Every July, Disability Pride Month invites the world to celebrate.
It started in the USA in July 1990 when the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed. Since then, it’s become a global celebration as well as a campaign for a more inclusive world for disabled people.
At its core, Disability Pride Month is about changing the way we think about and define disability. It’s about unlearning internalised ableism and the idea that disability is something to be ashamed of, and instead recognising it for what it is: a natural part of human diversity, which we can take pride in.
Pride isn’t about pretending disability is easy. It’s about saying even though it can be challenging, disabled people belong and deserve respect and equity.
While Disability Pride Month is still not widely observed in Australia, it’s slowly gaining momentum.
This year, though, it feels a little different.
It’s been a challenging time for the disability community in Australia, so celebrating might feel like an unusual thing to do, but maybe that’s also why it is important.
To mark Disability Pride Month, we asked a few Australians with disability the question: What does disability pride mean to you?
Here’s what they had to say.
Refusing to shrink
“Disability pride for me means showing up in spaces that weren’t built for me, pushing back on narratives that reduce disabled people to a line item in a budget, and refusing to shrink myself to make other people comfortable.
It’s the work I do every day in advocacy, grounded in the belief that difference is not deficit. And underneath all of it is joy - in community, in connection with people who just get it, in a life worth celebrating exactly as it is.” – Jasmin.
Pride in the everyday
"Disability pride means to me just being yourself. Being part of your local community like having friends at the pub and having a job, going to the gym or having a picnic at the park. Also connecting with your peers and making real friends in your local community." – Tony.
Celebrating individuality
“Disability pride to me means celebrating disabled people for their personalities, individuality and achievements. It's not about hiding from disability or letting individuals be defined by it, but seeing them for who they are.
I’m proud of our children, my Amara, and all the disabled people and their families who keep showing up in a world with a system that still needs so much work.
Disability pride is about celebrating inclusivity and dignity and everything they have to offer.” – Ilse, mum to Amara.
Pride as rebellion
“One of the greatest acts of rebellion as a disabled person, is to be proud of it. We are conditioned to think disability is a weakness or character flaw that dictates our future. It's not.
Disability pride isn't about pretending challenges don't exist, it's about owning every part of who you are and refusing to let it define you. Disability Pride invites us all to see disability as a natural part of human diversity: a teacher of empathy, innovation, and unapologetic living.” – Anja.
Improvements to be proud about
"Growing up with two older sisters in the 90's was challenging as accessibility wasn't up to scratch and there wasn't much support for physical disabilities, so I had to rely on my family to go out.
Over the years with the introduction of things like the NDIS, providers like Hireup, and all the improvements to accessibility, I feel happy and proud things like Disability Pride Month are around to celebrate people who have disabilities." – Mick.
