Home / Stories /
Disability Pride Month is celebrated every July to honor the history, achievements, experiences and struggles of the disability community in recognition of the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, landmark legislation that broke down barriers to inclusion in society.
Disability Pride Month was officially established in July 2015, on the 25th anniversary of the ADA, by cities across the country with parades, festivals, educational opportunities and advocacy events. Many embrace the idea of disability pride as a grassroots movement challenging systemic ableism and the pervasive stigmatization of disability.
Ableism is the discrimination of and social prejudice against people with disabilities based on the belief that typical abilities are superior. Abelist microaggressions are the everyday slights, indignities and insults that disabled people experience in their day-to-day interactions.
People with disabilities are the largest and most diverse minority within the U.S. population, representing all abilities, ages, races, ethnicities, religions and socioeconomic backgrounds. According to the CDC, one in four Americans has a disability. Worldwide, about one billion people—or 15% of humanity’s population—live with a disability.
Despite this prevalence, stigmas about disabilities and the people who have them are pervasive, and barriers to opportunity and full participation in society exist.
Read the full article on The Whole U.
Watch more about Disability Pride and the Disability Rights Movement on PBS.
