On July 26, 1990, after decades of advocacy and struggle, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. The ADA was the first comprehensive federal civil rights law to protect people with disabilities from discrimination in public life. Under the bill, it became illegal to deny someone access to employment, education, or transportation because of their disability. Disabled patrons were also protected in private spaces that are open to the public, such as restaurants and theaters.
To commemorate the ADA, July is designated as Disability Pride Month. The celebration is an opportunity to honor the history, achievements, experiences, and struggles of the disability community and the disability rights movement.
Unfortunately, Disability Pride Month isn’t often acknowledged outside disabled spaces. Yet we know that being disabled is an identity that is shared by people across all demographics. Disabilities encompass many aspects of our lives and may impact a person’s physical, mental health, sensory, intellectual, learning, neurological, and developmental experiences. Most of us will experience having a disability at some point in our lives, and 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. identify as having disability.
Disability Pride Month pushes back against old notions of disabled people as deserving of pity, or even being ostracized or feared. Instead, being disabled can be something we honor and take pride in. Disabled activists challenge us to fight our own internal ableism and join the struggle against inaccessible facilities and systems that keep them from fully participating in society.
Check out these resources to learn more about the disability rights movement and uplift disabled voices.
Read
- Year of the Tiger by Alice Wong
- Care Work by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna Samarasinha
- Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah Taussig
- A Disability History of The United States by Kim E. Nielsen
- The Collected Schizophrenias by Esmé Weijun Wang
- Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin
Watch
- Crip Camp (2020 documentary)
- Echo (2022 miniseries)
- CODA (2021 film)
- Murderball (2015 documentary)
- Life Itself (2014 documentary)
- Rising Phoenix (2020 documentary)
- All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022 documentary)
Take Action
- The Steven Spectrum Career Project is committed to empowering neurodivergent individuals by providing the tools and resources necessary to succeed in the workforce. As a new nonprofit, they are seeking a grantwriting pro to offer advice and assistance on securing grant funding for their program.
- Parent Education Stabilization Course Corp provides education and support for parents of children with disabilities. They need a volunteer to help develop a holistic social media strategy, including reviewing analytics, providing recommendations, and assessing their current content and posting schedule.
- Grand Strand Miracle League offers supportive, safe, adapted, and encouraging sports and recreation activities to people with disabilities. They are looking for an evaluation expert to help create surveys and other tools to better access the success and outcomes of their programs.
- Partners with Paws supports ill and injured individuals through partnerships with trained service dogs. They are seeking a volunteer to assist with Google Ads grant optimization to grow brand awareness and impact.
- Mending Minds Village focuses on creating resources and programs that improve juvenile mental health and equality. They are looking for someone with fundraising strategy experience to help them develop a plan to raise funds to purchase a large vehicle to help deliver their services in the community.
