Disability Pride Month

On March 12, 1990, over 1,000 people marched from the White House to the U.S. Capitol to demand that Congress pass the Americans with Disabilities Act. Upon arrival, about 60 activists, including eight-year-old Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, physically demonstrated the inaccessibility of public spaces by getting out of their wheelchairs or setting aside their mobility aids and crawling up the Capitol steps in an act of civil disobedience that later became known as the Capitol Crawl. Police then arrested 104 activists for unlawful demonstration, many of whom were in their wheelchairs.{{Cite web |title=Disabled Protest and Are Arrested|date=March 14, 1990|access-date=June 4, 2024 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/14/us/disabled-protest-and-are-arrested.html |website=The New York Times |first=Steven A. |last=Holmes}}

On July 26, 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. Each July is celebrated as Disability Pride Month in commemoration of the historic moment.{{Cite web |last=Little |first=Becky |title=When the 'Capitol Crawl' Dramatized the Need for Americans with Disabilities Act |url=https://www.history.com/news/americans-with-disabilities-act-1990-capitol-crawl |access-date=March 13, 2024 |date=July 24, 2020 |website=History.com}}

England, Scotland and Wales have a similar law that was passed in 1995 called the Disability Discrimination Act, that was itself replaced by the Equality Act in 2010. People in Northern Ireland are protected by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

The concept of Disability Pride was born out of the Disability Rights movement and based on intersectional identity politics and social justice.{{Cite journal |last1=Gilson |first1=Stephen French |last2=Tusler |first2=Anthony |last3=Gill |first3=Carol |date=1997-01-01 |title=Ethnographic research in disability identity: self-determination and community |url=https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-vocational-rehabilitation/jvr9-1-03 |journal=Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation |language=en |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=7–17 |doi=10.3233/JVR-1997-9103 |issn=1052-2263|url-access=subscription }} The core concept of Disability Pride is based on a tenet of reworking the negative narratives and biases that frequently surround the concept of disability.{{Cite web |title=Disability Pride |url=https://www.dcrc.co/advocacy/ |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=Disability Community Resource Center |language=en-US}} Disability Pride is a response and counteraction against ableism and social stigma. The concept has roots in the same social theory that backs LGBT Pride and Black Pride.{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Carys |date=July 2022 |title=Spotlight on Disability Pride Month |url=https://www.thevaluable500.com/spotlight/disability-pride-month |website=The Valuable 500}} Disability Pride is a movement intended to celebrate the history of the Disability Rights movement and disabled people as positive contributors to society.{{Cite web |date=2022-07-17 |title=Celebrating Disability Pride Month |url=https://www.americanbar.org/groups/diversity/resources/celebrating-heritage-months/disability-pride-month/ |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=American Bar Association}} It marks a break from traditional concepts of disabilities as shameful conditions, which were often hidden from public spaces and mainstream awareness. Disability Pride is built upon the social model of disability and is described as moving away from the medical model of disability.{{Cite web |date=2017-10-02 |title=Disability Pride Toolkit and Resource Guide |url=https://ncil.org/resources/disability-pride-toolkit-and-resource-guide/ |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=National Council on Independent Living |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Choy |first=Allie |date=2013-01-21 |title=Disability Pride Week celebrates disability culture {{!}} The Daily |url=https://www.dailyuw.com/news/2012/may/24/disability-pride-week-celebrates-disability-cultur/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130121083547/http://dailyuw.com/news/2012/may/24/disability-pride-week-celebrates-disability-cultur/ |archive-date=2013-01-21 |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=The Daily, University of Washington}}

