Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is one of the most vital civil rights protections in our country. It ensures that public programs and services, including schools, hospitals, transportation systems, and government agencies,are accessible to everyone. It protects students with chronic health conditions, individuals returning to work or school after medical treatment, and older adults who need physical access to polling places. In short, it protects the right to participate fully in public life.
Right now, these protections are under threat. We believe that public means everyone.
This page is your hub for education, action, and advocacy. Whether you're calling your elected officials, hosting a community conversation, or raising awareness on social media, you’ll find tools and resources here to help. Together, we can defend Section 504 and ensure that accessibility and equity remain at the heart of our communities.
Dear Advocate,
Thank you for stepping up to defend one of our nation’s most essential – and most endangered – civil rights protections.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is the foundation for disability rights in America. It ensures that public programs and services, like schools, hospitals, transportation, and government agencies, are truly accessible to all. It protects a student with asthma, a grandparent who needs a ramp to vote, a child returning to school after cancer treatment. It protects public participation itself.
Right now, those protections are under threat. But with your help, we can push back – and move forward.
This toolkit is designed to help you activate your community. Inside, you’ll find key messages, resources, social media posts, and ideas to help educate, mobilize, and raise awareness across Iowa, Nebraska, and beyond. Whether you’re sharing on social media, talking to neighbors, or planning an event, these resources are here to support your work.
We’re so grateful to be in this fight together. Let’s make it clear: if public means anything, it has to mean everyone.
With deep thanks,
Wendy Andersen
Director, Common Coalition
With this campaign, we aim to educate the general public on the importance that 504 has on all members of our community. Please help us invite your audiences to participate in this vital call-to-action.
Encourage your social media followers by using the hashtag #Protect504 and tagging @commoncoalitionmidwest. A draft post is included below, to engage audiences with our message.
Suggested Caption:
Think civil rights protections don’t affect you? Think again.
Section 504 is the law that ensures public spaces and services work for everyone. It protects access to education, healthcare, transportation, and civic life.But that protection is under threat.
Protect 504: Public Means Everyone is a grassroots campaign organizing in Nebraska and Iowa to defend equal access to public life—because when we lose civil rights, we all lose something.
Want to stay in the loop? Subscribe to our newsletter at common-coalition.org to get involved and help protect what matters.
#Protect504 #CommonCoalition
Use the following language in any marketing collateral you or your organization might create in the lead up to the Protect 504 campaign.
Section 504 prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in any program or activity receiving federal funding. That includes public schools, hospitals, universities, government offices, transit systems, and more.Many of the accommodations people now take for granted — like a student with asthma carrying an inhaler, or wheelchair access to a public building — are not “favors” or “extras.” They’re legally protected civil rights.
This law spans a lifetime - from birth to death. You might not need it at 25. But you might at 80. And in rural communities across Nebraska and Iowa, where options are limited, Section 504 protections can mean the difference between participation in public life and isolation.It applies to:
And it doesn’t have to be expensive, say advocates - a ramp made of plywood in a small-town gym is just as legal as a lift in a skyscraper.
Protect 504: Public Means Everyone is a grassroots, nonpartisan campaign activating communities in Iowa and Nebraska to:
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