida Mental Health Act of 1971 (commonly known as the "Baker Act," allows the Involuntary Institutionalization and examination of an Individual in Florida. It can be initiated by Judges, Law Enforcement Officials, Physicians, or Mental Health Professionals.

1971: In Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens (PARC) v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, ruled that it was the obligation of the State of Pennsylvania to provide free Public Education to Mentally Disabled Children, which it was not doing at that time. This decision struck down various State Laws used to exclude Disabled Children from the Public Schools

1972: The Center for Independent Living was established by Edward Roberts and associates in Berkeley, California. It was established with funds from the Rehabilitation Administration, and it is recognized as the first Center for Independent Living. This sparked the Independent Living Movement.

1972:Mills v. Board of Education of District of Columbia, was a lawsuit filed against the District of Columbia in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The court ruled that Students with Disabilities must be given a Public Education even if the Students are unable to pay for the cost of the education. The case established that "all Children are entitled to free Public Education and training appropriate to their learning capacities".

1972: The Houston Cooperative Living Residential Project was established in Houston, Texas. It became a model for subsequent Independent Living Programs.

1972:  The Legal Action Center (Washington, D.C. and New York City) was founded to advocate for the interests of People with Alcohol or Drug dependencies and for people with HIV/AIDS.

1972:  Paralyzed Veterans of America, National Paraplegia Foundation, and Richard Heddinger filed suit against the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, asking them to incorporate Accessibility into their design for a new, multibillion-dollar Subway system in Washington, D.C. Their victory was a landmark in the struggle for Accessible Public Mass Transit

1972:  In New York ARC v. Rockefeller, parents of 5,000 Residents at the Willowbrook State School in Staten Island, New York, filed suit over the inhumane living conditions at that Institution, where Residents were abused and neglected. A 1972 television broadcast from the Willowbrook State School, titled "Willowbrook: The Last Great Disgrace," outraged the general public. However, it took 3 years from the time the lawsuit documents were filed before the consent judgement was signed. In 1975, the consent judgement was signed, and it committed New York State to improve community placement for the now designated "Willowbrook Class." The Willowbrook State School was closed in 1987, and all but about 150 of the former Willowbrook Residents were moved to group homes by 1992.

1972:  Demonstrations were held by Disabled Activists in Washington, D.C. to protest Nixon's Veto of an early version of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Among the Demonstrators were Disabled in Action, Paralyzed Veterans of America, the National Paraplegia Foundation, and others.

1972: Disabled in Action demonstrated in New York City with a sit-in protesting Nixon's Veto of an early version of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Led by Judith Heumann, eighty activists staged this sit-in on Madison Avenue, stopping traffic.

1972: The Commonwealth of Virginia ceased its Forced Sterilization Program. 8,300 individuals never received justice regarding their Sterilizations, which they did not consent to.

1972:  In Jackson v. Indiana, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a person adjudicated incompetent could not be indefinitely committed.

1972: The Black Lung Benefits Act of 1972 (BLBA) is a Federal Law which provides monthly payments and Medical Benefits to Coal Miners totally disabled from Pneumoconiosis (black lung disease) arising from employment in or around the nation's coal mines. The law also provides monthly benefits to Miner's Dependent Survivors if Pneumoconiosis caused or hastened the Miner's death

1973: The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 became law; Section 504 of the Act states "No otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the United States, shall, solely by reason of his [sic] handicap, 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." This was the first U.S. Federal Civil Rights protection for people with Disabilities.

1973: The Goldwater Rule is the informal name given to Section 7.3 in the American Psychiatric Association's Code of Ethics,[ which states it is unethical for Psychiatrists to give a professional opinion about Public Figures they have not examined in person, and from whom they have not obtained consent to discuss their mental health in public statements. It is named after Presidential Candidate Barry Goldwater.

1973: Rosenhan's Experiment "accelerated the movement to reform Mental Institutions and to Deinstitutionalize as many Mental Patients as possible.

