Freeman/Lozier Library

Published 2 days ago• 3 minute read

(ADA) passed in 1990 under George H.W. Bush’s presidency. Its goal is to prevent discrimination based on disability. Thanks to this law, accessibility barriers are being removed at public venues such as museums, or shopping malls and also public transportation. The law even requires web accessibility. It also advocates employment for people with disabilities.

Did you know that according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) up to 27% or 1 in 4 adults in the United States have some type of disability? It is even broken it down into six categories. Mobility- serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs (12.1%), Cognition-serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions (12.8%), Independent Living-difficulty doing errands alone (7.2%), Hearing-deafness or serious difficulty hearing (6.1%), Vision-blindness or serious difficulty seeing (4.8%), Self-Care-difficulty dressing or bathing (3.6%)

Not too many awareness months have a flag to help them celebrate, but this one does. It was created to encompass all disabilities and was designed by Ann Magill, a member of the disability community. The flag has a black background and diagonally across the flag are five zigzag lines colored blue, yellow, white, red, and green. The lines are considered to be a lightning bolt and each color represents something unique about the disability community. The black background represents the suffering of the disability community from violence and also serves as a color of rebellion and protest. The lightning bolt represents how individuals with disabilities must navigate barriers, and demonstrates their creativity in doing so. The five colors represent the variety of needs and experiences: Mental Illness, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Invisible and Undiagnosed Disabilities, Physical Disabilities, and Sensory Disabilities.

Some cities celebrate and bring awareness about in a big way. Boston held the first Disability Pride Day in 1990. A lot of cities followed their lead like San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Antonio, and New York City but the event wasn’t nationally recognized. It wasn’t until 2015 when New York City Mayor, Bill de Blasio established July as Disability Pride Month. Below are the known Disability Pride Parades. According to the American Federation for the Blind, there is a virtual Disability Pride Parade on Saturday, July 24, 2024. Visit the Disability Pride Parade website to find out more details. According to the Nebraska Disability Pride Facebook page, there will be a celebration on July 26th at Antelope Park in Lincoln from 9am-1pm. If there is not one in your area, be the one to get it started!

disability pride parade-people in wheelchairs, guide dog, marching