Disability Pride Month

Disability Pride Month celebrates the steps that have been taken forward to be more inclusive in the United States and the world. In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act and we are celebrating the work that has been done throughout Maryland to include those with disabilities.

What Exactly is the Americans with Disabilities Act?

“The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday activities. The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability just as other civil rights laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. The ADA guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to enjoy employment opportunities, purchase goods and services, and participate in state and local government programs.”

• Source ADA GOV

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The Facts

• Disability Pride Month is celebrated in honor of the history, achievements, experiences, and struggles of the disability community.
• July is significant because it’s the anniversary of the Americans Disabilities Act landmark legislation.
  • While the country has come a long way since 1990 when the ADA was signed into law, people with disabilities and their advocates say that they are still fighting for full inclusion.

• Disability Pride Month is to honor every disability and person who identifies with a disability. 

• The original disability pride flag, which featured brightly colored zigzagging stripes over a black background, was created in 2019 by writer Ann Magill, who has cerebral palsy. As she explained in an interview on The Accessible Stall podcast, “My first design idea was to make the stripes zigzag, to represent how disabled people have to maneuver around all the barriers we face. We have to go this way and then we have to go that way, and then we have to go this way and then we have to go that way. And that’s how we move through the world.”
  • However, the first flag was triggered by some viewers with visually triggered disabilities (seizures and migraine disorders) so they changed it. 

• Original Flag (make sure if you view you are not easily triggered.)

• Current Flag

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How To Observe

Watch videos, learn more about the history, see if your community is hosting an event, and practice ways to include everyone in the space when going throughout your day.

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Videos about Disability Pride Month

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Additional Resources

Why and How to Celebrate Disability Pride Month 2023

Disability Pride Month and the Disability Rights Movement

Everything to Know About the Disability Pride Flag and Disability Pride Month

In a day of play, Frederick County celebrates people with disabilities

Celebrating Disability Pride Month – What’s Your Role?

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Activities

Zoom Backgrounds
Virtual backgrounds are one of the easiest ways to spread awareness about Disability Pride Month! In July you can replace your normal backdrop with one below to encourage others to learn more and share about Disability Pride Month in any Zoom meeting you have!

Right-click the image then save as to your computer. Open your Zoom application and update your background to the file you saved from this page.

Social Media

During the month of July, share with your friends and followers on social media how to share about Disability Pride Month. Your post could be a video or a picture! Also, do not forget to share using the hashtags #DisabilityPrideMonth #ExperienceIncusion.

Tag and follow us on Social!

Social Media Examples