Brief History Of The Rehabilitation Act Of 1972

History
On September 22 1862, President Lincoln attempted to end slavery by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. However, once free, African-Americans did not instantly gain the same rights as other free men. Almost a hundred years later, racism and Jim Crowe segregation were predominate within the United States. African-Americans had never gained the same legal rights of White men. They were not allowed to drink from the same water fountains, sit on the same buses, eat at the same counters, or attend the same schools to name a few. In attempt to gain equal rights, the Civil Rights movement began. Activists such as, Rosa Parks, Malcom X, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., began organizing marches, protest, and sit-ins, in order to gain attention.

While Congress was not in session, President Nixon vetoed the law, (Rains, 1992). The following year Congress drafted the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, however, President Nixon once again vetoed this version. On the third attempt, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was finally passed. The law had promised equality to the disabled community, but it was not the Civil Rights moment they had hoped for. The Rehabilitation Act of 1972, implemented vocational training programs, and vowed to create programs within the Departments of Health and Education for the disable. Most importantly, Section 504 of the law, which was originally only compromised of forty words, outlawed disability-based segregation. However, Section 504 only extended coverage to businesses with fifteen or more employees who were receiving government or federal aide. Moreover, the section further discriminated the disabled by enforcing them to disclose their disability. This was often perceived as shameful and belittling, but the law was never fully enforced due to the lack of funding. Congress never appointed a federal department to implement and enforce the law, (Rains, 1992). Moreover, upon passing the law, Congress had estimated it would cost an approximate $3.2 billion to enforce the law, but the money was never allocated in their budget, (Rains 1992). The United States justice system was

In 1974, Congress amended Section 504 of the law, to expand coverage to those with disabilities, those with a history of disabilities, and those perceived as having a disability, (quote). Nevertheless, this was not enough to fully grant equality and end segregation for the disabled community. In a 1983 Harris Poll, the United States Commission of Civil Rights