After reporting multiple disability pride events last week, one thing became clear in the online discourse: a lot of people don’t know what “disability pride” is.
This week on the Disabilities Beat, we share what anniversary the phrase honors, what it means and why it's separate from, but similar to, LGBTQ+ pride.
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript created by a contractor and may be updated over time to be more accurate.
Emyle Watkins:
Hi, I'm Emyle Watkins. And this is the Disabilities Beat.
President George Bush:
Three weeks ago, we celebrated our nation's Independence Day. And today, we're here to rejoice in and celebrate another Independence Day, one that is long overdue.
Emyle Watkins:
President George Bush, July 26th, 1990.
President George Bush:
And with today's signing of the landmark Americans for Disabilities Act, every man, woman, and child with a disability can now pass through once closed doors into a bright new era of equality, independence, and freedom.
Emyle Watkins:
After reporting multiple disability pride events last week, one thing became clear in the online discourse: a lot of people don't know what disability pride is.
President George Bush:
This historic act is the world's first comprehensive declaration of equality for people with disabilities. The first.
Emyle Watkins:
Disability Pride Month is celebrated every July in the US because it's the month 36 years ago the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law by President Bush. The ADA would end up influencing disability rights around the world. And while law, it also recognized a longstanding movement towards equity for people with disabilities.
Stephanie Orlando:
Disability Pride Month remains one of the reminders that disability is a natural and valuable part of human diversity.
Emyle Watkins:
Stephanie Orlando, the CEO of Western New York Independent Living or WNYIL, explained it this way during a recent block party for independence in Niagara Falls.
Stephanie Orlando:
It is a time to celebrate our individual identities, our accomplishments, our culture, and the strength of our community. It is also a time to stand up for our civil rights and continue advocating for a world where accessibility, inclusion, and belonging are everyday expectations, not special accommodations.
Emyle Watkins:
It's hard to recall a history you may not have learned, as many of us, even those of us who grew up as part of the ADA generation, didn't get a disability history in school.
For instance, some people take curb cuts, which provide a smooth transition into the street, for granted today. But this infrastructure only came into prominence after activists "took sledgehammers to sidewalks." Accessible public transportation came after activists chained themselves to buses, blocked streets, and went on hunger strike after being arrested. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibited discrimination of disabled people in federal programs, was only enforced after disabled activists and the Black Panthers staged the longest occupation of a federal building in US history. Disability rights were not a given.
Stephanie Orlando:
Celebration is not enough. The rights we enjoy today are won because people with disabilities and our allies spoke up, organized, and demanded change.
Did you know?
Forty-eight percent of LGBTQI+ folks identify as having a disability, compared to 27 percent of the non-LGBTQI+ community, according to a 2024 survey from the Center for American Progress.
Emyle Watkins:
And sometimes people confuse the word pride with June's LGBTQ+ Pride Month. And let's be clear, the disability community is one of the most intersectional across many demographics and LGBTQ+ folks statistically have higher rates of disability. But disability pride isn't a continuation of LGBTQ+ Pride Month. In a similar spirit, however, this month is about erasing shame and promoting visibility for a marginalized group of Americans.
April Fearby of Independent Living of Niagara County puts disability pride simply:
April Fearby:
It's all about having that voice and having that pride in yourself of what you can do because we all have something to offer.
Emyle Watkins:
Last week, when Buffalonians raised the disability pride flag in downtown Buffalo, Todd Vaarwerk from WNYIL described the flag this way:
Todd Vaarwerk:
The diagonal direction of the flag going all the way across the field reminds us that disability cuts across all socioeconomic barriers. It doesn't matter what color you are, what religion you worship, what kind of job you have, disability has an equal opportunity to affect you. And it's important to remember that.
Emyle Watkins:
Vaarwerk went on to say raising the disability pride flag is also a symbol of something else for him as disability rights are challenged this year.
Todd Vaarwerk:
But it's important to remember that we have to fight to continue to be free and integrated. It's a battle. We are diverse. We're powerful. We contribute a lot to this community, yet I have to fight for my right to stand here before you in front of the cameras. For me, raising this flag in 2026 means the fight continues and we're winning.
Emyle Watkins:
For more on this story, visit our website at btpm.org.
I'm Emyle Watkins. Thanks for listening.
