Disability Pride is a philosophy which raises awareness that people with disabilities are/can be proud of their disability identity. Disability Pride focuses on the social model of disability; celebrating disability as a natural part of life rather than something negative or remorseful as society commonly depicts it.
July is designated as Disability Pride Month because the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed into law in the month of July. The first Disability Pride Day celebration was held in 1990 in Boston and the first Disability Pride Parade was held in 2004 in Chicago. Today, Disability Pride events are held throughout the world.
The Disability Pride flag, pictured below, was created by Ann Magill in 2019. It underwent a makeover by Magill for accessibility purposes in 2021. They altered the original zigzagged design because it worsened symptoms for individuals with visually triggered disabilities, including seizure and migraine disorders. Magill’s updated design features muted colors and a straight diagonal band from the top left to the bottom right corner.
The original flag’s zigzags represented how disabled people creatively navigate barriers. On the improved flag, the parallel stripes stand for intracommunal solidarity. The colors on the flag symbolize various disability experiences. The black background mourns disabled people who have died due to negligence, suicide, rebellion, illness, and eugenics. The stripe’s color represents disability types:
- Red: physical disabilities
- Gold: cognitive and intellectual disabilities
- White: nonvisible and undiagnosed disabilities
- Blue: psychiatric disabilities
- Green: sensory disabilities
Society presents many obstacles – stigma, shame, inaccessibility, ableism – to proudly identifying as disabled. Frequently, non-disabled people infantilize disabled people and strip us of personal dignity and autonomy. Disability Pride Month is a time to positively assert our identity, listen to disabled voices, and advocate for appropriate accommodations inside and outside of faith communities. The disability pride flag is an outward symbol of the identity, resilience, and capacity of the disability community. Consider flying or displaying the disability pride flag at your faith institution this Disability Pride Month as a symbol of solidarity with your disabled constituents.
Read
- Disability Pride Toolkit: https://ncil.org/disability-pride-toolkit-and-resource-guide/
- July is Disability Pride Month: https://www.qicreative.com/news/disability-pride-month
- Everything You Need to Know About Disability Pride Month in 2020 https://therollingexplorer.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-disability-pride-month-in-2020/
Watch
- Disabled Young People Answer, “What is Disability Pride?”: (3:35)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpkwSQQbFEg - Disability Pride Parade: (4:30)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR04y9TWW-M - Monday Minute: Disability Pride: (1:24)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omQKcQca_pI
Discussion
- Does the concept of Disability Pride surprise you? Why or why not?
- Why do you think people with disabilities need Disability Pride?
- How can you support people with disabilities in gaining a greater sense of Disability Pride?
Image/Graphic
| [Image description: The visually safe Disability Pride Flag. A charcoal flag bisected diagonally from the top left corner to the lower right corner by red, gold, off-white, light blue, and green parallel stripes.] |
