In 1978, 19 disabled activists in Denver blocked city buses to demand wheelchair-accessible public transit, sparking a civil rights movement that led to the Americans with Disabilities Act and the right for disabled people to live independently in their communities instead of institutions. The Gang of 19's 1978 bus blockade in Denver became a pivotal act of civil disobedience that directly resulted in Denver Metro Transit installing wheelchair lifts on new buses and inspired national disability rights activism.