Image Description: Photo of Disability Pride flag created by artist Ann Magil in 2019. It consists of a black background (represents the mourning for victims of ableist violence and abuse) with five zig-zagging colorful stripes running down the middle. The light blue stripe represents mental illness, the yellow stripe represents neurodiversity, the white stripe represents invisible and undiagnosed disabilities, the red represents physical disabilities, and the green represents sensory disabilities.

Celebrating Disability Pride Month

Disability Pride Month is celebrated every July to commemorate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which was signed into law on July 26, 1990. The ADA protects the rights of disabled folks in employment, government and public spaces from discrimination and requiring these places to meet basic accommodations for disabled people. The passage of the ADA could not have been made possible without the work and labor from disabled activists.

 

Disability Pride Month is a time to celebrate and honor contributions from disability rights organizers, activists and people, while also recognizing the work needed to dismantle ableism within our governments, medical systems and communities. This July, we encourage non-disabled folks to learn more about Disability Pride Month and be better allies by listening to disabled people and communities. 

*Content Warning: mentions of ableism, sexual violence, racism, disabled folks being hypersexualized, desexualized or degendered. This episode is from the podcast channel Sex Out Loud with Tristan Taormino 

Accessible Things to do this Summer

Explore different parks and outdoor activities in Washington:

• “How to Find Accessible Trail Information” (Disabled Hikers) 
• Barrier-Free Trails (Washington Trails Association) 
• Accessible Trails in Washington State (Wheelchair Wandering) 
• Accessible San Juans (San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau) 
• “Snoqualmie Falls Park Near Seattle” (Wheelchair Wanderer) 
• Take a Washington State Ferry (WSDOT) 

Visit museums in your area (Note: acccessibility info about each museum linked below):

• Wing Luke Museum (Seattle) 
• The Museum of Flight – Sensory Days (Seattle) 
• Museum of Glass (Tacoma) 
• Maryhill Museum of Art (Goldendale) 

Attend or support the organizations that put on virtual events for disabled folks:

• July 22: Living on Earth, Escaping to Eyeth: Visions of a Disabled-Led World 
• July 23: Dreaming in Liberation: A Virtual Offering for QTBIPOC 

Learn more about Disability Justice:

• Sins Invalid: A disability justice based performance project that incubates and celebrates artists with disabilities, centralizing artists of color and LGBTQ / gender-variant artists as communities who have been historically marginalized. 
• The Deaf Poets Society: The Deaf Poets Society is an online literary journal that publishes poetry and art by D/deaf and/or disabled writers and artists. Founded in 2016, our mission is to provide a venue for D/deaf and disability literature and art, as well as to connect readers with established and emerging talent in the field. 
• “Black Autistics Exist: An Argument for Intersectional Disability Justice” (South Seattle Emerald) 

What else is happening this month?

Mental Health Resources and Events