Disability Pride Month

What is Disability Pride Month?

Disability Pride Month offers a significant platform to promote education, inclusivity, awareness, and support for individuals with disabilities.

It’s an all-important open space to speak candidly about their experiences and challenges they’ve faced, as well as celebrate their individual success and accomplishments.

Ultimately, Disability Pride encourages the disability community to be proud and unapologetically themselves!

Ableism is an extensive issue around the world and fosters a stigma against disabled people, increasing the barriers they’re faced with in their everyday life.

The conversations that Disabled Pride Month brings up, raises awareness for non-disabled peers on how to be better allies and what they can do to further support.

When is Disability Pride Month?

Disability Pride Month is celebrated throughout July every year.

How and when was Disability Pride Month created?

Initially, Disability Pride started as a day of celebration in 1990 in Boston, USA, coinciding with the signing of the Americans with Disability Act (the ADA).

Since then, this celebration has migrated across the pond to the UK as well as the globe. And in 2015, marking the ADA’s 25 anniversary, the entire month became an annual event. In 2017 a Disability Pride Month flag was created to further identify and solidify the month.

Image of visually safe Disabled Pride flag

How to celebrate Disability Pride Month?

Disabled Pride Month can be celebrated in whichever way you choose! Some popular outlets are:

Social Media

Love it or loathe it, social media is an undeniably powerful tool. It’s a convenient way to raise awareness and share your personal experiences within your own circle, as well as take part in trending conversations.

Parades/Events

There are several Disability Pride parades and events throughout the UK such as Chester Disability Pride Parade & Disability Expo which you can attend and enjoy. They’re a great way of meeting like-minded people, be a part of raising awareness and have fun!

Educate

Through webinars, podcasts, and books, you can further educate yourself on how to be a better ally. Such as gaining an understanding of common barriers and challengers, learning the correct terminology and language, how to eliminate unconscious bias, or ways to promote inclusion in your day-to-day life.  All small steps that have a huge positive impact.

Donate

There are thousands of charities and support groups who are doing amazing work in the disability community. If you are able to, donating to a charity of your choice allows them to continue to do their incredible work and make a positive change.

No pressure

Each and every person with a disability or chronic condition has their own story and journey. These are often emotional rollercoasters which can be confusing, lonely but also exciting and empowering.

Some people may not be at a positive stage with their condition and might feel pressured to accept and feel proud of it, especially during the month.

The month is there to be a platform for those who want to celebrate. If you don’t, there should be no pressure.

Is Disability Pride Month related to LGBTQIA+ Pride?

This has been quite the deliberation over the last few years and although the intent of the events weren’t to be related with one another, there definitely is some overlap.

Of course there are people that are part of both communities and it’s up to the individual to choose how they celebrate both.

Either way, both Disability Pride and LGBTQIA+ Pride celebrates and boosts visibility of communities who historically and in the present day, have been looked down upon and excluded.

In celebration of Disabled Pride Month, check out our conversation with Disability Rights Activist, Samantha Renke, who spoke about her own personal experiences of ableist language and what it really means to unburden yourself of the labels placed on disabled individuals by society.