July Is Disability Pride Month. Here Are Some Resources for Self-Education.
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July marks the beginning of another important pride month: Disability Pride.
Officially declared in 2015 by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio to honor the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), this month “is used to promote visibility and mainstream awareness of the positive pride felt by people with disabilities.” Disability Pride parades, however, have been held as early as 1990 — with the first one being in Boston. Now, major cities all over the United States have annual parades and weeks to honor each other as well as work towards ending the stigma surrounding disability.
on the first day of Disability Pride Month, I’d like to remind you that you cannot tell if someone is disabled or not simply by looking at them. some people’s disabilities are “invisible.” or we’ve internalized the idea that disability is always obvious.
— Elly Belle, notably not a woman 🔮 (@literElly) July 1, 2021
One way we can all participate meaningfully in Disability Pride Month is by listening to disabled folks and being aware of the ableism in our daily lives.
CKnightWrites on Twitter wrote an excellent thread on wheelchair etiquette:
Since it's Disability Pride Month, I'd love to address something I see many issues with out in the wild:
Wheelchair etiquette
There are appropriate and inappropriate ways to interact with someone who is in a wheelchair. Knowing them benefits all involved.
A non exhaustive 🧵
— Charlie Knight [they/them] (@CKnightWrites) July 3, 2021
“Since it’s Disability Pride Month, I’d love to address something I see many issues with out in the wild:
Wheelchair etiquette
There are appropriate and inappropriate ways to interact with someone who is in a wheelchair. Knowing them benefits all involved.
A non exhaustive thread”
The big takeaway from this should be to treat us like you would anyone else – not as a broken, not as a freak show, not as a child. All it really takes is basic respect and acknowledging that we're people too.
Thanks for trying to do better and Happy Disability Pride Month 💜
— Charlie Knight [they/them] (@CKnightWrites) July 3, 2021
“The big takeaway from this should be to treat us like you would anyone else – not as a broken, not as a freak show, not as a child. All it really takes is basic respect and acknowledging that we’re people too.
Thanks for trying to do better and Happy Disability Pride Month”
As well as a follow-up on wheelchair etiquette do’s:
In yesterday's Wheelchair Etiquette thread for Disability Pride Month, I gave you a lot of "do nots" … so how about some "do" options today!
Wheelchair etiquette part 2: what you can do
A non-exhaustive 🧵
— Charlie Knight [they/them] (@CKnightWrites) July 4, 2021
“In yesterday’s Wheelchair Etiquette thread for Disability Pride Month, I gave you a lot of “do nots” … so how about some “do” options today!
Wheelchair etiquette part 2: what you can do
A non-exhaustive Thread”
Since LGBTQ+ pride month has just ended and Disability pride month has just begun, I figured it's a good time to remind everyone that we don't have marriage equality until disabled people can marry/live with our partners without losing our income/healthcare etc
— Jessica Diamond ♿ (@JessicaXDiamond) July 2, 2021
“Since LGBTQ+ pride month has just ended and Disability pride month has just begun, I figured it’s a good time to remind everyone that we don’t have marriage equality until disabled people can marry/live with our partners without losing our income/healthcare etc”
Disability pride month, and a reminder that many disabled people in this country are still unable to live with or marry their partners.
The way disability support is structured for most, you lose out-of-work benefit entitlement when you move in with someone, making you dependant.— Pfizer's Orchestra 🌿 (@pylonfan) July 2, 2021
“Disability pride month, and a reminder that many disabled people in this country are still unable to live with or marry their partners.
The way disability support is structured for most, you lose out-of-work benefit entitlement when you move in with someone, making you dependant.”
The ADA National Network offers these Guidelines for Writing About People with Disabilities. They also offer an Overview of the ADA.
These are just some of the resources out there for people without disabilities to educate themselves. With the generous work of individual disabled folks and organizations like the ADA National Network, there’s no reason we can’t all learn to treat one another appropriately and respectfully.
