Jose Gonzalez-Campelo/The Cougar
With such an explosive celebration like July 4th, it’s no wonder that other holidays and observances of the month get overshadowed by fireworks and cookouts. One such observance is Disability Pride Month, and it’s one that should be much more well-known.
Disability Pride Month began in 1990 in Boston with Disability Pride Day, a celebration that was created to commemorate the Americans with Disabilities Act officially being signed into law. The first disability pride parade was held in Chicago in 2004.
In addition to the month, there’s also a disability pride flag. The original design was created in 2019, and was later redesigned in 2021 due to the 2019 one causing eye strain for some when viewed on computers and other devices.
According to the CDC, about 27% of the country’s population is disabled in one way or another. Whether they are physical or mental, over one-fourth of Americans experience some sort of disability. This can range from things that the average person would immediately think of such as amputations or paralysis, to things like epilepsy, PTSD and mental disorders that are often disregarded.
Disability Pride Month serves to advocate for those with these conditions, whether it be focused in the workplace, educational institutions or otherwise. In addition to this, it’s a time for those with disabilities to uplift themselves and others, sharing their own experiences and reminding the general public of misconceptions surrounding disabled people.
With common misunderstandings like what qualifies as a disability and the disregarding of disabled issues, it’s integral to have time dedicated to pushing back against stereotypes and misconceptions.
There are so many barriers in day-to-day life that disabled people still face, even since the creation of the ADA. The estimated employment rate for disabled people has remained between 30 to 40% for years, barely fluctuating at all.
Disabled people have to face the constant challenge of not being taken seriously and worrying that employers won’t see them as competent or capable, and this is if they’re able to access job opportunities in the first place.
Disabled people are more likely to have issues with smoking and obesity, and often don’t have access to healthcare. Unfortunately, even when they do have healthcare, they’re often unable to take advantage of it due to accessibility issues within society.
In addition to these, there’s also the issue of law enforcement failing to accommodate those with disabilities, especially people of color, and winding up wounding or even killing them. There is an unacceptable lack of training for police to understand disabilities and how to interact with them without the use of force.
It took until just this year for proper training to be created for police forces on how to interact with intellectually and developmentally disabled people.
While this is undeniably a big step, why did it take so long? As needed as it is, it should not have required the bloodshed of so many disabled people to happen.
Things like this are exactly why we need Disability Pride Month. If there’s no one to advocate for it, no progress will be made and that lack of progress has shown to be deadly.
Disabled people should not have to jump through hoops to get a job or medical assistance. Disabled people should not have to fear for their lives because of improper training for law enforcement. Disabled people should not be barred from living their lives as safely and comfortably as anyone else, and they deserve to be widely accepted and understood.
While July may be nearing its end, the existence of Disability Pride Month should remind us to strive to uplift disabled voices and educate ourselves on the challenges they face. The ADA didn’t solve every disabled issue, and having a time each year to advocate for progress and acceptance is more than necessary.
Parker Hodges-Beggs is a journalism sophomore who can be reached at [email protected]
