Happy July! Most people love the summer. It’s a time for barbecues, lemonade and sunscreen. The last one is especially important because sunburned skin eventually turns saggy and cancer-y and no one wants that. (Don’t let this be you.)
Sadly, my black motorized wheelchair is like a beacon for UV rays. So, if I spend any amount of time in the sun, my wheelchair zaps heat into my body as if it’s the Death Star. This means that my clothing becomes stuck to my body like Saran Wrap. Only pliers and a lot of tugging can remove it.
It shouldn’t be surprising that summer isn’t my favorite season. It’s long, hot, sticky and there aren’t any new Hallmark movies to watch. Plus, it’s the season that stands between me and autumn— a time when I consume every pumpkin spice product that I can get my hands on.
However, July is momentous for the disability community. It’s when the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. (Read my previous piece for Anthesis about this: https://anthesis.us/uniting-the-disability-community/ )
This revolutionary law became the benchmark for disability rights legislation around the world. While we still have far to go for equality for the disabled, the law signed on July 26, 1990 was at least a step/roll forward. Therefore, it’s only fitting that we also celebrate Disability Pride Month in July, too.
Disability Pride Month celebrates disability as a unique, valued, and distinct identity. It does so by sharing the experiences of the diverse and vibrant disability community. There are so many stigmas associated with disability, and many negative stereotypes. However, Disability Pride Month gives us a chance to share the joy and pride that we feel in our community— and the contributions we make to the world. It’s also about acceptance, inclusion, and claiming our place in a society that has often tried to hide us away.
And look, we even have a flag, too… Yay!
(Ann Magill— https://www.reddit.com/r/disability/comments/uhhdbv/the_disability_pride_flag_by_ann_magill_me_has/ )
The battle continues against COVID-19— despite many efforts to pretend it’s over. (It’s not, sadly.) So commemorating Disability Pride Month is vital during a pandemic that has killed more of our members than any other group. Given these statistics, it could be assumed that the disability community has received extra support. However, the opposite has happened. The societal response to COVID-19 has pushed the disabled even further into the shadows.
On a personal note, I can attest to how hard it’s been to be disabled during these recent years. More so than I ever dreamed— and I say that as someone that has been disabled for each of my forty years on this earth. So, I had seen and endured a lot prior to March 2020.
Reclaiming our pride, and our rightful place in this world, is essential to our ongoing survival. We must be seen, we must be heard, and we MUST in the room where decisions are made that impact our lives.
I am proud to be disabled. It has made me into the person that I am. Being disabled has taught me things that I would have never learned had I been born able-bodied. Problem-solving. Adaptation. Empathy. Communication. Time-Management. These skills can become supercharged when you have a disability like mine. And these gifts, and the diverse gifts of ALL disabled people, have value. We are unique. We are important. And society wouldn’t be the same without us. (Even though many forget this.)
Lastly, Disability Pride Month also offers an opportunity for non-disabled people to address their own internalized ableism—which is essential. Unless the non-disabled do their part to combat ableism, the disability community can’t have equality. After all, how can the disabled have equity in a world that was not designed with us in mind? The non-disabled must change the system. They must realize that disability is not a bad thing. The word “disabled” should be embraced— not avoided or glossed over with euphemisms. Disability is a part of life that must be acknowledged and celebrated.
So, this July, join with us. Happy Disability Pride Month!