July is Disability Pride Month! Whether you’re new to disability or you’re only just hearing about the significance of this month, it’s easy to get involved. Here are five ways you could celebrate Disability Pride Month this year…

Learn about the history of Disability Pride Month

It’s believed that Disability Pride Month originated in the USA, to mark the introduction of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in July 1990. However, the event is now honoured all over the world. It’s a time for everybody to come together and celebrate disabled culture and identity, and help remove the stigma so that disabled people can live their lives with pride.

The Disability Pride Month flag was created by Ann Magil. Her original design featured colourful lines in a zigzag shape, but in 2021 this was redesigned based on feedback from disabled people, to make the design more accessible. It now features one diagonal banner of colours against a dark background. There are five strands of colours on the banner, all aligned with each other to represent solidarity among the community, and each colour represents a different type of disability. You can learn more about the design of the flag and the history of Disability Pride Month on various websites, including this guide by Inclusive Employers.

Image Credits: Disabled and Here

Share your story with confidence

You are never obligated to share information about your disability if you don’t want to. However, choosing to share your story with others can be an empowering experience – especially during Disability Pride Month. You could do this by having in-person conversations with other people, writing down your thoughts and opinions, reaching out to local media, or creating content online and engaging with others.

You are the expert in your own lived experiences, so you have the power to share your story with confidence and help change perceptions about your disability. If you’d like to see some examples, our AccessAble Ambassadors have recently been sharing some of their reflections on what Disability Pride means to them. You can watch their videos here!

Get involved with local campaigns

If Disability Pride Month has motivated you to take action, there are often things to get involved with, within your local area. Research whether your town or city has a Disability Rights forum, or any disability groups you can join. If you can’t find one to join, you could even create your own!

These groups often have many projects on the go, to improve accessibility or challenge barriers in that area. Many are always looking for new people to be part of their steering group or share their experiences, or even get involved with practical tasks like creating petitions and resources. This can be a really rewarding way of meeting new people and making a visible impact on disability equality in your area.

Image Credits: AccessAble Ambassador Chloe Tear

Arrange a gathering with friends and loved ones

Even though around 20% of the UK’s population is disabled, Disability Pride Month is not yet widely recognised or celebrated. There may be people in your life, disabled or non-disabled, who don’t yet know about this pivotal time, and you could be the one who brings it to their attention.

This month is the ideal opportunity to spend time with your favourite people. You can chat about Disability Pride, but also just appreciate each other’s company. Arrange a gathering with your friends and loved ones this month – it could be a virtual chat if this is more accessible for you, or you could meet up in-person. Don’t forget to use AccessAble to find Detailed Access Guides of different venues and activities in your area!

Plan a fun adventure for yourself

Disability Pride Month isn’t just a time for educating others and changing attitudes. It’s also a time for us to celebrate our identities, and take pride in who we are. This includes living life to the fullest and finding real joy and happiness, so why not plan a fun adventure for yourself this month?

You could take yourself to your favourite restaurant or coffee shop, see a new release at the cinema, or even try something completely new. There are so many unique options out there – just use the search panel below to find relevant Detailed Access Guides, so you can start organising. Have the best time – we’d love to hear what you get up to!

Image Credits: AccessAble Ambassador Becca Wilson

These are just some of the ways you can join in with Disability Pride Month. No matter what you have planned, we hope you feel a real sense of shared joy and community during this time. Here at AccessAble, we see Disability Pride Month as an important point in the year, and welcome everybody to share their authentic lived experiences. Head to this page to see what else we’ve been up during this month!