The Threat Is Real
A Lawsuit Threatens the Disability Protections I’ve Known My Whole Life
By Rebekah Taussig
Taussig is the author of Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body
Activists participating in a 'Section 504' demonstration in UN Plaza, San Francisco, Ca, April 5, 1977 — Anthony Tusler for Getty ImagesLike so many Americans, I’ve been trying to avoid social media lately. My brain feels fractured and frazzled trying to keep up with the headlines that are only escalating with red-alert alarm. I’m trying to stay informed, while moving slowly and sustainably, focusing on the good I can do right in front of me. But just after supper on a recent Thursday night, as my kid heads off to his bath and the dishwasher waits to be loaded, my thumb finds the Instagram icon on my phone, and I’m sucked away from the table and into a post that stops me cold: “Section 504 is Under Attack.”
When I reference Section 504 out in the world, most people I meet scrunch up their faces like they’re trying to recall the name of that one guy from that one movie. “Is that related to my kid’s 504 plan?” they sometimes ask. Even when they vaguely recognize the words, few have any idea what this tiny piece of legislation means, let alone its history. A mere 46 words that appear in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 essentially prohibits all entities that receive federal funding from discriminating against disabled people.
So yes, it is inextricably related to school 504 plans, but it goes far beyond that too. Not only was this law written to make sure that students with disabilities, from cerebral palsy to ADHD to a temporarily broken leg, are provided the reasonable accommodations they need to participate meaningfully in their school community, but it prevents a…