Disability Pride is celebrated worldwide, including in the United Kingdom,{{Cite web |title=Disability Pride Brighton |url=https://www.euansguide.com/news/disability-pride-brighton/ |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=www.euansguide.com}}{{Cite web |date=2021-07-15 |title=Opinion: I used to disagree with Disability Pride Month, but I am grateful for it now |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/disability-pride-month-disabled-b1884533.html |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=The Independent |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Renke |first=Samantha |date=6 July 2021 |title=Never heard of Disability Pride Month? Let's talk about why |url=https://metro.co.uk/2021/07/06/never-heard-of-disability-pride-month-lets-talk-about-why-14881846/ |access-date=2022-07-17}} South Africa, and other countries during various times of the year.{{Cite news |title=Disability Pride - a movement whose time has come? |language=en |work=Newshub |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/11/disability-pride-a-movement-whose-time-has-come.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130212541/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/11/disability-pride-a-movement-whose-time-has-come.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 30, 2018 |access-date=2022-07-23}}{{Cite web |last=Njoki |first=Eunice |date=2021-06-02 |title=What is disability pride month? Everything you need to know |url=https://briefly.co.za/101406-what-disability-pride-month-everything-know.html |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=Briefly |language=en}} Other Disability Pride Celebrations have occurred in England, Germany,{{Cite news |last=Schöne |first=Andrea |date=2020-08-28 |title=Disability Pride: Wie Menschen mit Behinderung für mehr Sichtbarkeit kämpfen |language=de |work=Der Spiegel |url=https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/disability-pride-wie-menschen-mit-behinderung-fuer-mehr-sichtbarkeit-kaempfen-a-a6e8485e-ce07-402d-8543-c089151b69ae |access-date=2022-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205062939/https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/disability-pride-wie-menschen-mit-behinderung-fuer-mehr-sichtbarkeit-kaempfen-a-a6e8485e-ce07-402d-8543-c089151b69ae |archive-date=2020-12-05 |issn=2195-1349}} New Zealand,{{Cite web |date=2020-09-04 |title=Disability Pride Week |url=https://disabilityprideaotearoa.nz/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412101012/https://disabilityprideaotearoa.nz/ |archive-date=2021-04-12 |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=Disability Pride Aotearoa}} Norway, Switzerland,{{cite web | url=https://www.multiplesklerose.ch/de/aktuelles/detail/dabei-sein-an-der-1-disability-pride-zurich/ | title=Dabei sein an der 1. Disability Pride Zurich | date=22 September 2016 }} and South Korea.

File:Vice President Harris poses for a photo with staff in honor of Disability Pride Month - 2024.jpg with staff in honor of Disability Pride Month, 2024]]

People with disabilities make the largest and most diverse minority in the United States making up approximately 26% of the population.{{Cite web |last=CDC |date=2019-03-08 |title=Disability Impacts All of Us Infographic {{!}} CDC |url=https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/infographic-disability-impacts-all.html |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |language=en-us}} As of 2022, Disability Pride Month is not yet nationally recognized in the United States.{{Cite web |title=What is Disability Pride? |url=https://www.heartsc.org/what-is-disability-pride |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=HEART |language=en-US}}

The celebration has been officially recognized by New York City mayor Bill de Blasio{{Cite web |date=2015-07-02 |title=Mayor Bill de Blasio Designates July |url=http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/468-15/mayor-bill-de-blasio-designates-july-disability-pride-month-honor-twenty-fifth-anniversary |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=The official website of the City of New York}} and San Francisco mayor London Breed.{{Cite web |title=Mayor Breed Proclaims July Disability Pride Month in San Francisco {{!}} Mayor's Office on Disability |url=https://sfgov.org/mod/mayor-breed-proclaims-july-disability-pride-month-san-francisco |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=sfgov.org}}

Disability Pride Parades are parades held annually to celebrate the month in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, San Antonio, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh among others.{{Cite web |date=2022-07-07 |title=Chicago's Disability Pride Parade Is 'Back And Stronger Than Ever' |url=https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/07/07/chicagos-disability-pride-parade-is-back-and-stronger-than-ever/ |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=Block Club Chicago |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Events {{!}} Disability Pride New York City |url=http://disabilitypridenyc.org/category/events/ |access-date=2022-07-17 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Miranda |first=Gabriela |date=2021-07-02 |title=A chance to 'amplify one another': What is Disability Pride Month? |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/07/02/how-disability-pride-month-started-and-what-means/7840560002/ |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}} Disability Pride Parades often hold traditions unique to the location, like a disability justice flag raise at city hall and a full week of free events in Philadelphia.{{Cite web |title=A Brief History of Disability Pride Parades | My Disability Pride |url=http://mydisabilitypride.net/2015/03/18/a-brief-history-of-disability-pride-parades |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150522052232/http://mydisabilitypride.net/2015/03/18/a-brief-history-of-disability-pride-parades/ |archive-date=2015-05-22 |access-date=2015-08-02}}{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://www.disabilitypridepa.org/about |access-date=2022-07-23 |website=Disability Pride PA |language=en-US}}

The first Disability Pride Day was held October 6, 1990 in Boston, Massachusetts. According to a newspaper clipping from the day, "more than 400 people marched, drove, wheeled and moved from City Hall to Boston Common in a demonstration to affirm that 'far from tragic, disability is a natural part of the human experience.'"{{Cite web |last=Ambassadors |first=Gale |date=2021-12-03 |title=Pride and Protest – LGBT+ Disability Activism, 1985-1995 |url=https://review.gale.com/2021/12/03/lgbt-disability-activism-in-the-us/ |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=The Gale Review |language=en-GB}} The featured speaker was Karen Thompson, author of Why Can't Sharon Kowalski Come Home? It was held again in 1991 but ended after that due to the death of lead organizer, Diana Viets, and with the move of co-organizer Catherine Odette to Madison, Wisconsin.{{Cite web |date=2016-02-24 |title=Q&A: Disability Pride Parade {{!}} Disability Network Southwest Michigan |url=https://www.dnswm.org/qa-disability-pride-parade/ |access-date=2022-07-15 |language=en-US}}

