This month is Disability Pride Month. July is the official month to celebrate what it means to be disabled. It is also to challenge stereotypes and to take up space with our voices to shout down the medical model. Disability Pride Month enables us to educate and remove barriers to inclusivity.
Everyone’s sense of identity is unique and different. I identify as a disabled woman. My idea of disability pride and my sense of identity with the phrase might be completely different to another disabled person, even if they also identify as a disabled woman.
Disabled and Proud
I haven’t always felt that the term ‘disability pride’ applies to me. I’m not a person who thinks I wouldn’t be better off without my disability.
My need for care assistance is extremely restricting. I would love to be self-sufficient and not reliant on other people. However, this wish is, in large part, because society is not geared up to support somebody like me. At least not without a huge fight! If you have a disability, advocating for your rights is something that has to be done!
I have pride in the way I fight for my rights, for the way in which the disability community pulls together. I’m proud of the determination and resilience that I and others have to summon every day to get things done.
Wishing I had the same freedom and opportunities as non-disabled people does not mean I’m ashamed of my disability. I refuse to apologise for the way I am or what I need to navigate a world that wasn’t built for me. Disability Pride, for me, means pride in my accomplishments, my ability to share my knowledge with the disabled community and my ability to learn from others and pass that knowledge on. It is important to educate and celebrate disability, but society must remember that Disability Pride is not just for July, it’s for life!
What is Disability Pride Month?
Disability Pride Month marks the month that the Americans With Disabilities Act was passed. The Americans With Disabilities Act gave people with disabilities rights. Whilst this legislation was born in the USA, Disability Pride Month has been adopted around the world.
It’s about saying, we’re visible, we matter, we’re not going away. We’re capable of contributing to society even if it’s not in the so-called conventional way for some people. It’s spreading a message both to non-disabled people and disabled people. Society’s ableism isn’t portraying a true picture of what a disabled individual or a group of people with disabilities can do. Disabled people aren’t pitiful. Disabled people want to be treated like any other person in society. Our disabilities don’t make us tragic. We are people who need equality.
The Disability Pride Flag and what it represents
A disabled writer named Ann Magill created the flag as a visual representation to accompany her works. The flag has had updates over the years. The most recent one, pictured above, was created in collaboration with other disabled people.
The black background represents disabled people who have died. It also represents the anger and rage felt by the disabled community at the mistreatment some members of the community have experienced/are sadly experiencing today.
The colours of the flag represent different types of disability:
- Green is for sensory disabilities.
- Blue represents emotional and psychiatric disabilities.
- White stands for non-visible and undiagnosed disabilities.
- Gold is for neurodiversity.
- Red represents physical disabilities.
The links I’ve provided in this blog are sources of information for the various categories of disability, but should not be considered the only source of information.
How to Celebrate Disability Pride
My tips for celebrating Disability Pride Month are:
- Use your voice and showcase the voices of others.
- Support disabled-led businesses and inclusive employers
- Challenge Ableism
- Rest and recharge
- Reflect
Final Thoughts
This Disability Pride Month, I’m allowing myself happiness, anger, celebration, exhaustion and everything in between. Why, because I’m human and I experience all these emotions. Please don’t put me on a pedestal for getting up in the morning, but don’t assume that everything’s easy and I don’t need reasonable adjustments either!
If you’re a non-disabled person, think about how much extra planning goes into a day if you’d need help from another person or need to know that the right adaptations are in place before you even attempt to leave your home.
If you are a person with a disability, be proud of your accomplishments, not because of your disability but because you’re you and you deserve to be part of society in whatever way you wish.
Let’s all disabled and non- disabled people be proud – not just in July, but every day we claim our space in the world.
What does disability pride mean to you? Share your story in the comments or tag me on social media. Let’s keep the conversation going.
