In the quiet of a July morning, Sara Shams reflects on her disability pride journey on LinkedIn. Growing up, she never imagined she would one day be a proud advocate for people with disabilities. “My disability wasn’t something I felt proud of,” she recalls. “If I ever needed accommodations or something outside the ‘norm,’ it brought feelings of shame.”
But times are changing, and so is Sara. July marks Disability Pride Month, a time dedicated to honouring the contributions and resilience of people with disabilities. While this celebration is not yet widely observed in Australia, it is steadily gaining recognition as an important event on the national calendar.
Rooted in advocacy and celebrated with pride, Disability Pride Month aims to highlight disability identity, diversity, and the fight for equal rights and opportunities. The growing recognition of this month-long event in Australia reaffirms the message that one can indeed be disabled and proud.
Ainslee Hooper agrees with this message. In her recent newsletter, she wrote that it was only through meeting other people with disabilities and coming across advocates like Stella Young, that pride in her disability began to grow.
“I finally started to unpack my internalised ableism and see it for what it was…My disability wasn’t something to be ashamed of,” Ainslee said. “Disability Pride is about celebrating what makes me different and not diminishing my disabilities to fit in with an ableist world.”
Ainslee’s story reminds us that the disability pride journey isn’t linear. That people’s lived experience is much like the disability rights movement’s history, it’s ongoing, community-led and rooted in advocacy.
The year 1990 is often considered the official starting date that the disability pride movement began. It was the year the first disability pride parade was held in Boston and the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, a landmark decision that made discrimination against people with disabilities illegal in the US.
Ever since, the disability pride movement has grown. And, while the movement is not as well-known in Australia as it is elsewhere, it has gained traction over time. This is evident in the efforts of activists like Dylan Alcott, the representation in TV shows like SBS’s Latecomers, and the awareness raised by grassroots campaigns like Every Australian Counts.
So, how do we recognise and celebrate Disability Pride Month? Rosie Putland, an accessibility consultant, has shared a non-exhaustive list of ways to be an ally, including (but not limited to): challenging your assumptions about what people with disability are capable of, making room for the voices of those with lived experiences, supporting disability-led organisations, and calling out ableism.
The spirit of Disability Pride Month should extend beyond July. Celebrating and advocating for the disability community is an ongoing effort that helps create a more inclusive and equitable society.
In the words of Sara Shams, “Finding my disability pride has led to me becoming a model, sharing my story and raising awareness for the inequities and discrimination we face… It’s also a continual learning process.”
