On July 5, 1978, 19 disabled activists positioned themselves at the busy intersection of Broadway and Colfax in downtown Denver. For two days, they used their wheelchairs to surround several Regional Transportation District (RTD) buses and block them from operating. The 19 activists, who would become known as the 'Gang of 19', protested RTD's failure to provide wheelchair-accessible buses. They made it clear they would remain until RTD representatives agreed to listen to their demands. As the protest gained the attention of local and national media, RTD relented and agreed to meet with the group, eventually agreeing to add wheelchair lifts to its bus fleet. This made RTD the nation's first public transit district to be wheelchair-accessible.
The Gang of 19's actions would resonate beyond the issue of gaining access to transportation. Their protest and the protests by disabled advocates across the country would spark the modern disability rights movement, laying the foundation for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).