Reflection on Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution

On September 24th we had a discussion about a topic that can be difficult to unpack. We watched Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, a documentary about the journey of how the Americans with Disabilities Act was established. It also gave insight into how society as a whole tends to react to those with disabilities. Being a part of the disability community myself, I was born with Muscular Dystrophy and I use a wheelchair, this topic is very important to me. I’m passionate about breaking down misconceptions, having an open dialogue about the struggles that those with disabilities face, and speaking out about the rights and accommodations we deserve.

 

Official Release Poster, By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63480733

The documentary does a brilliant job telling the story of how the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed. It was not so long ago that students with disabilities were not allowed to attend school with their peers. Those with disabilities were placed in classrooms separate from able-bodied peers because the school was not wheelchair accessible nor were there proper accommodations for other disabilities. Sometimes those with disabilities wound up in underfunded, underregulated institutions which led to inappropriate and unsanitary care. It was not shocking to me that this was the case. What shocked me was that this was happening not so long ago.

 

The documentary highlights this camp that was meant for individuals with varying kinds of disabilities. It was a place where you could go and be with peers who had some degree of disability just like yourself. Here the campers were able to connect and discuss how society treats those with disabilities. This sparked the realization that individuals with disabilities deserve better. It is our right to be able to attend school, have a job, and be a part of society. The activists fought tirelessly to get the 504 plan established. It was a win when it was finally passed, but of course, the government often failed to enforce it mainly because of the cost. So in 1977, the activists occupied a government building until the 504 plan was enforced and subsequently, after years of further activism, the ADA was passed on July 26, 1990. It was powerful to observe how the activists worked hard to get the ADA passed and it was not just those with disabilities who were in the fight. Individuals from the Black Panthers and LGBTQ+ organizations helped out. The intersectionality of civil rights was a remarkable sight and one that is still relevant in society today. Our fight is their fight and vice versa.

 

The aspect of the documentary that is important is how it shows the social model of disability and how even though the ADA was passed, we have only hit the tip of the iceberg. The social model of disability describes how an individual is not limited by their disability, but by their environment and society. I constantly try to explain this concept to able-bodied individuals. I know my body. I know what it can and cannot do. The issue is not my disability. The issue is that the world was simply not made for me and society continues to not enforce the ADA properly. How am I supposed to be a part of society if society does not want to spend the money to provide proper accommodations? There needs to be more preemptive designing with disabilities in mind. Why does there only have to be one wheelchair accessible bathroom? Why can't there be multiple bathrooms made for different disabilities? These are questions that architects and engineers need to ponder.

 

It is also not just the lack of enforcement of the ADA, but how society views those with disabilities. These preconceived notions about how frustrating our lives are, which just isn't true. Again, the only frustrations are the systematic obstacles that society puts in place. The fact that transportation is so difficult because wheelchair accessible taxis only run certain hours or the elevator to the subway is broken, the difficulty of finding a job because you have to list your disability, no braille marks, no sign language interpreter, reliable aids are hard to find because they are underpaid, and finding affordable housing. I could continue listing examples, but the main point is that those with disabilities do not/should not change; society needs to change.

 

Haley Kulas, Class of 2021