Disability Pride Month — what does it mean?

Now we are in July, it means that it is now Disability Pride Month. What’s that, you may be wondering? Don’t worry, I was in the exact same boat until a couple of years ago, with absolutely no clue there was a month dedicated to us disabled folk.

Disability Pride provides a time and a space to work on ending the stigma surrounding disability and to celebrate individuals who are disabled. It helps to create an awareness of what disabled individuals go through on a daily basis and it gives us a chance to share our experiences and celebrate diversity.

See, Disability Pride actually started back in 1990 in America when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed by Bush on July 26th, 1990. It started off as just one day, however, in 2015, it was decided in New York City that the whole month would be focused on disability pride. This isn’t something that has been officially declared, but nevertheless has been taken on by the disabled community anyway — and of course, so it should! While Disability Pride Month is not as recognised over here in the UK, we are slowly seeing more events and conversations taking place, shining a light on disabilities and mental health conditions, which is a step in the right direction…

However, disabled individuals are far from being treated as equal in society as a whole, and that is something I find so incredibly disheartening. There might be some awareness of what we go through on a daily basis this month, but what about the rest of the year? Ableism, defined as discrimination in favour of able-bodied people, and inaccessibility surrounds us on a daily basis; whether it’s someone saying ‘you do not look disabled’ as some sort of strange back-handed compliment or being discriminated against in the workplace or educational environment due to disability. Similarly, I’ve spoken to so many disabled individuals who are not able to attend certain places with their friends, take up new opportunities or just have a day out once in a while because time and time again, accessibility is not thought about. In fact, accessibility is an afterthought for the most part when it comes to event and venue planning, it seems. Organisations seem to think they can whack in a wheelchair ramp and all of a sudden they are an all-singing, all-dancing accessible venue — absolutely not.

Unfortunately, I have experienced my fair share of ableism, as well as downright discrimination all throughout my life and it’s not something that ever gets any easier. To be treated differently because of something completely out of your control, it’s less than ideal and it’s no surprise my mental health has been so severely impacted by it.

With disability pride comes the hope and the ask that non-disabled people see that disability is a natural part of life, that it isn’t something that we are ashamed of, it isn’t something we are asking you to feel sorry for, it’s just something that we want you to accept. It’s no secret that our awfully capitalist society tries its best to make it absolutely impossible for us to thrive — what with the lack of marriage equality for those with disabilities, the fact that your benefit allowances are so drastically impacted if you move in with a partner and not to mention the absolute hell that is applying for disability benefits (iykyk). Capitalism implies that you are practically useless if you are not aiding in the gross amplification of profits for people who realllllly do not need any more money but hey, that’s a conversation for another time. However, it is still so common for able-bodied individuals to view us with disabilities as lesser humans, as people who do not deserve as many rights, all because we do things a bit differently, or we can’t work the same way that you do. There is so much stigma surrounding disability, implying that disabled individuals are weak, a burden, that we are not productive for society, the list honestly goes on and on and I am just not standing for it a moment longer.

Talking about ableism in society, Hip-hop and R&B rapper and singer Lizzo recently included ableist (not to mention offensive) terminology in her song ‘Grrrls’ earlier in the year. The difference with this case though is that Lizzo quickly took accountability for her actions, apologised to the disabled community, and rectified her mistake — this is a great example for allies to follow. However, let’s not forget the likes of Kanye West stopping mid-show to tell people to stand up who are in wheelchairs — this sort of ignorance is still very much apparent. Nobody is expecting you to be perfect, but we do want you to have an understanding of the ever-present systemic ableism within society and more importantly, what we all can do to make it more accessible for everyone. No two people with disabilities are the same, but opening up this conversation and learning more about disability and diminishing the negative misconceptions around it is so, so important.

There are many ways you can celebrate disability pride and raise awareness and become an ally to us. Whether that’s engaging with disabled content creators, volunteering for or raising money for organisations that support disabled individuals, educating yourself on ableism within society, or attending a disability pride event, you don’t have to have a disability to celebrate disabilities.

So, am I proud to be disabled? I mean, it’s a complex answer. I’m proud that I am still here, I’m proud that I am taking up space and I am not standing for inaccessibility and I’m proud that I’m learning more and more every day how to stand up for, and advocate for, myself and other disabled individuals. I’m celebrating that I’m still fighting for accessibility and equality, despite all the hurdles that are continuously placed in our way. Believe me, having a body and mind that hardly works is hard work, but I’m proud of it regardless.