After reading the article and watching the film, I feel that activism is best defined as the continuous act of fighting for equity and equality for all. The film I watched was titled “CRIP CAMP: A DISABILITY REVOLUTION”, and I’m really glad this is the film I chose. I feel like I didn’t learn very much about how the American Disability Act and Section 504 were actually brought about. It’s so important and there was so much activism at play to make it a reality. The film revolves around a groundbreaking summer camp for teens with disabilities and the group of alumni that joins the radical disability rights movement that leads to historic legislation changes. It goes into detail about all of the activism led primarily by Judy Huemann, and even mentions more activism before the events of this documentary. In 1970, Educator and Disability Activist Judith Huemann was denied a teaching license by the New York City Board of Education. The reason was that they claimed that her wheelchair was a fire hazard. This led her to sue the Board of Education, which jumpstarted her activism. In 1977, Judy led demonstrators to take over the Health and Education Welfare (HEW) office in San Francisco, California. They protested HEW’s secretary Califano, as he was refusing to accept regulations for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which would make the discrimination of people with disabilities at the hands of federal agencies, public universities, and other public institutions illegal. It was the longest take-over occupation of a federal office by protestors in the history of the United States and lasted 25 days. This paved the way for the 1990 passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The film even brings up Brown vs. Board of Education, which took place in 1954.

I feel that there are many meaningful ways to engage in activism with gender justice. You can advocate for new legislation against discrimination based on gender, protest against gender injustice, make donations to groups that support people of marginalized genders, start social media campaigns, and support those running for office who understand gender issues and gender inequality. You can even bring these attitudes into your personal life by bringing these topics into the home and educating those around you.