Celebrating Disability Awareness Month at Great Lakes Mental Health

July is Disability Pride Month, a time to celebrate folks with disabilities and increase visibility about disability issues.

What are disabilities?

Disability is a broad term that includes both visible and invisible differences that change how someone interacts with the world. Disability includes both physical and mental health conditions that change how someone interacts with the world. Visible disabilities include those we can see without talking to another person, like when someone uses a wheelchair or has lost a limb. Invisible disabilities are those that cannot be seen, such as diabetes or ADHD. The distinction between visible and invisible disabilities can be important for understanding different issues someone might face in their life due to how others perceive them.

Some people with disabilities prefer person-first language to talk about their disability, which is how this article talks about it. Person-first language means saying things like “individual with a disability” or “person with diabetes.” Others prefer identity-first language, such as disabled or autistic. These language differences can have important meaning to individuals, and for that reason you should listen to and use the terms the individual prefers when talking about their disability.

History of Disability Pride Month

Disability Pride Month is in July because the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed on July 26, 1990. The ADA prohibits discrimination of individuals with disabilities and requires that businesses provide reasonable accommodations. Previous legislation only prohibited discrimination by businesses that received federal funding, which meant it protected very few people.

A flag for disability pride was first made in 2019 by Ann Magill, a writer with cerebral palsy. She designed the flag after attending an event to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the ADA in 2010. She was disappointed by the event, which was held in the basement of an independent living center rather than out in the public. The 2019 flag included 5 stripes of different, bold colors in a zigzag. The zigzag represented navigating the world with a disability and each color represented a different disability. Feedback from the community explained the design could lead to a strobe effect on screens that could trigger seizures and migraines. Magill changed the flag to its present design, 5 diagonal stripes in muted colors for accessibility. Magill also separated the red and green on the flag for those with color blindness.

Why Disability Pride is Important

The passing of the ADA marked an important change in American legislation. There is a long history of ableism, meaning discrimination against individuals with disabilities, that has been supported by a lack of legal protections. However, it is important to remember people with disabilities still experience discrimination in the United States. Disability Pride Month can be about speaking out against the many ways the world discriminates against people with disabilities.

How can I celebrate disability pride?

There are many ways to celebrate! Many states have disability pride events you can attend. In Michigan, you can find ways to celebrate on their website, including a community celebration in Lansing and an online art gallery: https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/keep-mi-healthy/mentalhealth/developmentaldisability/disability-pride-month-2024

Learning more and educating yourself about the rights and experiences of individuals with disabilities is another way. There are many ways to learn, from reading memoirs to watching documentaries to simply listening when people with disabilities talk about their experiences.

How can I learn more?

Many individuals with disabilities have released memoirs, books, comedy specials, documentaries, and movies about their experiences. I always recommend seeking out resources that were made by individuals who have disabilities themselves because these will speak to their authentic experience.

One such documentary is Crip Camp, which was written, directed, and produced by Nicole Newnham and James LaBrecht. The documentary Crip Camp (2020) tells the story of Camp Jened, a camp for people with disabilities in the 70s. LaBrecht attended Camp Jened himself and he was born with spina bifida. Camp Jened was one of many important parts of the Disability Rights Movement and provides an incredible look into the lives and activism of individuals with disabilities at the time. You can find information about Crip Camp on their website: https://cripcamp.com/

Another great way to learn more is to check out advocacy and peer organizations. These organizations focus on improving the lives of individuals with disabilities through advocating for better policies, providing resources and education about living with a disability, and providing a safe space for people to meet others like them. Some organizations are for people with disabilities broadly (such as the American Association for People with Disability, or AAPD for short) and others focus on a specific disability (such as the Autism Self Advocacy Network, or ASAN for short). You can find many examples by searching the web.