The month of July is nationally recognized as Disability Pride Month. At W.A.G.S. 4 Kids, we believe that every individual living with a disability deserves to feel proud of themselves, and that this pride should be felt throughout the year. As we continue to serve the needs of children with disabilities, we want to ensure that these children feel pride in their identity. 

The History of Disability Pride Month

The historic passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) occurred on July 26, 1990. The ADA works to protect individuals with disabilities in regards to employment, state and local government facilities and services, public accommodations, telecommunications, and transportation. 

In the same month as the ADA was passed, the first ever Disability Pride Day was held in Boston. Disability Pride Parades began sprouting up across the country, taking place over the years in major cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Antonio, and others. In 2015, 25 years after President George H.W. Bush signed the ADA into law, the mayor of New York declared July as Disability Pride Month. 

Events held throughout Disability Pride Month often celebrate disability culture or provide the community with educational resources, like lectures and gatherings, about living with disabilities and disability acceptance.

What Is Disability Pride?

Disability pride is defined “as accepting and honoring each person’s uniqueness and seeing it as a natural and beautiful part of human diversity.” Disability pride is an integral part of movement building and a direct challenge of systemic ableism and stigmatizing definitions of disability. - Disability Community Resource Center

Ableism, or discrimination that favors able-bodied individuals, runs rampant through our society. Rude, abusive attitudes towards people with disabilities aren’t just emotionally hurtful, they can also lead to a lack of accessibility and inequality. 

Individuals with disabilities should never feel ashamed of themselves - and that’s what Disability Pride Month is all about. This is a time to promote positivity and embrace the unique experiences that come with living with a disability. This is a time to celebrate everything that people with disabilities have contributed to the world. 

But disability pride should be celebrated every month, for those living with disabilities deserve to feel proud of their accomplishments, unique experiences, and resilience, and how these have contributed to our diverse society.

Infographic by Northern Essex Community College

Disability Pride Month is dedicated to celebrating acceptance and uniqueness. For many people with disabilities, their disability is not just a diagnosis, it’s an intrinsic part of who they are. At the same time, a disability does not define a person or make up their identity. 

“People with disabilities are the largest and most diverse minority within the population, representing all abilities, ages, races, ethnicities, religions and socio-economic backgrounds.” - National Council of Independent Living

How To Practice and Promote Disability Pride

For individuals with disabilities, especially for younger children who live with disabilities, a good way to develop pride and self-confidence is to continuously set realistic, achievable goals, and then accomplish them. 

At W.A.G.S. 4 Kids, we help children set goals for themselves using purposeful languaging. This is where a child uses purposeful language in order to command and control their service dog. The reward is having their service dog obey their commands, giving them a sense of independence, control, and empowerment.

In addition, we promote the setting and accomplishing of goals by encouraging children to build patterned behaviors with their service dog. Examples of patterened behavior include brushing the teeth and hair of their service dog. By learning these behaviors, many of our children will feel more comfortable brushing their own teeth or having their hair brushed by their barber or hairstylist. These goals can all be modified to best reflect a child's struggles and what they want to accomplish.

In addition, for children with disabilities, it can be helpful to ask them about what they are already proud of, and then recognize how their disability is part - not all - of their identity. It can also be helpful to provide them with role models who they can relate to when it comes to their disability. 

Stella Young video: “I’m Not Your Inspiration, Thank You Very Much”

Maysoon Zayid video: “I Got 99 Problems; Palsy Is Just One”

Another way to encourage and promote disability pride is to celebrate and advocate for disability representation in the media. However, our society doesn’t just need disability representation - it needs authentic, diverse disability representation. Encouraging young people to share their stories (when they feel comfortable doing so), and supporting them when they do speak out, is a great way to promote pride and self-love.

We recently wrote a blog about Five Ways You Can Be A Better Ally For People With Disabilities. Becoming an ally who advocates for the equality for individuals with disabilities will help create a more inclusive and equitable community. 

Remember that practicing pride and self-love are learned activities that take time to develop, and that people with disabilities can feel and show pride in whatever way they feel most comfortable. 

Resources for Disability Pride

The National Council of Independent Living has provided the following resources that you can explore for additional support:

Rooted in Rights is a disability rights blog that highlights stories of disabled people of all ages who show a sense of disability pride.

For more information about building disability pride in people with hidden disabilities or mental health disabilities, please check out Presence Learning Handout on Building Disability Pride (PDF).

In addition to national resources, it’s always beneficial to seek out local resources and ways that you can practice pride within your community, like at W.A.G.S. 4 Kids. Other resources for support in the Cleveland area include the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities, the UCP of Greater Cleveland, and the Arc of Greater Cleveland.

At W.A.G.S. 4 Kids, we host an annual Wonder Run 5K +  Mile Walk & Roll, a fundraising event that celebrates all abilities. Attending events like these that celebrate all abilities is a great opportunity to demonstrate your pride and connect with other like-minded individuals. 

If you’re interested in registering for the Wonder Run 5K + 1 Mile Walk & Roll on August 7th at Coe Lake Park in Berea, OH, you can sign up here: https://runsignup.com/Race/OH/Berea/TheWAGSWonderRun5K