Patient No More!: Values and Lessons from the 1977 Disability Sit-In

Join MTC staff in conversation with disability rights activist Emily Beitiks as she talks about the historic disability rights sit-in at the Federal Building in San Francisco that began on April 5, 1977. The protestors' actions led to landmark legislation: the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Accessibility is a key part of the work done by MTC. It is a building block that helps make up one of MTC's Core Values – Equity – advancing a fair, just and inclusive Bay Area through policies, actions and investments.

Hear from Emily both about the important work which has already taken place, as well as how its progress is under threat today.

Event Details

• Date: Thursday, May 8, 2025
• Time: 12 to 1:30pm
• Location: Bay Area Metro Center, Temazcal Room or Join via Zoom:
  • Zoom link: https://bayareametro.zoom.us/j/83198487124
  • Webinar ID: 831 9848 7124
  • Join by Phone (one-tap): +16699006833,,83198487124#

Speaker Biography

Emily Beitiks received a Ph.D. in American Studies with a focus in Disability Studies at the University of Minnesota. She has served as adjunct faculty at five universities, centering disability studies in her curriculum. From 2012 -2025, she worked at the Longmore Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University, serving as Interim Director for three years. While there, she developed her praxis as a scholar-activist of disability to promote creative forms of access for the arts and generate spaces that promote disability culture, serving as project director for a touring exhibition “Patient No More,” and serving as co-director of Superfest Disability Film Festival. She exists in this world because her mother’s sudden disability diagnosis prompted her to have a child, and her firsthand experiences of disability have grown throughout her 20 years of experience working in the disability community.