Change Not Charity traces the grassroots movement leading to the passage in 1990 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the law that mandates accessibility for the disabled.
People with disabilities have a long history of being isolated, excluded socially as well as physically from facilities that were not accessible. Beginning in the late 1960’s, Jerry Lewis’ Labor Day Telethons were watched by nearly half of the country and raised millions of dollars towards finding a cure for muscular dystrophy. But despite its good intentions, by arousing the audience’s pity of the disabled to attract donations, the telethons also heightened the distance between “normal” people and people with disabilities.
Children were among those whose disabilities affected them in harmful ways. In one of the many interviews, Cynthia Jones describes how, at the age of five and a half, she was selected as a poster child for the March of Dimes because she was “blonde, blue-eyed, and braced.” When her teacher passed around a flyer to promote polio vaccines in class, she was horrified to see a picture of two children, one labeled “This”, the other “Not This.” Cynthia was the “Not This.” At that moment, she realized that no one wanted to be like her. In fact, many young children with disabilities were institutionalized and kept out of the public eye.
In February 1972, reporter Geraldo Rivera’s broadcast from inside Willowbrook State School, an institution for disabled children on Staten Island, shocked the nation and helped spark the disability rights movement. At the same time, a group of disabled college students in Berkeley, with a donation from the Rotary Club, formed the Center for Independent Living (CIL), offering services which included applying for government assistance, counseling and transportation. CIL drew disabled people from throughout the country who wanted to live in a place where they could find support and practical help. Judy Heumann, a disability rights advocate who had successfully sued the NYC Board of Education when she was denied a teaching position, became the Center’s Deputy Director.
In 1973, an update to the Federal Rehabilitation Act was enacted to help veterans. At the end of the document there was a 46-word clause, Section 504, barring discrimination against the disabled in federally funded institutions. People with disabilities took note, but the new regulations languished unsigned until demonstrators occupied the Federal Building in San Francisco and protested in Washington DC. The demonstrations drew national attention and led to Health, Education and Welfare Secretary Joseph Califano signing the regulation into law. Years later, the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act expanded the earlier regulation to include private institutions and businesses.
The story of the disability rights movement has elements that resonate today. Letter-writing campaigns and connections forged with members of Congress and the Executive Branch helped garner support for pending legislation and advance the movement’s agenda. Justin Dart, Vice Chair of the National Council of the Handicapped, crisscrossed the country holding town meetings to find out about discrimination in local communities. He issued his findings in a report titled “Toward Independence,” which served as a roadmap for disability legislation.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was initially introduced in 1988, at which time opponents called it the bankruptcy bill because the cost of creating accessible spaces was considered too exorbitant. In Washington DC, people parked their wheelchairs and maneuvered up the steps to the US Capitol into the Rotunda where over 100 protesters were arrested. ADA was finally passed two years later in 1990 with the support of President George H.W. Bush.
The disability rights movement led to significant change in large part because people showed up repeatedly over the years in multiple venues across the country to ensure their voices were heard. And while much has been achieved, the documentary ends with a reminder that there is still more work needed, citing that two out of three adults with disabilities are not in the work force.
Change Not Charity, part of the PBS’s American Experience series, is a comprehensive overview of the pivotal events leading up to the passage of ADA, using archival footage of demonstrations and interviews with participants, Congressmen, and legal advocates. The documentary is directed by Jim LeBrecht, who won the Academy Award for his previous documentary Crip Camp, a more personal documentary, with its focus on some of the key people in the movement beginning with their experiences at the sleepaway camp. Both documentaries provide insight into the struggles faced by the disabled and the efforts to advance disability rights.
Change Not Charity Film Trailer
CHANGE NOT CHARITY
Director: Jim LeBrecht
Narrator: Peter Dinklage
A STEWARD/GAZIT PRODUCTIONS FILM FOR AMERICAN EXPERIENCE 2025
RT 53 minutes
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
A powerful film celebrating disability rights, resilience, and community, revealing untold struggles and triumphs that demand greater recognition and action
