Denver has a history, stretching back more than four decades, of supporting the disability rights movement. It inspired important changes on the national scene. Here are some of the highlights.
In 1978, a group of activists called the “Gang of 19” occupied an intersection at Broadway and Colfax to protest the absence of accessible public transportation. They chanted “We will ride!” all day and into the night until the Regional Transportation District (RTD) discussed the situation. Only a small number of RTD’s buses at the time could accommodate people in wheelchairs. It was an important turning point in bringing attention to the discrimination long faced by the disabled community.
After the protest, RTD began retrofitting its buses with wheelchair lifts, requiring new training for mechanics and operators. By 1982, the entire fleet had been upgraded and Denver became the first metropolitan region in the country to provide large-scale wheelchair-accessible buses.
RTD’s buses are much more sophisticated today with lifts that can adapt to a variety of curb heights. Find out more about Denver’s accessible transportation network, from the airport train to the free MallRide that runs through the heart of the city.
Denver is also the birthplace of American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today (ADAPT), a grassroots organization that was launched in 1983, thanks to Wade Blank, a Presbyterian minister turned activist, and his supporters. It inspired a nationwide movement to push for equal access to schools, parking lots, housing communities and more. ADAPT was instrumental in creating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990.
Denverite Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins was one of the protesters who left her wheelchair and climbed up the U.S. Capitol steps to persuade Congress to pass the ADA. She was only 8 years old at the time. Check out her video interview below.
The Gang of 19 has not been forgotten. In 2023, Denver secured a $2.3 million grant from Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Monuments Project Presidential Initiative to honor the gang in Civic Center Park with a permanent installation. The grant also provides for improvements to make the park more accessible.
There has been progress on other fronts as well as businesses and attractions all over the city adapt.
In 1989, five local students were frustrated with the lack of theatrical opportunities for people with disabilities, so they founded their own company, PHAMALy (Physically Handicapped Amateur Musical Actors League). Now known as Phamaly Theatre Company, it's still going strong with its award-winning performances throughout the year.
Brewability in Englewood, meanwhile, is an inclusive brewery and pizzeria that employs adults with disabilities and is fully accessible to patrons.
AAA State of Play has ranked Colorado as the top state in the nation for people with disabilities. And over the past few decades, Colorado has also become a national leader in adaptive sports programs. That’s not surprising given that it’s an outdoor lover’s paradise. Denver has one of the largest city park systems in the United States and offers easy access to the Rocky Mountains. Find out more about Denver’s accessible outdoor recreation, from rock climbing to kayaking, golf, fishing and more.