Disability Pride Month

By Kasia Krawczyk

Disability Pride Month is celebrated each year in July. Disability Pride first started as a day of celebration in 1990, which is the year that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. That same year, Boston held their first Disability Pride Day. The first official celebration of Disability Pride Month took place in July 2015, which also marked the 25th anniversary of the ADA. ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in all areas of public life and allows their full participation in society — by working, going to school, using public and private transportation services, voting, buying goods and services or accessing public places. Since the first celebration in 2015, cities across the country have celebrated disability pride month with parades and other festivities.

Disability is a part of human diversity, and it is something a lot of us will experience at one point or another in our lives. It’s also a significant identity that defines how one experiences the world. Yet it is unfortunate that people with disabilities have been marginalized and misunderstood for generations. All disabilities and their interconnected identities should be acknowledged, valued, and respected, and one way to do that is during Disability Pride Month.