July is Disability Pride Month. We celebrate Disability Pride in July in recognition of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the ADA, on July 26^th, 1990. The act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. Following the legislation, Boston held the first Disability Pride Day event in July 1990.

The month differs from Disability Awareness Month by celebrating and embracing an individual’s disabilities, reclaiming visibility and rejecting internalized ableism. Rather than only raising awareness, it is a time to “accept and honor each person’s uniqueness and seeing it as natural and beautiful part of human diversity.”

At CRN, we are celebrating by amplifying our Individuals voices. We asked a few of the Individuals from our Life Skills Program questions about what Disability Pride means to them.

What are you proud of? What makes you special?

Fernando: “I’m proud that I make new friends and I won medals.”
Thomas: “My goals: I have a girlfriend, I have a family and I’m looking for a job.”
Kayla: “I do what I can. Yes, we all mess up, but guess what? I learn. I’m not giving up.”

What do you love about yourself?

Isis: “I’m caring about people and teaching them all different kinds of things”
Mayra: “I’m so happy to see my friends”

What makes you feel included?

Fernando: “Like friendships and socializing and doing activities.”
Isis: “Learning new things. I want to learn different languages like sign language to talk to my deaf friends.”
Kayla: “Just being around people. Feeling like I belong.”

What do you want people to know about you?

Kayla: Don’t just think of me as being blind. So, I’m disabled- it doesn’t mean that I can’t do anything. I hear it all the time ‘how can you do this when you can’t even see’ and it gets aggravating because I can do things.”
Isis: “I’m a lovable person. I’m a respectable person.”
Fernando: “Whoever needs to talk to me can talk to me.”

 Watch & listen to the full video here

For more information on Disability Pride Month, check out these accounts & sites we love!

The Valuable 500
Social Media
@thevaluable500
https://www.thevaluable500.com/spotlight/disability-pride-month

Disability Rights of Florida
Social Media
@disabilityrightsfl https://disabilityrightsflorida.org/blog/entry/happy_birthday_and_happy_disability_pride_month_frida_kahlo