July Is Disability Pride Month

Be Proud and Loud  

Pride. A simple enough word that holds so much meaning for us all. When you look up the word you will find it is defined as follows:

Checkout Disability Pride Pennsylvania: https://www.disabilitypridepa.org/

Regardless of our race, gender, ability level, etc. we all want to feel that we are valued and loved just as we are.  In the month of July, we celebrate Disability Pride Month and recognize, celebrate and honor each person’s uniqueness and see it as a part of human diversity. Further, disability pride aims at challenging systemic ableism and the stigmatizing definitions that surround disability.  

It is important to remember that one in four adults has been diagnosed with a disability of some sort.  It also important to remember that a disability is just one facet of a person. The disability does not define a person and it does not determine what is possible for that individual to achieve. Seeing individuals as a whole person rather than just their diagnoses is that Disability Pride is all about.  

Do you know why July is Disability Pride Month?  July is the month that the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990. In the present time disability pride parades are celebrated in major cities across the United States, highlighting individual uniqueness and proving that people are more than their disabilities. Look for opportunities to celebrate Disability Pride Month in your community.

• a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or  possessions that are widely  admired; and,
• consciousness of one's own dignity.