Disability Pride Month: July 2023
Contributor: Inclusion.Diversity.Equity.Inclusion.Advocacy (I.D.E.A) Committee
Disability is a part of the rich tapestry of human diversity, and something that nearly all of us will experience at some point in our lives. Disability Pride Month is celebrated every July and is an opportunity to honor the history, achievements, contributions,experiences, and struggles of the disability community. While it is not yet federally recognized, multiple cities across the US celebrate this holiday.
A Few Interesting Facts: Did you know that ….
- Disability Pride Month is celebrated in July in honor of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in July 1990.
- There is a Disability Pride flag! It was designed by Ann Magil, a member of the disability community. The black field represents the suffering of the disability community and serves as a color of rebellion and protest. The zigzag line represents how people with disabilities must navigate barriers and their creativity. Each color also represents a different need and experience: blue (mental illness), yellow (cognitive and intellectual disabilities), green (sensory perception disabilities), and red (physical disabilities).
- There are more than 160 million people living in the United States who have a disability or chronic disease.
- "Nothing about us without us" is a key term of the disability community. Many "support" organizations and media are made about individuals with disabilities without any input from the community.
- One way to be an ally to those with disabilities is to respect people's experiences, abilities, and opinions. While a person's first language (people with disabilities) is the current professional standard, there are those in the community that feel the identity of the first language (disabled person) acknowledges their disability more. As it comes down to personal preference, use whatever language the person you are speaking to prefers. Please click This Link to learn harmful phrases to avoid using.
Highlighting a few individuals in history
Fannie Lou Hamer was a Civil Rights activist from Mississippi who worked in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee helping Black Americans register to vote. She was the vice-chair of the Freedom Democratic Party, which she represented at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. Hamer had polio as a child and suffered permanent injury as a result of being beaten when arrested for her activism.
Judith Heumann was known as "the Mother of the Disabilities Rights Movement." She was a leader in the Section 504 Sit-In of 1977 and a major part in the development and implementation of other disability rights legislation. She served in both the Clinton and Obama Administrations, focusing on civil rights in education.
Temple Grandin is an advocate for autism and animal welfare. Grandin became a fellow at the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers and won an award from PETA for advocating for more humane treatment of animals. She was not diagnosed with autism until in her 40s.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the longest serving US president and enacted the New Deal during the Great Depression. He used a wheelchair after contracting polio as a child.
Collette Divitto is an American baker and disability rights advocate. After being rejected from numerous job sites, Divitto opened her own baking business and focuses on hiring individuals with disabilities.
A few resources:
https://bancroft.berkeley.edu/collections/drilm/index.html
https://thearc.org/about-us/history/
Sources:
https://themighty.com/topic/disability/influential-people-with-disabilities/
https://www.afb.org/blog/entry/celebrating-disability-pride-month
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/humandevelopment/become-a-disability-ALLY.html
https://nationalhealthcouncil.org/blog/july-is-disability-pride-month/