The Other Movement that Rosa Parks Inspired / Influencing Public Policy

The Other Movement that Rosa Parks Inspired: By Sitting Down, She Made Room for the Disabled

     "She stood up by sitting down. I'm only standing here because of her" (Wilson, p. 491). These words come from Detroit's mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, who owes much of what the public transportation in his city has become for the disabled to Rosa Parks. Though Parks wasn't protesting for the rights of people with disabilities, she set a precedent. This standard was that the voiceless should have a voice and that change can be created by ordinary people. Her efforts during the civil rights movement inspired another organization at the time, Americans Disabled for Accessible Public Transit (ADAPT).
 
     ADAPT saw relevance in Parks' methods and realized they could create similar changes to help their cause. Bob Kafka, a leader of ADAPT, discussed how the organization was splintered with everyone wanting something different. "The deaf community wanted interpreters. People with mobility issues wanted curb cuts. The blind wanted more sensory communication...We were tossed salad, not fondue" (Wilson, p. 491). Without something to unify their movement, there was little progress being made and transportation for those with disabilities was a huge problem. Typically, only certain busses were equipped with lifts for wheelchairs; thus, severely limiting public transportation options for those with physical disabilities. This prevented this population from accessing jobs, social opportunities and anything else which required consistent transport.

     When they eventually realized that by staging sit-in style protests on the busses, they could send a message and be heard, they began doing so across the country. Like with Parks, changes slowly began and with the introduction of the Americans with Disabilities Act, laws were changed. Currently, the difficulties lay in ensuring compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act across states. With the high-cost of purchasing and maintaining wheelchair lifts, cities often fail to provide what they're legally obligated to provide. "A 2002 federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics study found that 6 million Americans with disabilities still have trouble obtaining the transportation they need" (Wilson, p. 492).

     This whole discussion made me think of how possible a legacy truly is. Rosa Parks stood up for civil rights and created a legacy in doing so. This later impacted those with a similar struggle and cause even more positive social change. As most of us are in the education field, I believe it's important to think of ourselves in this way. The impacts we make on children everyday will repeat in different ways throughout a child's life. If we can make a significant difference, they might in-turn replicate your work later in their life. Thinking this way can be especially helpful on difficult days, when it seems like you're not making a difference. It's important to understand that if you're truly doing your best, there's no way you can't be making a difference, for you're modeling the best we can hope for.