Celebrating Disability Pride Month
July is Disability Pride Month, a time to celebrate the diversity within the disabled community. People with disabilities make up the largest minority group in the world, being 15% of the world’s population according to the United Nations and World Health Organization.
The reason why disability pride is notably celebrated in July is because it commemorates the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), in July of 1990.
The disability pride flag looks different now than it did a before 2021. This is because the old version’s lightning bolt-shaped stripes caused a flicker or strobe effect when scrolling on a phone, which can trigger seizures, migraines, or eye-strain for people with certain disabilities. The new version has straight lines, and the colors have been desaturated for onscreen use. Both the original and new versions were designed by Ann Magill, who redesigned it after receiving the negative feedback from the wider disability community.
The Disability Pride Flag (2021)
According to Magill, the colors represent the following:
Having all six of the standard flag colors symbolizes the diversity of the disability community, and how it spans the whole world.
The black background symbolizes mourning and anger for victims of ableist abuse and violence.
The diagonal band represents “cutting across” the barriers separating people with disabilities from the rest of society, as well as light cutting through darkness.
The white stripe represents invisible and undiagnosed disabilities.
The red stripe symbolizes physical disabilities.
The gold stripe represents neurodivergence.
The glue stripe symbolizes psychiatric disabilities.
The green stripe represents sensory disabilities.
Ways of celebrating Disability Pride Month include attending disability pride parades, attending local events, supporting helpful groups and organizations, and educating yourself on disabilities and the disability community. These things aren’t exclusive to July, nor should they be. It’s important to recognize and celebrate the amazing people in the disability community all year round!