‘We want to ride’: the 1978 protest that sparked the disability rights movement

What It Covers

NPR's Up First traces the 1978 Denver bus protest by 19 wheelchair users — the "Gang of Nineteen" — through the 1990 Capitol Crawl to the ADA's passage, then examines how 2025 federal Medicaid cuts and a DOJ memo now threaten the independent living rights that movement secured.

Key Questions Answered

• •Civil disobedience strategy: The Gang of Nineteen used a three-wheelchair formation to immobilize Denver city buses — one at the door, one at the front, one at the side — making it physically impossible for drivers to move. This precise, non-verbal tactic required no confrontation, just positioning, and held two buses overnight for roughly 16 hours.
• •The "right to be arrested" precedent: Denver police refused to arrest wheelchair users during the 1978 protest because buses, police vans, jails, and courthouses were all inaccessible. Attorney John Holland successfully argued this denied protesters equal protection under law — establishing that disability activists have a legal right to be taken seriously as civil demonstrators.
• •Cost argument for home care: Providing attendant care for severely disabled individuals in their own homes costs less on average than nursing home placement. For someone like Nikki Bishop, who requires approximately 23 hours of daily care, Medicaid-funded home support enables full-time employment and parenting — outcomes institutionalization would eliminate entirely.
• •Olmstead decision as legal foundation: The 1999 Supreme Court Olmstead ruling established that disabled people requiring long-term care have a constitutional right to receive it within their community rather than institutions. A June 2025 DOJ memo now signals states may no longer carry that obligation, creating a direct legal challenge advocates are preparing to contest.
• •Medicaid cuts create immediate care gaps: Colorado's 2025 budget capped paid Medicaid caregiver hours, forcing family members to fill professional care gaps unpaid. Disability advocates warn that without federal oversight, states facing budget pressure will systematically reduce in-home support services — pushing disabled residents back toward nursing home placement as a default cost-cutting measure.