The "Capitol Crawl" demonstration, pushing for a vote on the Americans with Disabilities Act, in 1990.
Those were the days.
Not that they're gone, or that protests like this aren't relevant anymore. It's just that there was a simplicity to the ADA that you just can't find in today's really big disability issues. So, you can do a big, dramatic action like this, but a large percentage of those who see it will genuinely wonder what the hell it's all about, and suspect you're being over-dramatic or cynically manipulative. Besides, part of the awesomeness is that in 1989, it really, really surprised people. I just don't think a disability rights action along these lines can be surprising anymore, especially in jaded Washington DC.
What will the next truly astonishing disability rights protest look like?
P.S.: Obviously, watching this for the first time yesterday, the same day I posted about another, less uplifting "crawl", was a nice coincidence.
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