Disability History and Awareness Month: The Architectural Barriers Act passes in 1968

Disability History and Awareness Month: The Architectural Barriers Act passes in 1968

In the 1960s, thanks to the hard work of disability rights advocates, the federal government was becoming aware of the barriers to access that many Americans were facing. Congress created a commission to examine the extent to which architectural barriers – barriers in the way that facilities are built and maintained – prevented access to public places.

In 1968, Congress enacted the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) in response to the recommendations of the commission. The ABA had the distinction of passing in the Senate unanimously. The ABA was designed to increase access to federal facilities. Congress also expected the ABA to set a standard for state and local governments and private enterprises.

One of the driving forces behind the enactment of the ABA was Hugh Gallagher, a legislative aide to Senator Bartlett of Alaska. Gallagher, who used a wheelchair after a bout of polio at 19, had worked in Washington, D.C. for years and had experienced the indignities of inaccessible federal buildings. Gallagher later said of the ABA: "I wanted it to be simple. I wanted accessibility to be one of the items on the checklist of designers and builders."

The ABA’s scope was limited to facilities that were constructed with federal funds and designed, built, leased, or altered after 1969. The ABA was not a sweeping reform, but it was a step in the right direction. In the years that followed, the ABA was joined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, state laws, and model building codes that continue to move our country’s building standards toward universal access. Still, Hugh Gallagher’s contribution to America’s legal landscape represents a watershed moment. As U.S. Senator Bob Dole wrote, “Hugh’s most outstanding contribution to the quality of life of people with disabilities was to successfully place disability on the agenda of the Congress for the first time.”

Sources:

• History of the Access Board, available at http://www.access-board.gov/about/history.htm
• Wikipedia, Hugh Gallagher (advocate), available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Gallagher_(advocate)

October is Persons with Disabilities History and Awareness Month in Texas.  Each workday in October 2012, the Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities will post a daily Disability History Fact highlighting the accomplishments of people with disabilities or important dates and events related to the history of people with disabilities. These daily history facts will be presented to celebrate “Persons with Disabilities History and Awareness Month” in Texas. Learn more about disability history: http://governor.state.tx.us/disabilities/resources/disability_history/