Disability Pride Month. What is it? I hear you ask through the computer screen, packing a handful of crisps into your mouth, unaware its 10.P.M or more likely 3.A.M. You should probably get some sleep, but read this article first before you start counting sheep.
Disability Pride Month is a month where people with disabilities and chronic illnesses come together and celebrate their disability, or talk about the struggles they face either from a societal perspective or a medical one- both are valid.
However, what I described is a simplification of why it exists. Disability Pride Month has a big history (some of it I won’t be able to cover in this article.) But I will give you the basics of the creation. Which starts in 1990’s America.
On July 26th 1990 President George W Bush signed ‘The Americans with Disabilities Act’ which prohibited discrimination against people with disabilities, it was a landmark law and something which improved many disabled American lives’ for the better (although since then a lot more could be done for disabled Americans). In the same month, in Boston the city held the first Disability Pride Parade which, then spread across the country and then the world. With countries like the United Kingdom joining in. In 2015, July was recognised by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio as Disability Pride Month, due to the ADA act reaching its 25th anniversary.
For my country, in the UK- our disability history is slightly different with the Disability Discrimination Act being passed in November 1995- much later than America. But, the road to Disability Pride Month is similar.
Explaining the Disability Pride Month flag
The month now has its own flag designed by Ann Magill- who has wavered the copyright on the design. It is black with five separate colours going down the flag in a zigzag design, to represent the different parts of the community.
The black background is the colour of mourning for those who have suffered from ableist violence and those in protest or rebellion against these problems.
The zigzag pattern represents how disabled people must navigate barriers, and the creativity in which we have to problem solve our way out of a situation. They are also parallel which is to show solidarity within the community despite our individual needs.
The five colours in the zigzag highlight the different types of disability within the community
Blue: represents mental illnesses
Yellow: represents Neurodiversity
White: represents undiagnosed/ hidden disabilities
Red: represents physical disabilities
Green: represents sensory disabilities
Thoughts from some people within the community
Disability Pride Month has been a month-long celebration since 2015, and Disability Pride in and of itself has been around for a long time, yet is relatively unknown to people. Even people within the disability community that I interviewed didn’t know! People such as Lottie Mills an English Literature student at Cambridge University,
‘I didn’t know about disability pride month until relatively recently. And it meant so much to me when I found out.’ Lottie also believes ‘that so much ableism comes from this misapprehension that disability is an inherently bad or sad thing - which is just not true.’ Lottie went on to tell me a bit more about why she sees Disability Pride Month as a good thing stating,
‘If more people, both disabled and able bodied, were able to celebrate disability as a positive thing, and a natural part of human diversity - just like we do with LGBT+ pride events - it would go a long way towards combatting deeply entrenched ableist assumptions.’
Benny Ashmore, student at the University of Greenwich, said something for those against the month, ‘Why shouldn’t disabled people be proud? We face down hurdles non-disabled people would be screaming from the rooftops about and we deserve to be seen, to be appreciated as the fully rounded human beings we are and to be celebrated for the myriad contributions we make to society and the world if given the opportunity and equity to thrive!’
I also found a video: (Which you should watch in its entirety after this article) entitled ‘Thoughts on Disability Pride Month’ (https://www.youtube.com/watchv=s6J7PWLZ_kE&list=LL&index=3&t=3s) John Cook a visually impaired lawyer from East London, who, also had very similar views to Lottie and Benny. ‘It’s something that not a lot of people were aware of. I only really became aware of it for the first-time last year, I know other disabled people that have only become aware of it this year. So, it’s good that that movement is getting some traction and actually getting a bit of attention.’
He says disability pride month is important to him as ‘There are still so many barriers for us as disabled people both physical and societal, there are so many obstacles society put in place for us to do the simplest of things. So many people need to change their attitude, so many people need to address the way that they see us, address the way that they think about disabled people. You tend to either get this patronising attitude where every little achievement is celebrated.’
He says in the video ‘So often the abled world talks for disabled people, they decide what we want, they decide what’s best for us, they decide the words that can be used and so often they haven’t got a clue. And that’s why disabled pride month is important it created by disabled people for disabled people. it’s not like UN International Day of Disability where it’s although a good thing, it has been instigated by the abled world. This is ours and it’s something that we can shape and it’s something we need to shape because that’s how it's best to address what we need.’
If you want to help make the world less ableist then start by: Listening to people of varying needs and multitudes of abilities (as one size doesn’t fit all!) Helping to implement the changes when we ask for them either through signing petitions, attending protests and generally just listening. It also means not undermining us, excluding us from movements and evaluating the ways in which you can help make the world better for us. Such as: including better accessibility through having a working lift or adaption to get to upper levels, no step outside doors, letting people with guide dogs into shops, as well as cabs if the driver hasn’t got a medical condition- I’m looking at you Uber drivers! When a person that has a hearing impairment has to order using text on their phone don’t throw the order away or assume they’re faking. Just take the order down and serve the customer- they’ll have paid for the food anyway.
Other ways include making websites and online content as accessible as possible, not using too many emojis in tweets as the screen readers can’t pick them up, and, finally call out ableism when you see it.
Happy Disability Pride Month everyone!
Link to sources and sites I used for research:
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