Judy Heumann is denied a teaching license because her wheelchair is considered a "fire hazard." She sues the New York City Board of Education, and then joins forces with Ed Roberts to launch the Independent Living Movement.

The Independent Living Movement asserts that people with disabilities should name their own needs, frames disability as a social construct created by ableism, and asserts the importance of people with shared experience organizing together to build power and make change. This marks a shift from organizations for people with disabilities to groups organized by people with disabilities themselves.