#TBT: Lyndon B. Johnson Legislates Wheelchair Ramps

 

     On August 12th, 1968, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the historic Architectural Barriers Act, which mandated that any structures built with assistance, funds, or permits from the federal government be accessible to people with disabilities. While not fully comprehensive, it paved the way for wheelchair ramps, handicapped parking spots, handicapped stalls, and automatic doors allowing the disabled the same quality of life as all of their peers. It would later be amended in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to be more inclusive.