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Speaking Up! Learning From My Sister Joyce, the Disability Rights Activist

Speaking Up! Learning From My Sister Joyce, the Disability Rights Activist
Joyce Jackson speaks to Senator Alan Cranston. Joyce was a member of a group who flew to Washington, D.C. after the longest sit-in in the nation's history in San Francisco in 1977, resulting in the signing of regulations that were the precursor for the Americans with Disabilities Act. Photo by HolLynn D'Lil, participant in the 504 Demonstrations of 1977
Thelma Stiles
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Commentary
Sometimes, when I find myself thinking once again about my sister Joyce Jackson and the role that she played in the disability rights movement of the seventies, I’ll pull up YouTube on my iPhone, click on the documentary “The Power of 504,” and relive those electrifying days when this nation was captivated by the sight of young protestors in wheelchairs and on crutches—disability rights activists demonstrating in San Francisco and Los Angeles, New York City and Chicago and Denver.
Thelma Stiles
Thelma Stiles
Author
During the seventies and eighties, Thelma Stiles worked for private firms in northern California, writing training programs and editing classified documents. While working for the Feds during the early nineties, she edited engineering specifications, developed user manuals, and wrote instructional television scripts about the P-3 Orion. She’s also contributed personal essays and short stories to several national publications, including Essence, Italian America, and Travelers’ Tales.
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