Celebrating Disability Pride Month
Disability Pride Month is a time for people in the disability community to come together, celebrate their differences, uplift one another, and be uplifted by their community. We live in a world where unfortunately, individuals with disabilities have been and continue to be seen as lesser humans by many non-disabled people. For a long period of time, we have seen this discrimination in the workplace, education systems, transportation, and many other areas. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was put into place in 1990 by President George W. Bush, which is when the very first Disability Pride Parade took place; however, it did not go on for long due to the lead organizer, Diana Vets, passing away. Years later, the parades were resumed and became very successful. Disability Pride Month is a time in which people with disabilities recognize that they matter and add value to the world.
Group of individuals participating in a Disability Pride Parade.
Although Disability Pride Month is not celebrated nationwide, it is celebrated in a large number of places including New York City, Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Fransisco, and more. Anthony Rios spoke out to USA Today about his disability and addressed what Disability Pride Month means to him. Rios stated that when it comes to the perceptions of people in the disability community, “We don’t want your pity. We want your pride.” This empowering statement is an excellent embodiment of what Disability Pride Month stands for.
Ways You Can Celebrate:
Attend a Disability Pride Event: There are numerous events that will take place to celebrate the disability community this month, and there will be events offered both in person and virtually. A simple Google search will show you all the events in your area and which virtual events will be offered, and whichever event you decide to partake in, you will be advocating for an excellent cause.
Educate yourself about the disabled community: There is always room for growth when learning about the disabled community, and by doing research and reading personal stories of individuals with disabilities, there is so much we can learn.
Use social media: Using social media to learn stories from people with disabilities and being an advocate for them by sharing their stories is a good way to participate in Disability Pride Month.
Have conversations: Bring disability into conversations with your friends and family to work towards normalizing the topic and moving away from existing stigmas and misrepresentations.
This month, we take a step back and recognize people with disabilities and take a step towards a world that focuses on people’s abilities, not their disabilities. Disability Pride Month is so important and it allows people to come together and celebrate our uniqueness and uplift one another. Whatever way you decide to partake in Disability Pride Month, just know what you are doing is important. The American Autism Association is proud to celebrate Disability Pride Month and we hope this information is useful in kicking off this exciting month.