Did you know July is Disability Pride Month? Disability Pride Month is celebrated annually in the month of July. It honors the signing of the Americans with Disability Act on July 26, 1990, which was to prevent discrimination based on disabilities in employment, transportation and public accommodations. The purpose of Disability Pride Month is to celebrate the achievements and contributions of people with disabilities, promote inclusion and accessibility for all, and honor the history as well as the struggles of the disability community.
The flag for Disability Pride Month is a muted black background with diagonal stripes in the colors of red, gold, white, blue and green. Each color represents different kinds of disabilities. Red is physical disabilities. Gold is cognitive and intellectual disabilities. Blue is psychiatric disabilities. Green is sensory disabilities. Black is for those dealing with ableism. The diagonal stripes represent breaking down the barriers and cutting across societal limitations. The muted colors are chosen to be accessible to individuals with visual impairment. The flag was made in 2019 and designed by Ann Magill who has cerebral palsy.
There are many ways to celebrate Disability Pride Month. You can find a book to read that was written by an author who is disabled or a book about a person that has a disability. I recommend the book Out Of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper. It is about a girl with cerebral palsy navigating through high school and other events from her point of view. In 2024 they made a movie based off the book, and it follows it detail by detail.
There are also many great movies about disabilities. You can host a movie marathon in honor of it. Some of the well known ones are Forrest Gump and Wonder. Forrest Gump deals with the intellectual disability of a young adult, while the other movie portrays a child with facial differences who tries to fit in to elementary school.
You can also shop at stores owned by people who support disability. For example, All Hands Thrift Store in downtown Prattville supports disabled groups and events. If you know someone who owns a store, you could encourage them to hire people with disabilities so they feel included.
You can also get involved in the disability community by participating in events. There are many charities and fundraisers that you can help. One of them, of course, is Camp ASCCA, but there are other worthy organizations.
While Disability Pride Month is only for one month, Camp ASCCA celebrates it all year round. Those of us at camp are all about celebrating our abilities and differences!
Thanks to Disability Pride Month, more people are accepting of others who are different. There have been moments where I have heard of a work place hiring a person with a disability. For example, I read about one of the local Waffle House restaurants hiring a person who is deaf. Thanks to how common it is to see someone with a disability, many movies have won awards by portraying us realistically and thoughtfully. I am glad the disability community has come so far, and I am proud of how much we can do to make us feel seen and heard.
