DRLC Mourns the Loss of Disability Rights Advocate Harlan Hahn
Harlan Hahn, USC professor and long-time disability rights champion, died earlier this year at 68, at his Santa Monica home. Harlan was a prominent and respected advocate for change in the disability community, who improved the lives of many people throughout his career. He was a proponent for the 1973 U.S. Rehabilitation Act and the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, legal cornerstones of the disability rights movement. Harlan is widely known for his lawsuit against USC, while employed there, that resulted in campus wide barrier removal. In 1998, after working as a professor at the university for decades, Harlan filed the lawsuit due to numerous architectural and structural barriers on campus preventing the full inclusion of people with disabilities. As a wheelchair and crutches user, Harlan frequently was unable to attend meetings and events, because many of the buildings were inaccessible to him. As a result of the settlement, USC commits significant resources each year to the removal of barriers. The disability rights movement can credit its victories to the passion and determination of people like Harlan. The loss of a leader in the fight for disability rights will be felt throughout the community.