Honor Judy, Protect 504: Why Awareness and Advocacy Matter Right Now

Honor Judy, Protect 504: Why Awareness and Advocacy Matter Right Now

From Blind Abilities by Blind Abilities Team

March 7, 2026 · 26 min · Season 1 · Episode 1128

About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges to Section 504 and the importance of advocacy for disability rights.

What happens when the foundation of disability rights is challenged? In this powerful conversation, Jeff Thompson welcomes back disability advocate and Villanova graduate Kaleigh Brendle to talk about the growing legal challenge to Section 504—one of the most important civil rights protections for people with disabilities. Kaleigh explains how recent lawsuits could weaken the requirement that people with disabilities receive services in the most integrated settings, a principle that helps keep people living, learning, and working in their communities rather than being pushed into institutions. In response, Kaleigh founded Judys League, an organization dedicated to defending disability rights and raising awareness about what's at stake. Throughout the conversation, she shares why Section 504 is the foundation for laws like the ADA and why public awareness and advocacy matter more than ever. This episode is a call to action: stay informed, share the story, and remember that every voice can help protect the rights and opportunities that generations fought to achieve. Find out more about Judys League on the web at JudysLeague.org and all the socials at JudysLeague. Connect up by…

People in this episode

Host: Jeff Thompson

Guest: Kaleigh Brendle

Topics covered

  • disability rights
  • advocacy
  • legal challenges
  • public awareness
  • community integration

Keywords

  • disability rights
  • Section 504
  • advocacy
  • Judys League
  • community integration
  • legal challenges
  • public awareness

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Judys League

Books & works: ADA

Places: Villanova

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