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.