Disability Pride Month 2024

July is Disability Pride Month.

It’s not well-known, so I want to talk about it:

Disability Pride is in July as a result of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) being signed into law July 26 [1990].

The disability community also have our own flag (which is posted and explained on social media a lot this month).

Each color represents something different.

Starting with the stripes and from top to bottom/right to left:

The green stripe represents sensory disabilities

The blue stripe represents emotional and psychiatric disabilities

The white stripe represents nonphysical/invisible and/or undiagnosed disabilities

The yellow stripe represents neurodiversity

The red stripe represents physical disabilities

The grey/dark background represents disabled people who have died as a result of ableism

The stripes also represent disabled people overcoming barriers we face and the idea of light cutting through darkness

The flag used to feature stripes in a zigzag pattern and more vibrant colors but was changed to the flag pictured above to be more accessible. (The previous flag caused migraines and seizures for some people with photosensitivity.)

This month comes with a lot of memories and realizations for me. Because of that, I want to talk about what it means to me:

Disability Pride means a lot to me currently.

It means knowing I'm beautiful inside and out.

It means knowing I deserve true, reciprocal romantic and sexual love no matter what some people - or my brain - say. It means knowing I'll have that.

It means knowing I deserve friends - anyone around me - to see me as equal and amazing AS I AM.

It means not being afraid to stand up for myself and/or others against ableism.

It means unashamedly having boundaries.

It means saying "no" when I mean it.

It means asking for help whenever I know I need it and learning I’m not a burden for doing so.

It means understanding I need to listen to my body and learning how to.

It means always learning - about myself and others.

It means celebrating being disabled and being proud to be Disabled.

It means understanding how I think and/or feel about any of this might change as I live my life and learning to be okay with that.

It means just now realizing how much I've grown and how ashamed I used to be.

It means knowing everyone is on their own journey/path with their disabilities and that doesn't mean I can't celebrate mine.

It means perhaps having insecurities about my disabilities, but knowing I deserve to LIVE as much as anyone else.

It means knowing I'm enough and not missing anything or too much as I am.

This month doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone.

Because of this, I wanted to ask some disabled people around me what Disability Pride means to them. Here’s what they said (all persons are written anonymously):

Person A: “To me, it means not having to hide my disabilities or attach shame to them. It also means means open dialogue about disabilities with people who may not have any disabilities. It also shows people that just because I have a disability doesn’t mean I can’t do the things I want to do.”

Person B: “Disability Pride means to me I can express how different life is with my condition and feel recognized. I don’t feel heard or valued much, but, hopefully, Disability Pride Month helps show the world that there are a huge variety of different disabilities and how they affect people differently. A disability is so much more than what the general population paints it to be.”

Person C: “I try not to get involved in any community-based things. Sometimes I dip my toes in, but just to listen. I like other perspectives a lot, but I don’t consider myself a part of any group or any pride. Just because I don’t super care to form any of those bonds. I like the bonds I have and I don’t need any more. This leads to things like pride months or holidays gong right over my head. If it helps other people, then that’s so genuinely great. But, to me, it always rings a little hollow. There’s this push for disabled people to accept it and love who they are with it, but it completely ignores the people who can’t be or won’t be on their own volition. I personally can’t stand being in a body, especially one that’s turning on me in every way possible. I think if you can accept being disabled, that’s amazing! Truly! I support it! But trying to force that toxic positivity down other people who can’t achieve that’s throats… I’m not happy to be disabled. I know that’s not something a lot of people might want to hear, but it’s the truth. Nondisabled people will shove you away because they have to ‘deal with you’ or offer platitudes to make themselves feel better. As a result, disabled people fight amongst ourselves that people who don’t fit into that pride mold are turned away. It’s one big mess. People say it’s a community and that people should be proud, but voices are silenced all around. Disability Pride Month is a step in the right direction and I’m very happy it’s getting recognition. That doesn’t mean I have to be proud or happy to be disabled.”

Person D: “It means to me that I am not worth less than anyone else and that I have a purpose.”

Overall, this month is pretty positive for me. I love the community, I love having conversations, I love hearing what other disabled people have to say.

What I don’t like, however, comes from other people. It comes from a lot of nondisabled people. I understand it’s probably just people being shitty, but I want to address a couple comments/misconceptions left on posts made by disabled people about this month:

This month isn’t an extension of LGBTQIA+ pride month. This month is to celebrate and honor disabled people (queer or not).

This month isn’t just for LGBTQIA+ disabled people. Just because July just happens to be right after June doesn’t mean anything. This month is a time to remember and celebrate other disabled people and ourselves. This month is for ALL disabled people.

No matter how you feel about this month - whether you celebrate your disability/disabilities or not (both of which are completely valid), this month is absolutely necessary. It’s a time to remember the disabled people we have lost. It’s a time to remember the progress that has been made. It’s a time to remember how much change - improvement - is still to be made.

For me, it’s a time to remind myself and my disabled friends and family that we are enough as we are and deserve more than the bare minimum. It’s a time to especially focus on creating more POSITIVE AND AUTHENTIC disability representation. (I do want to note, though, that I do all that year round too.)

Whether or not you’re proud to be disabled, whether or not you consider yourself part of the community, happy Disability Pride Month!