In addition to Independence Day and all the birthdays we’re celebrating, July is Disability Pride Month. It even has its own flag.
You might wonder why we need another pride month when we already had one in June. (For some people, like my brother, the two pride months overlap.) There were a few incidents that showed me why disabled people need a pride month.
I recently went on a Costco run with my granddaughter, who has cerebral palsy. As we went down the aisles, a stranger came up to her and asked if she needed any help. She didn’t have her iPad with its TD Snap software at the time, so I told the person that she was fine and didn’t need help. He asked, “Are you sure?” I told him we were. When he left, my granddaughter shook her head in annoyance. A few steps further, an older woman told the person with her, “God bless that poor child.” My granddaughter looked up at me with a “what’s wrong with her?” expression. Those people may have thought they were well-meaning, but to my granddaughter, they came off as patronizing.
But this is nothing compared to the ableist abuse others are facing. One of the perpetrators is, of course, the Trump Administration.
Their latest move is to shift special education from the Department of Education to the Department of Health and Human Services, headed by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (You know, the one who lamented that children with autism will “never hold a job.”) This raises concerns that the federal government will push to have people with disabilities institutionalized like they were before the 1960s. Such a move would be in line with the rest of the 60 years’ worth of civil rights progress the Administration has been rolling back. It also ties into their beliefs about white supremacy and eugenics. Let’s not forget that disabled people were the first to be exterminated by Germany in the 1930s.
This should alarm all of us. The disabled community is one that anyone can join. An accident, disease, chemical exposure, military combat, trauma, or simply age can make any of us disabled. In that situation, we would expect acceptance and support. So why should anyone consider denying it to anyone else?
Disability Pride, much like LGBTQ+ Pride, is about people being free to live their fullest as their authentic themselves. It’s not about denying anyone else their rights. In fact, protecting the rights of disabled people and making products and facilities more accessible benefits everyone. Accessible products are more useful. Ramps and sidewalk curbs help people with baby strollers and carts. Disabled people contribute to society as well. My son was a job coach and helped a number of autistic adults perform meaningful work. Those same ADA accommodations and support programs can help us get back to our jobs after a disability.
My granddaughter is thriving in public schools. She made the honor roll at her middle school, helped it win a unified soccer tournament, and made a number of friends. The strides made in the rights of disabled people enable her to achieve her goals and live a full and productive life. We must continue to fight to protect her rights, as well as restore and defend the freedoms stolen from other communities.
On the door to her room, she has a sign that says, “Cerebral palsy slows me down, but it ain’t stopping me!” People like her should be free to live to their highest potential—and that may include us when the time comes. That’s why we need Disability Pride Month.
