Written by: Katie Robinson, A.S., Accessible Educational Materials Production Specialist, OCALI and Eileen Asher, Brand and Marketing Specialist, ESC of Central Ohio
What is Disability Pride Month and Why Do We Need It?
Disability Pride Month is recognized during the month of July because the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed on July 26th, 1990. Not long after the Capital Crawl took place: protests where disabled people climbed out of their mobility devices and started crawling up the steps of the US Capital building to give a visual demonstration that they could not even get into the people’s house, let alone have their voices heard. While the ADA passed in 1990, making it illegal to discriminate on the basis of disability, the disabled community is still largely underrepresented and socially stigmatized.
The Americans with Disabilities act was passed to build upon Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
The Medical Model of Disability VS the Social Model of Disability
The medical model of disability frames disability as a problem, a burden, something to be overcome, a shame or a personal flaw. The medical model of disability is how society runs; we have been taught the medical model of disability from birth. When trying to qualify for the any disability services available, disabled people have to focus on only “deficits”. Some doctors only want to “fix” you. People pray for what they call miracles or healing. Parents shy their children away from disabled people in public, saying “don’t look, don’t point, don’t talk to them they aren’t like us”. This model is isolating and makes the burden of not fitting all on the disabled person, you either blend and fit where we tell you or you don’t get to access your community.
The social model of disability was developed by disabled people and reframes the mindset of disability as not being a shame or burden, but a natural form of human diversity and an important part of what makes someone who they are. That you can live a good disabled life and it would be easier if society was more accessible and accepting of all parts of someone’s identity. The assumption of lack of capacity and barriers in all corners of the community are the truly what hold disabled people back. It does not erase that disability itself can be painful and make daily life difficult, and space should always be held for that. But to say that it should not be assumed that people have a bad life just for being disabled. Always presume competence.
Intersectionality
Disabled people are just that, people. We live in every community. Disability is the only minority group that you can become a member of at any given moment in life. Intersectionality can include, but not limited to ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class and culture. Every disabled person has similar experiences because of disability, but the other parts of what make them who they are create different experience that need to be recognized and given the same voice.
One example, many LGBTQUIA+ pride events are held outside in the month of June. In Columbus, the Stonewall Pride event is held in a park that is mostly not accessible to people using mobility aids, bathroom access is very limited along with access to water, and there is very little shade. For some these are minor annoyances, but for many disabled people there are barriers that stop them from being able to participate in the event.
History of the Disability Pride Flag
The original disability pride flag was designed by Ann Magill in 2019, a writer with cerebral palsy. She was inspired to design a flag after attending an ADA event that was confined to an indoor environment, instead of out in public, where people with disabilities deserve to be visible. For many, flags can raise awareness and represent the community it is designed for.
The first version of the flag contained brightly colored zigzag stripes over a pitch-black background. These zigzags symbolized how people with disabilities have to maneuver around all the barriers they face every day. However, after some feedback from the community, Magill discovered her flag was triggering to those with visually-triggered disabilities. So, with help and feedback from the community, Magill designed a new flag with tilted stripes and muted colors that were much more accessible to the community. The stripes were also re-ordered to accommodate those with red-green colorblindness!
The flag is a perfect example of collaborative design and the power of “nothing about us without us” (a phrase coined by the disability community). Magill even waived her copyright on the flag, so the design can be used and remixed by anyone in the public!
Each color stripe has a meaning:
- Red - physical disabilities
- Gold - neurodiversity
- White - invisible disabilities and disabilities that haven't yet been diagnosed
- Blue - emotional and psychiatric disabilities, including mental illness, anxiety, and depression
- Green - for sensory disabilities, including deafness, blindness, lack of smell, lack of taste, audio processing disorder, and all other sensory disabilities
- Black background - mourning and rage for victims of ableist violence and abuse.
- Diagonal bands cut across the flag representing barriers that separate the disabled from typical society, while also representing light and creativity cutting through the darkness.
Inclusive Language Switches
The words we use matter and have the power to empower a person or harm them. Because language also evolves over time, some words that may have been common decades ago are now being phased out to build more inclusive environments for all! According to the World Health Organization, the disability community is the largest minority group in the world: around 10% of the world's population, or 650 million people, live with a disability making the disability community the largest minority group in the world. While there is no monolithic language style among people with disabilities, it’s still important to be respectful and start incorporating some inclusive language changes when communicating with or about people with disabilities. You might not get it right every time, but the important thing is to correct yourself or let yourself be corrected and keep going.
Here are some changes you can start making today to make your communication skills more inclusive:
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(the) handicapped, (the) disabled |
disabled (people), people with disability |
afflicted by, suffers from, victim of |
[person’s name] has [name of condition or impairment] |
confined to a wheelchair, wheelchair-bound |
person who uses a wheelchair or mobility device |
mentally handicapped, mentally defective, retarded, subnormal |
with a learning disability (singular) with learning disabilities (plural), person with cognitive disability, person with intellectual disability, person with developmental disability |
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person with physical disability, person living with disability |
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person with cerebral palsy |
able-bodied, abled, healthy, normal, of sound body, well |
non-disabled person, person without disability |
mental patient, insane, mad |
person with a mental health condition |
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person who is deaf or hard of hearing, user of ASL (American Sign Language), person with a hearing impairment |
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people with visual impairments; blind people; blind and partially sighted people |
an epileptic, diabetic, depressive, and so on |
person with epilepsy, diabetes, depression or someone who has epilepsy, diabetes, depression |
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someone with restricted growth or short stature |
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person with reduced mobility |
normal, of sound mind, autistic |
[name of person] is neurotypical |
Media Recommendations
Disability Visibility (FYI, if renting through Audible, you are automatically given the censored version. They edit out an important story discussing eugenics and do not make it clear it has been edited out)
Final Thoughts
We have come a long way since the 504 Rehab Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. But we are not there yet. Disabled people still experience discrimination and are told to fit in a box or to be out of sight. We still need to work hard on the social perceptions of disability and can do that by elevating and listening to the lived experiences of disabled people. Nothing about us without us.
Further Reading:
Katie Robinson (she/her) works at the AT&AEM Center at OCALI in the Accessible Materials Production department and has worked in the field of creating Accessible Materials for 13 years, producing materials in braille and large print. Katie holds an Associate’s Degree in Computer Networking Systems Administration from DeVry University. She is a Certified Literary Braille transcriber in both EBAE and UEB. She serves on the Transcriber and Educator committee for the National Braille Association, is a Board member for the Center for Disability Empowerment, and is a volunteer at Ronald McDonald House. She speaks to university students about her experiences as a disabled person in the education system and is an active disability advocate.
Email Katie at [email protected] for more information on producing accessible materials for all at OCALI.
Eileen Asher (she/her) is a graduate of the Graphic Design program at Ohio Dominican University with a specialization in branding and identity. She is a member of the ESC Communications team where she works towards developing more inclusive design and marketing practices. She is a graduate of the Project Diversity Pride Leadership class of 2021 through United Way of Central Ohio, where she developed skills to serve as a non-profit board member. She currently serves on the board of The Center for Disability Empowerment.
Email Eileen at [email protected] for more information about the inclusive design or communication services.