File:Disability Pride Parade Chicago.jpg

The first Chicago Disability Pride Parade was the first such parade in the United States after the Boston-based parades of the 1990s. It was held July 18, 2004 in Chicago with Yoshiko Dart as the Parade Grand Marshal.{{Cite journal |date=2004-06-15 |title=News and Notes |url=https://dsq-sds.org/article/view/502 |journal=Disability Studies Quarterly |language= |volume=24 |issue=3 |doi=10.18061/dsq.v24i3.502 |issn=2159-8371 |author=((Disability Studies Quarterly editors))|doi-access=free }} The first Chicago parade was funded with $10,000 in seed money that Sarah Triano received in 2003 as part of the Paul G. Hearne Leadership award from the American Association of People with Disabilities. According to Triano, fifteen hundred people attended the parade. Disability Pride Parades have been held in Chicago each subsequent July with a theme and a grand marshal each year with the exception of 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chicago Disability Pride Parade describes the goals of its celebration in its mission statement:{{Cite web |date=2013-02-09 |title=Disability Pride Mission & Goals |url=http://www.disabilityprideparade.com/whypride.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130209165451/http://www.disabilityprideparade.com/whypride.php |archive-date=2013-02-09 |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=Chicago Disability Pride Parade}}

• To change the way people think about and define "disability",
• To break down and end the internalized shame among people with Disabilities; and
• To promote the belief in society that Disability is a natural and beautiful part of human diversity in which people living with Disabilities can take pride.

On July 26, 1992, New York City held its first Disability Independence Day March. Congress Member Major Owens was a keynote speaker.{{Cite web |title=Disability March in New York on July 25 |url=https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/misc.handicap/itQwEzwI5b4}} The last Disability Independence Day March was held on July 28, 1996. New York City began holding Disability Pride Parades annually in 2015 when mayor Bill de Blasio declared July Disability Pride Month. Jazz musician Mike LeDonne's daughter Mary Patterson LeDonne was born in 2004 with multiple disabilities and that was the spark that lit the fire for the Annual Disability Pride NYC Parade. He first started putting together ideas for a Disability Pride Parade in New York City in 2011. He formed a nonprofit called Disability Pride NYC, Inc. (DPNYC) in 2014. That same year, the Mayor's Office for People With Disabilities (MOPD) was planning a 25th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act celebration and decided to join forces with DPNYC to realize the first annual Disability Pride Parade on July 12, 2015. Some seed money for the parade was raised from a Jazz concert called Jazz Legends Play For Disability Pride put on by LeDonne in which many Jazz musicians donated their talent for the night. Almost 4,000 people showed up for the first parade, which culminated with a celebration featuring the talents of the disability community. Tom Harkin and Mary LeDonne (daughter of Mike LeDonne, Founder/President of Disability Pride NYC ) were its grand marshals.{{cite web |date=1987-07-01 |title=New York City Hosts First Disability Pride Parade « CBS New York |url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/07/12/disability-pride-parade/ |publisher=Newyork.cbslocal.com |accessdate=2015-07-13}}

One in five people in the UK live with a disability.

Disability Pride Brighton is an annual event used to promote visibility and mainstream awareness of the positive pride felt by people with disabilities within their community in Brighton, England.{{Cite news |title='Disabilities should be celebrated' |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-sussex-44839504 |access-date=2022-07-17}}{{Cite web |title=Disability Pride gets underway in Brighton |url=https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2019-07-14/disability-pride-gets-underway-in-brighton/ |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=ITV News |language=en}} Disability Pride Brighton was started in 2016 by Jenny Skelton after her daughter, Charlie, suffered an incident of disability discrimination in Brighton. Jenny posted on Facebook about the incident along with the final line of text "Disability Pride anyone?" The Facebook post went viral and was then picked up by the media. After receiving hundreds of messages from other disabled people who had experienced similar incidents, she decided to proceed with the idea. A year later in 2017 the first Disability Pride Brighton festival was held on New Road in Brighton with an attendance of approximately 2000 people.{{Cite web |last= |date=2018-06-04 |title=Disability Pride |url=https://thelatest.co.uk/brighton/2018/06/04/disability-pride/ |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=Latest TV Brighton |language=}} Held every year since 2017, Disability Pride Brighton is a free event. There are stalls from various charities and disability groups, as well as live performances and art by disabled artists. Due to the limitations of COVID-19 lockdowns, the event moved online in 2020 with a two and a half hour show hosted by Latest TV which also aired on Freeview on July 12, 2020.

