Date/Time and Location
In honor of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in July of 1990, Disability Pride Month is celebrated each July to highlight disabled ways of being, knowing, and thriving in the past, present, and future. Disability Pride Month serves as an opportunity for organizations to celebrate disability culture, draw attention to the expertise and lived experience of disabled individuals, raise awareness around ableism – intentional or unintentional discrimination or prejudice against disabled people - and engage non-disabled individuals in thoughtful and meaningful dialogue around disability and ableism.
Disability Pride Month and the opportunities it presents challenge us to find ways to change ableist-based perspectives on disability and spotlight disability pride, emerging disability communities such as Disability Cultural Centers at colleges and universities, authentic and real disabled representation in media such as "As We See It," and disabled-authored works such as Care Work, Demystifying Disability, and Disability Visibility. Recent works such as Academic Ableism have challenged those of us working in higher education to consciously recognize and resist ableism in our institutions.
About the Disability Pride Flag
Updated in October 2021, the Disability Pride Flag was a collaborative design effort by Ann Magill, a disabled woman, with feedback within the disability community to refine its visual elements, which Ann describes as:
- The Black Field: A color of mourning and rage; for those who are victims of Ableist violence, and also rebellion and protest
- The Five Colors: The variety of needs and experiences (Invisible and undiagnosed disabilities, physical disabilities, neurodivergence, psychiatric disabilities, sensory disabilities)
- The Parallel Stripes: Solidarity within the Disability Community and all its differences
- The Diagonal Band: “Cutting across” barriers that separate disabled people; creativity and light cutting through the darkness
Important: The previous version of the flag, which had a lightning bolt design, caused a strobe/flicker effect when scrolled on electronic devices, which means it can trigger seizures, migraines, disorientation, and other types of eye strain. The new version above should be used in all web and social media content going forward.
Additional Educational Resources
Disability Identity, Community, and Culture
Gain an understanding of the social model of disability and the various types of disabilities that exist. Explore curated resources by the disability community under the types of disabilities pages.
Recognizing Personal Bias and Ableism
Learn about ableism and the unconscious biases often engrained in society around disability.
Listen and Learn: Amplifying Disabled Voices
Access videos and books by advocates in the disability community that have sought to change society's views through documentaries, talks, books, podcasts, and more.