1973: A Federal District Court ruled in Souder v. Brennan that Patients in Mental Health institutions must be considered Employees and paid the Minimum Wage required by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 whenever they performed any activity that conferred an economic benefit on an Institution.

1973: The American Bar Association's Commission on the Mentally Disabled was established  to respond to the advocacy needs of persons with Mental Disabilities.

1973: Handicapped Parking Stickers were introduced in Washington, D.C.

1973: The Federal-Aid Highway Act authorized Federal Funds for construction of curb cuts.

1974: The Last Ugly Laws in the US were repealed in Chicago, Illinois.

1974: Supplemental Security Income, a United States Government Program that provides stipends to low-income people who are either Blind or otherwise Disabled, or aged 65 or older was created.

1974: The Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 is an Act of Congress in reference to Disabled Veterans, Vietnam-era Veterans, and any other Veterans who served Active Duty time in a war event that qualifies for a campaign badge. This law requires that employers with Federal contracts or subcontracts of $150,000 or more provide equal opportunity and affirmative action for special Disabled Veterans, Vietnam-era Veterans, and Veterans who served on active duty during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized.

1974 : The Boston Center for Independent Living was established.

1974:  North Carolina passed a statewide Building Code with stringent access requirements.

1974: North Carolina ended its Forced Sterilization Program. The State sterilized 7,600 people from 1929 to 1974 who were deemed socially or mentally unfit.

1975: The Education for All Handicapped Children Act, (renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1990) became law in the U.S., and it declared that Disabled Children could not be excluded from Public School because of their Disability, and that School Districts were required to provide special services to meet the needs of Disabled Children.

1975: The Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act became law in the U.S., and it established protection and advocacy (P & A) services.

1975: The Community Services Act became law in the U.S., and it created the Head Start Program. It stipulated that at least 10% of program openings were to be reserved for Disabled Children.

1975: The American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities was founded in Washington, D.C.

1975: Edward Roberts was appointed Director of the California Department of Rehabilitation. He established nine Independent Living Centers based on the Berkeley CIL model.

1975:  Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley, is a United States Supreme Court case concerning the interpretation of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. Amy Rowley was a Deaf Student, whose School refused to provide a Sign Language Interpreter. Her Parents filed suit contending violation of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. In a 6–3 decision authored by Justice Rehnquist, the Court held that Public Schools are not required by law to provide Sign Language Interpreters to Deaf Students who are otherwise receiving an equal and adequate education.

1976: Robert Randall successfully used a medical necessity defense when he was charged with illegal possession of Cannabis to treat his Glaucoma.

1976: The Federal Communications Commission authorized reserving Line 21 on televisions for Closed Captions.

1977:  Max Cleland was appointed head of the U.S. Veterans Administration. He was the first severely Disabled person and the youngest person to fill that position. He was wounded during the Vietnam War.

1977: Rules were changed, so that Service Dogs were allowed on the U.S. Senate floor.

1977: The White House Conference on Handicapped Individuals drew 3,000 people with Disabilities to discuss Federal Policy toward people with Disabilities. It resulted in numerous recommendations and acted as a catalyst for grassroots Disability Rights organizing.

1977: Legal Services Corporation Act Amendments added financially needy people with Disabilities to the list of those eligible for Publicly Funded Legal Services in America.

1978: Title VII of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1978 became law in the U.S., and it established the first Federal funding for consumer-controlled independent living centers and created the National Council of the Handicapped under the U.S. Department of Education.

1978: The National Center for Law and the Deaf was founded in Washington, D.C.

1978: Handicapping America, by Frank Bowe, was published; it was a comprehensive review of the policies and attitudes denying equal citizenship to Americans with Disabilities. It became a standard text of the Disability Rights Movement.

1978: The Wage and Hour Act was amended in Alaska to exempt businesses from paying Minimum Wage to "an individual whose earning capacity is impaired by physical or mental deficiency, age, or injury."

1979: Vermont Center for Independent Living, the first Statewide Independent Living center in the U.S., was founded by Representatives of Vermont Disability Groups.

1979: The Virginia Sterilization Act of 1924 was repealed.