Disability Pride Month
PHFS celebrates Disability Pride Month this July! This month honors the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 27, 1990. The ADA provides legal protections against discrimination regarding work, public access, school, transportation, and more. Hear from Jay, a PHFS Shelter Coordinator, about what this month means to them.
By Jay Tomlinson, Shelter Coordinator
July is Disability Pride Month. A disability may seem like an odd thing to be proud of, but for many people, their disability is just as much a part of their identity as something like race or sexuality. There are many different types of disability: the ones you can see like someone missing a limb, the ones you can’t see directly but there are generally still visual indications like a blind person using a cane, and there are the truly invisible ones where you would have no way of knowing someone is disabled by looking at them. Invisible disabilities are very common and come in all forms. Mine is a chronic illness that weakens my joints and makes eating difficult. You would have no way of knowing it by looking at me, but my illness impacts every part of my existence and influences how I move through the world in profound ways. I tried to hide my illness for a long time, trying to pass off my restricted diet by saying I’m a picky eater or trying to lose weight, or ignoring my pain. I’ve only recently started to listen to my body and acknowledge the impact it has on me. My illness is not inherently evil or negative, it is simply another part of who I am. I feel just as much right to own my disabilities as I do the right to own my sexuality.
Photos feature the Disability Pride Month display at Family Village, made by Shelter Coordinators Jay and Trista, to inform and inspire shelter guests!
July is an important time to have many conversations. It is a time to lift the voices of disabled people in our communities, recognize how the efforts of disability activities have benefitted all of us, and see what work is still left to do to make our world a truly accessible and safe place for all people of all ability levels.
This month, there are many things you can do to support disabled people in your life and community. I want to highlight giving your vocal support to the “Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act” bill currently in the House of Representatives. This bill would update social security for the first time in decades and grant people living on disability many more rights like being able to marry without losing benefits and letting them gather savings. This bill must get passed for all of us.
