Roxie Theater screenings of ‘Sign 504 Now!’ and ‘Vivien’s Wild Ride’ are accompanied by a panel discussion.
Jul 21, 2026
Updated 12:00 pm PT
Catch ‘Vivien’s Wild Ride’ at the Roxie this weekend. (PBS Independent Lens)
On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans With Disabilities Act into law, declaring: “Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.”
The law had been hard-fought, with disability rights activists working for more than a decade to get it passed. An important core group of those activists, including Judy Heumann and Ed Roberts, were based in the Bay Area, and had proved to be an unstoppable force.
Thirteen years earlier, they led more than 100 disability rights protesters in a 26-day occupation of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare inside San Francisco’s Federal Building. They demanded that Section 504 of 1973’s Rehabilitation Act finally be signed, so that any organization receiving federal funds would be compeled to make buildings accessible for the disabled.
The sit-in was brought to wider attention in 2020, thanks to the acclaimed Netflix documentary Crip Camp. This weekend, meanwhile, offers an opportunity to see the federal building occupation from a whole new angle.
To mark the 36th anniversary of the ADA’s passage, the GLBT Historical Society will screen its own short film about the protest at San Francisco’s Roxie Theater. Sign 504 Now! lasts a swift 30 minutes, comprised of on-the-ground insider footage. The short, sometimes grainy black-and-white film offers an immersive view into what really went on behind the scenes during the grueling sit-in.
Inside the federal building, we see the squatters navigating overcrowded and inaccessible conditions using only a collective sense of righteousness, a tenacious dedication to organizing and — grabbing joy where they can — a surprising amount of singing and bubble-blowing. Holed up in the offices, the protesters pass the time engaged in philosophical debates, or discussing the erasure of disabled folks from pop culture. They also express gratitude for the support the protest receives from Black Panthers, union organizers and LGBTQ advocates, among many others.
The Roxie and GLBT Historical Society joined forces with the California State Council on Developmental Disabilities, and the Center for Independent Living for the double-feature event. It is a fitting way to celebrate the existence of the ADA, to remember what life might be like without it, and remember the tenacious activists who made the law a reality.
The Roxie’s ADA Celebration, featuring ‘Sign 504 Now!’ and ‘Vivien’s Wild Ride,’ takes place at the Roxie (3117 16th St., San Francisco) on July 26, 2026, at 1 p.m.