The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed 32 years ago on July 26, 1990. The day commemorated decades of activism by the disability community for equal treatment. To commemorate this historic act, July is Disability Pride Month for people with disabilities in the United States.
What is Disability Pride?
Eli Clare describes Disability Pride as a call to action, “not particularly about individuality, fame, or celebrity, but rather about communal struggle, rebellion, and joy.” (2010). Disabled World defines disability pride as “accepting and respecting the uniqueness of each person and seeing it as a natural and beautiful part of human diversity…an essential part of movement building and a way to combat systemic ableism.” (2015), a direct challenge to the stigmatization of definitions of disability. Regardless of which definition you prefer, disability pride emphasizes the differences between humanity. It is not about being inferior, but about being equal. Disability pride focuses on individuals who view their disability as an essential part of their identity, part of what makes them an individual.
Receiving a diagnosis of a disability can have mixed feelings. Disability Pride questions why our society views disability as inherently negative and highlights the victories of the disability community.
Legal history of the ADA
The social conditions that made the signing of the ADA possible are the result of decades of work by thousands of advocates. From a legal perspective, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 marked a shift in public policy. This provision prohibited disability discrimination in organizations receiving federal funding. Finally, the federal government recognized disability discrimination and modeled Section 504 after other discrimination laws related to race, sex, and ethnic origin. People with disabilities were seen as a marginalized group, rather than dividing people into groups based on diagnosis. This law and continued work helped pave the way for the ADA (Mayerson, 1992).
Disabled Pride Parade
The Disability Pride Parade is organized by the disability community to celebrate the disability community, the culture behind disability, and educate participants about disability-related issues. The first parade was held in Boston, Massachusetts in 1990. The parade continued in 1991, but was suspended after the death of founder Diana Viets (Ping-Wild, 2021). Disability Pride parades are held in multiple cities across the United States, including Chicago, Los Angeles, San Antonio, and New York City (Autism Society of America, 2021). New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also declared July as Disability Pride Month in the city (Ping-Wild, 2021).
Suggestions for celebrating Disability Pride Month
Over the coming weeks, there are many ways to celebrate Disability Pride Month. If you are able, please consider donating to a disability advocacy organization to support their continued efforts to combat the ableism and discrimination that still exists in our society. Some content creators offer free or low-cost content to educate their audiences about disability-related issues. And to celebrate Disability Pride even more, search for Disability Pride events in your area or online. Finally, two years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are eager to “get back to normal,” but we also want to share with you the disabled and immunocompromised people we may come into contact with. Consider ways to minimize risk for people. Many people with disabilities have emphasized that living with COVID-19 is not an option for them, and that many accommodations from the beginning of the pandemic, such as attending classes and working virtually, are no longer available ( Charlton-Dailey, 2022).
Disability Pride Month is a wonderful opportunity to learn about and celebrate our vibrant disability community. The fight for equal treatment of people with disabilities is far from over. But this month, the community is celebrating that accomplishment.
~ nikita williams I/O is a graduate student in psychology and an intern at gothamCulture. Disability issues are an area of interest for her, and she has written another article on this topic titled ‘Why companies need to talk about disability and accessibility’.
References
Autism Society of America. (2021). Celebrating Disability Pride Month — Autism in America Association. https://www.myautism.org/news-features/celebrating-disability-pride-month
Charlton-Daley, R. (January 14, 2022). Editorial: People with disabilities cannot learn to live with the coronavirus. Very Well Health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/disabled-people-cant-learn-to-live-with-covid-5215746
Clare, E. (2010). Pride of people with disabilities. Retrieved from http://eliclare.com/disability/disability-pride
The world of people with disabilities. (July 3, 2015). Disability Pride: Definition and awareness information. The world of people with disabilities. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from www.disabled-world.com/settings/disability-pride.php
Meyerson, A. (1992). History of ADA. Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund. https://dredf.org/about-us/publications/the-history-of-the-ada/
Pinwild, J. (2021). Everything you need to know about Disability Pride Month 2021. rolling explorer. https://therollingexplorer.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-disability-pride-month-in-2020/
