Celebrating Disability Pride Month
By Annie Martínez, She/They, Neurodivergent
Background
Disability Pride Month is a worldwide celebration that takes place on the month of July. Its origins are from the United States to commemorate the passing of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act in July 1990 as individuals with disabilities make up 15% of the world’s population across all ages, races, genders, ethnicities, sexual orientations, religions, and socio-economic backgrounds.
Disability Pride Month celebrates people with disabilities and their contributions to society to impact the biases that people have towards those with disabilities. It also seeks to promote the acceptance of the belief that disabilities are a natural part of human diversity. It is an opportunity to celebrate community while raising awareness for the challenges still faced to be treated equally.
Disability pride is the idea that people with disabilities should be proud of their disabled identity. Another main feature of disability pride is advocating for disability inclusion, which is the practice of actively creating accessible environments and equitable opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in roles that are the same or similar to their peers without disabilities.
Jeff Markowitz/AP
Advocacy in 1990s
Jeff Markowitz/AP
On March 12, 1990, a mere months before the act would be signed, one of the largest acts of civil disobedience took place in Washington DC. Over 1000 people marched from the White House to the U.S. Capitol demanding Congress pass the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). During this march 60 activists physically demonstrated the inaccessibility of public spaces by getting out of their wheelchairs or setting aside mobility aids and crawled up the Capital steps in a powerful demonstration of civil disobedience. This later became known as the Capitol Crawl. One hundred and four demonstrates were arrested by police that day, many in wheelchairs.
The ADA
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a landmark act that protects people with disabilities from discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, State and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications.
The components of the ADA were especially groundbreaking, one being it provided an inclusive legal definition of the word “disability,” and second, established a network of national and local services and organizations with the mission of providing equal treatment and access to opportunities for people with disabilities.
Since its passing, the ADA has continued to shape life for Americans with disabilities.
Disability Pride Flag
The flag was created by Ann Magill, entering the public domain in 2019. It was redesigned in 2021, in response to feedback from those with visually triggering disabilities. The following describes ideology behind the colors and composition within the flag’s design:
- All six “standard” flag colors: disability spans across borders between states and nations
- Black field: mourning for victims of ableist violence and abuse
- Diagonal band: “cutting across” the walls and barriers that separate disabled people from society
- Red stripe: physical disabilities
- Gold stripe: neurodivergence
- White stripe: invisible and undiagnosed disabilities
- Blue stripe: psychiatric disabilities
- Green stripe: sensory disabilities
Attorneys and Disabilities
In the attorney profession, those with disabilities are vastly underrepresented. Just 1.4% of law firm lawyers identified as having a disability, according a 2023 report from the National Association of Law Placement. Many attorneys fear to identify their disabilities due to judgment by other attorneys, judges, and even clients.
Next Steps
Educate
The ABA Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council has created a Disability Equity Habit Building Challenge syllabus in honor of Disability Pride Month with the goal to assist all of us to be more informed and proactive in the quest for disability equity.
Support
There are different disability associations and agencies in Colorado, though the below is not an exhaustive list.
References
- “What is Disability Pride Month?”. BBC Newsround. 2023-07-21. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
- ^ Jump up to:a b Johnson, Hannah (July 29, 2021). “Disability Pride Month rally commemorates ADA’s anniversary, calls for further change”. North Texas Daily. Archived from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Miranda, Gabriela (July 2, 2021). “A chance to ‘amplify one another’: What is Disability Pride Month?”. USA Today.
- ^ “Disability Inclusion Overview”. World Bank. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
- ^ “Disability Stats and Facts | Disability Funders Network – The Social Justice Movement of the 21st Century…Building a Bridge Between Disability and Community Philanthropy”. www.disabilityfunders.org. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
- ^ “Our Mission”. The Disability Pride Association. 5 December 2011. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
- ^ Holmes, Steven A. (March 14, 1990). “Disabled Protest and Are Arrested”. The New York Times. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ “r/disability – The “Disability Pride Flag” by Ann Magill (me) has been redesigned”. reddit. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
- ^ “capri0mni | A new, visually safe version of the Disability Pride Flag”. capri0mni.dreamwidth.org. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
About the Author
Annie Martínez, Esq., is a first-generation Cuban American from Hialeah Florida. They graduated from Law School in 2014 and have been practicing law in the Metro Area since 2015. Annie was the youngest president of the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association, sits on various boards for community organizations, and won the Outstanding Young Hispanic Attorney in 2019, the Up & Coming Lawyers in 2020, and the DBA Young Lawyer of the Year in 2022. Annie is the current president of the Denver Bar Association.
