Over 5000 pencils, one for each Montana student with a 504 accommodation plan, are being sharpened at Disability Rights Montana as an artistic protest of Attorney General Austen Knudsen’s participation in a lawsuit seeking to strip the right of people with disabilities to receive accommodations to participate in federally funded programs and services.
What do 5,401 pencils and a civil rights law passed in 1973 have in common? They’re both being slowly ground down in Montana.
Disability Rights Montana has launched a bold, creative protest in response to Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s participation in a lawsuit seeking to gut Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. This law prohibits discrimination based on disability in federally funded programs. If successful, this lawsuit would deprive thousands of individuals of legal protection, including the 5,401 Montana students in grades K-12 currently supported by 504 accommodation plans.
To resist, DRM is inviting the public to help sharpen 5,401 pencils to the nub — each one representing a student whose rights are on the line. It’s tactile, symbolic, and open to all.
When? April 10, noon to 7 PM
Where? 1022 Chestnut Street, Helena (fully accessible)
Can I attend remotely? Livestream at disabilityrightsmt.org
Use hashtag #ArtForRightsMT
LIFTT proudly supports Disability Rights Montana in defending Section 504 and opposing the Attorney General’s actions. We believe access is a right, not a debate.
Want to join the movement or bring this mobile protest to your town? Reach out to Kona Franks-Ongoy at (406) 441-4810 or kona@dr-mt.org.
Section 504 has always been about visibility, equity, and basic human dignity. Let’s not let anyone sharpen it out of existence.
About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple or Android Device.