League of the Physically Handicapped

The League of the Physically Handicapped was an early 20th century disability rights organization in New York City. It was formed in May 1935 to protest discrimination by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).[1]

The Home Relief Bureau of New York City stamped applications by disabled applicants with "PH", which stood for "physically handicapped". Marked as "unemployable", they were denied access to WPA-created jobs.[2] To protest this, members of the League held a sit-in at that Home Relief Bureau for nine days beginning on May 29, 1935, and a weekend sit-in at the WPA headquarters, also in New York City, in June 1935.[3][4][5] These actions eventually led to the creation of 1,500 jobs for physically disabled workers in New York City in 1936.[6][7][8] The league had dissolved by 1938.[2]

References
  1. Longmore, PK; Goldberger, David (December 2000). "The League of the Physically Handicapped and the Great Depression: A Case Study in the New Disability History". The Journal of American History. 87 (3): 888–922. doi:10.2307/2675276. JSTOR 2675276. PMID 17639642.
  2. Rosenthal, Keith. "Pioneers in the fight for disability rights The League of the Physically Handicapped". International Socialist Review. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  3. "The Brooklyn Daily Eagle from Brooklyn, New York on May 13, 1936 · Page 4". Newspapers.com. 13 May 1936.
  4. Rosenthal, Keith. "Pioneers in the fight for disability rights | International Socialist Review". isreview.org.
  5. "PLEA BY DISABLED PUT TO WPA CHIEF; New York Group, Camping in Washington, Will Consult Williams Again Today". The New York Times. August 17, 1937. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  6. Fleischer, Doris Zames; Zames, Frieda (2001). The Disability Rights Movement: From Charity to Confrontation. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. p. 906. ISBN 1439907447.
  7. "Disability History Timeline". Rehabilitation Research & Training Center on Independent Living Management. Temple University. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  8. Longmore, PK (January 2000). "Disability Policy and Politics: Considering Consumer Influence". Journal of Disability Policy Studies. 11 (1): 36–44. doi:10.1177/104420730001100111. S2CID 145123577.


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