1960’s The Roots of the People First Movement

People First is a self-advocacy movement led by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The idea is simple: people with disabilities should speak for themselves and be treated as people first, not labels.

How the movement began

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, people with disabilities in Europe began forming their own groups. At the time, most decisions about their lives were made by professionals or institutions. These groups created space for friendship, learning, and speaking up.

A key moment happened in 1968 in Sweden, when people with learning disabilities held a conference about their own lives. Similar events followed in the United Kingdom. In 1973, a self-advocacy conference in British Columbia, Canada, helped bring these ideas to North America.

People across countries shared the same message:
“Nothing about us without us.”

People First in the United States

In 1974, a national conference in Oregon gave the movement its name: People First. The name was chosen on purpose. It showed that people are more important than diagnoses or service systems.

During the 1970s and 1980s, People First groups formed across the United States. Self-advocates led meetings, spoke to lawmakers, and worked for rights like community living, jobs, and choice in daily life.

Washington State’s role

People First of Washington was founded in 1977 and became one of the strongest self-advocacy organizations in the country. It has always been led by people with developmental disabilities.

In 1984, Tacoma hosted the first International Self-Advocacy Leadership Conference. Self-advocates from different countries came together to share ideas and build connections. This event helped turn People First into a true international movement.

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