Celebrations in New Zealand were started by Nick Ruane and Rachel Noble in 2016 as a pilot Disability Pride Week to celebrate disability pride. The event included art, storytelling, and a defined kaupapa, or set of values. It spread nationwide and is intentionally inclusive of the indigenous Māori people and their culture.{{Cite web |last=harperwriter |date=2022-07-21 |title=Write It Disabled |url=https://writeitdisabled.com/?p=646,%20https://writeitdisabled.com/?p=646 |access-date=2022-07-23 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2018-01-22 |title=Home, Disability Pride Aotearoa |url=https://disabilityprideaotearoa.nz/ |access-date=2022-07-23 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122230145/https://disabilityprideaotearoa.nz/ |archive-date=22 January 2018 |url-status=dead}}{{Cite web |date=2021-11-15 |title=Is It Time Travelers Begin Referring to New Zealand as Aotearoa? |url=https://www.cntraveler.com/story/why-referring-to-new-zealand-as-aotearoa-is-a-meaningful-step-for-travelers |access-date=2022-07-23 |website=Condé Nast Traveler |language=en-US}} The event has been held in September, November, and December.

The New Zealand Disability Pride Week statement says events should explore or demonstrate Disability Pride, have disabled people leading the planning and implementation of the event, acknowledge members of the disability community who have gone, and be fun and inclusive.{{Cite web |date=2018-01-22 |title=About, Disability Pride Aotearoa |url=https://disabilityprideaotearoa.nz/about?src=nav |access-date=2022-07-23 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122230240/https://disabilityprideaotearoa.nz/about?src=nav |archive-date=22 January 2018 |url-status=dead}}

Disability Pride Parades also usually coincide with Disability Pride Week in the communities where they are held. Disability Pride Week is an annual event used to promote visibility and mainstream awareness of the positive pride felt by people with disabilities within their community. The ensuing events combine the celebration of disability culture with educational events, such as seminars on legal rights for disabled people, accessibility awareness, and similar topics.

{{main page|Disability flag}}

File:Visually Safe Disability Pride Flag.svg redesigned in 2021 by Ann Magill to be visually safe and inclusive.{{Cite web |last=R. Bogart |first=Kathleen |date=2021-07-01 |title=Disability Pride Month: Disability Is Broader Than You Think |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/disability-is-diversity/202107/disability-pride-month-disability-is-broader-you-think |access-date=2022-07-28 |website=Psychology Today Canada |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Disability Pride Month Event Page and Resources |url=https://www.twinkl.com.br/event/disability-pride-month |access-date=2022-07-28 |website=Twinkl}}]]

Disability Pride has a flag created by Ann Magill and entered into the public domain in 2019.{{Cite web |title=Letter: Disability pride is about embracing one's identity and living among systems of ableism |url=https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/letters/2021/07/29/letter-disability-pride/ |access-date=2022-07-14 |website=The Salt Lake Tribune |language=en-US}} Magill's original flag featured a lightning bolt design and bright colors on a black background. The flag was redesigned in 2021 with muted colors and straight stripes in response to feedback from those with visually triggered disabilities. The new design limits the strobe effect created by the lightning bolt to be more visually safe for those with migraines and visually triggered seizures. The color brightness changes make the flag more accessible to those with color blindness.{{Cite web |title=r/disability - The "Disability Pride Flag" by Ann Magill (me) has been redesigned. |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/disability/comments/uhhdbv/the_disability_pride_flag_by_ann_magill_me_has/ |access-date=2022-07-23 |website=reddit |language=en-US}} The new flag comprises a number of different elements, each symbolising different aspects of the disability experience. The coloured stripes are placed diagonally across the flag to show how disabled people have to cut across barriers in society.

• All six "standard" flag colors: disability spans borders between states and nations
• Black field: mourning for victims of ableist violence and abuse
• Diagonal band: "cutting across" the walls and barriers that separate disabled people from society
• Red stripe: physical disabilities
• Gold stripe: cognitive disabilities
• White stripe: invisible and undiagnosed disabilities
• Blue stripe: psychiatric disabilities
• Green stripe: sensory disabilities{{Cite web |title=capri0mni {{!}} A new, visually safe version of the Disability Pride Flag. |url=https://capri0mni.dreamwidth.org/837596.html |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=capri0mni.dreamwidth.org |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=capri0mni {{!}} I updated my "Disability Pride" Flag |url=https://capri0mni.dreamwidth.org/804436.html |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=capri0mni.dreamwidth.org |language=en}}

• Disability rights movement
• Disability History Month
• Disability justice
• Disability studies
• Disability flag
• Ableism
• National Disability Employment Awareness Month
• Mad Pride

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Category:July observances

Category:Disability rights

Category:Disability pride