ACTIVISTS & CREATORS
MEET THE PEOPLE WHO CHANGED HISTORY
Behind every milestone in the disability rights movement are individuals who challenged barriers, inspired change, and fought for equal access. Explore the activists, advocates, and content creators whose voices, leadership, and stories continue to shape a more inclusive world.
WHO BUILT IT
ACTIVISTS WHO CHANGED THE LAW
The organizers, litigators, and troublemakers whose work is behind nearly every accessible ramp, curb cut, and captioned broadcast in the country. This is not an exhaustive list — it's a starting set of some of the movement's more prominent figures, spanning over a century of organizing.
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1880–1968 · AUTHOR, LECTURER, CO-FOUNDER OF THE ACLU ACTIVISM BEGAN ~1904
HELEN KELLER
Deafblind from 19 months old, Keller became the first deafblind person in the U.S. to earn a college degree. Beyond the childhood story most people know, she spent her adult life as a radical political organizer — a founding member of the ACLU, a suffragist, and an advocate for workers' rights, campaigning for accessible education and employment for disabled people well into the 20th century.
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1939–1995 · "FATHER OF THE INDEPENDENT LIVING MOVEMENT" ACTIVISM BEGAN ~1962
ED ROBERTS
The first student with severe disabilities to attend UC Berkeley, Roberts lived in a modified hospital wing because dorms couldn't fit his iron lung. He and fellow students — the "Rolling Quads" — founded the first Center for Independent Living, a model replicated in 450+ centers nationwide.
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1930–2002 · "FATHER OF THE ADA"
ACTIVISM BEGAN ~1966
JUSTIN DART JR.
A polio survivor and wheelchair user, Dart's commitment to disability rights was sparked in 1966 by a visit to a Vietnam institution where disabled children were left to die. He went on to chair the National Council on Disability's task force and, with his wife Yoshiko, toured all 50 states gathering testimony that shaped the ADA's text before Congress passed it in 1990.
1950–1984 · BLACK PANTHER PARTY & DISABILITY ORGANIZER ACTIVISM BEGAN ~1969
BRAD LOMAX
A Black Panther Party member living with multiple sclerosis, Lomax was central to the 504 Sit-In's success — his Panther connections brought the protesters hot food and supplies for 28 days. He later co-founded the East Oakland Center for Independent Living, bridging the Black Power and disability rights movements.
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1947–2023 · "MOTHER OF THE DISABILITY RIGHTS MOVEMENT"
ACTIVISM BEGAN ~1970
JUDY HEUMANN
Paralyzed by polio as a toddler, Heumann was barred from her own school as a "fire hazard" and later denied a teaching license — she sued and won. She led the 1977 504 Sit-In, co-founded the Center for Independent Living and the World Institute on Disability, and later served in the Clinton administration and as a World Bank disability adviser.
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1944–2015 · LEAD ORGANIZER, 504 SIT-IN
ACTIVISM BEGAN ~1972
KITTY CONE
A key strategist behind the San Francisco 504 Sit-In, Cone described it as the moment disability was looked at as a civil rights issue rather than a matter of charity. An LGBTQ+ organizer, she connected disability rights to the broader civil rights coalition.
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B. 1988 · DISABILITY RIGHTS LAWYER, AUTHOR
ACTIVISM BEGAN ~2010
HABEN GIRMA
The first Deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School, Girma represented the National Federation of the Blind in litigation establishing that the ADA applies to online businesses. She now works internationally on tech accessibility and wrote the bestselling memoir Haben.
1974–2025 · FOUNDER, DISABILITY VISIBILITY PROJECT
ACTIVISM BEGAN ~2013
ALICE WONG
A disabled writer, editor, and organizer, Wong founded the Disability Visibility Project in 2014 to collect and amplify disabled people's own stories. She co-created #CripTheVote and Access Is Love, edited the anthologies Disability Visibility and Disability Intimacy, and was named a 2024 MacArthur Fellow for her work centering disability justice.
WHO'S CARRYING IT FORWARD
DISABILITY CONTENT CREATORS TO FOLLOW
Educators, comedians, and storytellers making disability visible in the feed. This is not an exhaustive list — it's a sampling of some of the more prominent creators working today. Handles are current as of this writing — double check before publishing, since usernames change.
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WRITER · SPEAKER · "CRUTCHES & SPICE"
IMANI BARBARIN
A disabled Black writer and communications professional who built hashtags like #AbledsAreWeird and #DisTheOscars into national conversations about ableism, race, and media representation.
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SPEAKER · AUTHOR · YOUTUBER
MOLLY BURKE
Blind since her teens due to retinitis pigmentosa, Burke was the first blind creator to reach 1 million YouTube subscribers. Her content mixes beauty, travel, and guide-dog life with direct advocacy for accessible design.
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FOUNDER, SPECIAL BOOKS BY SPECIAL KIDS (SBSK)
CHRIS ULMER
A former special-education teacher, Ulmer has filmed hundreds of interviews with disabled people since 2015 to "normalize the human condition," raising over $1.3 million directly for people featured.
DEAF CREATOR · ACCESSIBILITY CONSULTANT
RIKKI POYNTER
A YouTuber since 2010, Poynter started the #NoMoreCRAPtions campaign pushing platforms and creators toward accurate, accessible closed captioning — now a standard advocacy reference point in the Deaf creator community.
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WRITER · JOURNALIST
KEAH BROWN
A journalist with cerebral palsy, Brown started the viral hashtag #DisabledAndCute, pushing back on the idea that disability and self-love are mutually exclusive, and has written widely on disability and pop culture.
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COLE SYDNOR & CHARISMA WOOTEN · "ROLL WITH COLE & CHARISMA"
COLE AND CHARISMA
Cole is a disabled actor and content creator living as a quadriplegic; he and his partner Charisma make vlogs, challenges, and educational videos centered on positivity, accessibility, and dating with a disability.
SHANE BURCAW & HANNAH AYLWARD BURCAW · INTERABLED COUPLE VLOGGERS
SQUIRMY AND GRUBS
Shane has spinal muscular atrophy and uses a power wheelchair; Hannah does not have a disability. Since 2018 the married couple has vlogged their everyday life to normalize interabled relationships and push back on the idea that disability makes someone hard to love.
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AUTHOR · SPEAKER
HABEN GIRMA
Beyond her legal work, Girma is an active creator and speaker on tech accessibility, posting regularly about Deafblind life, adaptive technology, and universal design.