By Emma Quirk, Summer 2023 Power in Place Collaborator
Image from: Wikipedia
Disability Pride Month has been celebrated in the United States each July since 1990. Disabled people make up the largest marginalized group in the U.S., with about 26 percent of the population having a disability. That means about one in four Americans — of all genders, ethnicities, races, and classes — have at least one disability. Despite making up a significant portion of the country, disabled people and their lives, needs, and contributions are often overlooked and ignored.
In 1990, the proposed Americans with Disabilities Act — which protects people with disabilities from discrimination — had been stalled in Congress, prompting disability rights advocates to protest at the Capitol and White House. On March 12, the Capitol Crawl, as it is now known, occurred. Members of the Americans Disabled for Accessible Public Transit or ADAPT, with about 1000 other protestors watching, began to crawl and climb the steps of the west Capitol entrance in order to visibility demonstrate the inaccessibility that disabled people face in the U.S.. This protest was successful, and the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law on July 26, 1990.
Following this, the first Disability Pride Day was held in Boston, Massachusetts. Since then, other cities have followed suit, and Disability Pride celebrations and parades occur each year.
In 2016, writer and activist Ann Magill started creating the Disability Pride Flag. As a woman with cerebral palsy and a member of the disability community herself, Magill wanted to create a flag of solidarity, pride, and acceptance. The original flag featured a black background with bright blue, yellow, white, red, and green zigzag stripes. “[I wanted] 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,” Magill said on an episode of The Accessible Stall podcast. In 2021, she redesigned the flag to be less visually overwhelming, after receiving suggestions from people with migraines, seizures, sensory sensitivities, and other conditions that can be visually triggered. To make the flag more accessible, the updated version features more muted colors and softer lines.
Each color on the flag depicts an important aspect of the disability community. The charcoal black background represents the mourning of disabled people who have been lost or victimized by ableism-fueled violence. The diagonal band of colors metaphorically “cuts through” barriers that disabled people face; the green stripe signifies sensory disabilities including deafness, blindness, and other sensory conditions; the blue stripe signifies psychiatric disabilities, including depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders, the white stripe signifies invisible or undiagnosed disabilities; the yellow/gold stripe signifies cognitive and intellectual disabilities and other neurodivergence; and the red stripe signifies physical disabilities. These colors are the six standard international flag colors, meant to denote that the disability community exists throughout the world.
While July has been recognized by some as Disability Pride Month since 1990, in 2022 Congresswoman Betty McCollum a Democrat from Minnesota, Congressman Ken Calvert a Republican from California, Senator Amy Klobuchar a Democrat from Minnesota, and Senator Rob Portman a Republican from Ohio, introduced a bipartisan, bicameral resolution recognizing July as Disability Pride Month, celebrating contributions of disabled Americans, and underscoring the importance of preventing exclusion and discrimination based on ability. “Though Disability Pride has long been celebrated each July within the disability community, it is not yet recognized on the federal level. That's why I am introducing a resolution with Congressman Calvert in the House, alongside Senators Klobuchar and Portman in the Senate, to mark this commemorative month and affirm that people with disabilities are valued and equal members of our communities and our society. Much more work remains to advance the rights of the disability community, stop stigma, and increase accessibility. Establishing Disability Pride Month will not only serve to raise awareness about this movement but will also shine a light on the community's many positive contributions to our nation's rich diversity,” McCollum said. Klobuchar noted that “By designating July as Disability Pride Month, this bipartisan resolution honors the many contributions Americans with disabilities have made to our country and acknowledges the need to continue the fight to address the barriers that Americans with disabilities face.”
This resolution was in partnership with 20 organizations, led by Gillette Children’s Hospital of St. Paul, Minnesota. These groups wrote a letter on July 5, 2022, urging for the recognition of Disability Pride Month. The letter states that “The ADA was only a starting point, and there remains significant room for progress towards a more equitable and inclusive country for all people living with a disability…There is still much work to be done…[Disability Pride Month] will provide opportunities for participation and education, and spread awareness of disability justice, inclusion, intersectionality, and accessibility and contribute to advocacy for the rights of children and adults who have disabilities as well as help confront ableism and systemic discrimination.” On July 26, Calvert and Klobuchar’s resolution was shared.
While disability justice has come a long way, there is still a lot of work to be done to achieve a truly inclusive society for all people, regardless of ability. Disabled people are underrepresented in positions of leadership, political and otherwise. It is important to listen to disabled people, hear their own experiences and stories directly from them, and fight for equality and equity always.
References
[1] Devault, Nancy. “Here’s What the Disability Pride Flag Represents.” AmeriDisability. July 11, 2023. https://www.ameridisability.com/heres-what-the-disability-pride-flag-represents/.
[2] “Disability Pride Month.” The Valuable 500. June 28, 2023. https://www.thevaluable500.com/spotlight/disability-pride-month.
[2] “Disability Rights Activists Make ‘Capitol Crawl’ for the ADA.” The Zinn Education Project. https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/capitol-crawl-for-ADA/.
[3] Gillette Children’s, et al. “Disability Pride Month Support Letter.” July 5, 2022. https://aahd.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/DisabilityPrideMonthResolution-SenKlobucherRepMcCullum-GilletteChildrens-July5-supportletter.pdf.
[4] “McCollum, Calvert, Klobuchar, Portman, Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Resolution Recognizing Disability Pride Month.” McCollum.House.gov. July 26, 2022. https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/mccollum-calvert-klobuchar-portman-introduce-bipartisan-bicameral-resolution.
Emma Quirk is a rising sophomore at Mount Holyoke College and is double majoring in English and Critical Social Thought. On campus, Emma is a staff writer and photos editor for Mount Holyoke News and works as a student fellow in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.