July is Disability Pride Month
Did you know that July is Disability Pride Month? According to AmeriDisability, Disability Pride Month promotes visibility and mainstream awareness of the positive pride felt by people with disabilities. It also reminds us that a disability is one part of a person, but is not their entire identity. Disability Pride celebrates the experiences everyone has as people - we all have unique abilities as individuals and that is worth celebrating.
2022 has seen an increase in individuals with disabilities being included and recognized in film, TV shows, and the overall mainstream media. Sofia Jirau became the first person with Down syndrome to become a Victoria Secret model. Vanessa Burghardt, who has autism, plays a main character in the new film, Cha Cha Real Smooth. CODA became the first film with a predominantly deaf cast to win Best Picture at the Oscars.
While there is still much work to be done, individuals with disabilities are being honored and celebrated more frequently in the media. But acknowledging every person’s abilities and skills isn’t just the responsibility of the media. We as individuals can do this, too!
Ways To Celebrate Disability Pride
Interested in acknowledging Disability Pride? Here are a few ideas:
Watch TV shows and films that include individuals of all abilities
Read books by authors with disabilities, such as the book Sitting Pretty by Rebekah Taussig
Learn about Person First Language and Disability First Language
Practice celebrating the things about you as a person that make you unique
Disability Pride can and should be celebrated every day of the year. Because every person deserves to feel pride in who they are in this world.
Enabling Technology To Support Independent Living with SimplyHome
SimplyHome designs and installs innovative and affordable technology solutions that transform how we care for individuals with disabilities, aging adults, and veterans.
Our sensor-based systems can adapt over time to alleviate concerns about cooking safety, medication adherence, and the risk of wandering or falls. We work with service providers, managed care organizations (MCOs), and families to mitigate challenges. Caregivers are notified only when they are needed, promoting the highest level of independence possible for the individual.