The 6 Things You Should Know About Disability Pride Month
As part of our efforts to expand understanding about disabilities and the disabled community, let’s celebrate this very important month together!
If you share our passion for inclusivity, make sure your local and state elected officials do too by quickly checking your registration online or get registered to vote here and now.
1. Unofficial Disability Pride Month celebration began in 1990.
In July of 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law, providing protections and needed accommodations for disabled individuals. Since then, it has been unofficially celebrated as a call for recognition and representation, including creating more acceptance and a more inclusive society for disabled individuals.
2. It’s not yet nationally recognized but folks have been celebrating since 2004.
Since 2004, Chicago, Illinois has held a Disability Pride Parade, hoping to change how people view and define disability as well as break down internalized shame among those with disabilities. Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco have also celebrated with festivities and parades. Disability is a “natural and beautiful part of human diversity in which people living with disabilities can take pride” (Disability Pride Parade).
3. There’s a new flag designed by Ann Magill.
The Disability Pride Flag has been updated recently from its original design. Ann Magill designed the first flag and with community feedback, updated its design in 2022 with more muted and rearranged colors to be more screen friendly. It features six colors that signify that the Disability Community is pan-national, spanning borders between states and nations:
The Black Field: Mourning and rage for victims of ableist violence and abuse
The Diagonal Band: "Cutting across" the walls and barriers that separate the disabled from normative society, also light and creativity cutting through the darkness
The White Stripe: Invisible and Undiagnosed Disabilities
The Red Stripe: Physical Disabilities
The Gold Stripe: Neurodivergence
The Blue Stripe: Psychiatric Disabilities
The Green Stripe: Sensory Disabilities
4. We still have a long way to go in dismantling ableism.
Ableism is defined as “A system that places value on people’s bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normality, intelligence, excellence, desirability, and productivity. ” - Talila Lewis
Ableism can emerge in many ways such as in language, environment (both the culture and one’s immediate surroundings), social attitudes and behaviors, and especially healthcare. Many disabled folks struggle with inaccessibility, fear, complicated insurance hurdles and many more systemic issues that take time and energy to work through. Some of these struggles impact day-to-day life such as accessible buildings and pathways, whereas others can impact life choices, such as potentially losing disability benefits when getting married. There is a long list of what we need to work on to start combating ableism.
5. One in four Americans live with some sort of disability.
Anyone can experience living with a disability at any time, not just those who are living with one today. Whether someone’s disability is visible, psychiatric, neurodivergent, invisible, or undiagnosed, they deserve support and to feel pride in their identities and accomplishments. As a society, we all have a responsibility to help make things more inclusive, accessible, and enjoyable for all disabled individuals, now and in the future.
6. There are lots of ways to celebrate.
Reading this blog and educating yourself has already made you a better and more active ally to the disabled community! Here’s a few more actions you can take to keep the celebration and action going:
Amplify disabled voices by liking, following and sharing content from disabled creators.
Continue your education on how you can be a better ally.
Learn what language you may be using that could be ableist.
Support disabled authors like Alice Wong and Rebekah Taussig.
Educate yourself and others about marriage inequality for disabled Americans.
Verify your voter registration and keep an eye out for representatives and policies that support the disabled community.
Sources: https://www.afb.org/blog/entry/celebrating-disability-pride-month