Written by Marcia Ore

Disability Pride Month is about celebrating people with disabilities and their contributions to society as well as promoting acceptance, challenging ableism and breaking down barriers.

Origins

Disability Pride Month began in Boston, U.S.A in 1990 and is now celebrated worldwide.

Facts

The World Health Organization highlights that approximately 1.3 billion, that’s 16%, of the global population currently experience a significant disability. In the UK, the Department for Work and Pensions estimated that 16.1 million people in the UK had a disability in 2022/23, which is 24% of the total population.

Disability Pride Flag

The Disability Pride Flag has been designed to represent the different and varied experiences and needs within the disabled community, such as non-visible, sensory, physical, developmental and mental impairments and conditions.

Red: Physical impairments and conditions
Gold: Neurodiversity
White: Non-visible and undiagnosed impairments and conditions
Blue: Emotional and psychiatric conditions, including mental health, anxiety and depression
Green: Hearing impaired, vision impaired, audio processing and all other sensory impairments and conditions
Charcoal: The charcoal background is to represent people in the community who have experienced ableism, and to protest against it.

The Equality Act 2010

Under the Equality Act you have a disability if you have a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial, adverse and long term ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

The Equality Act 2010 (Amendment) Regulations 2023 made several changes one focussed on disability by providing full protection at work for people with disabilities to specifically cover people’s ability to participate in working life on an equal basis to other people when looking at ‘ day-to-day’ activities.

What can you do?

Accept each individual’s uniqueness
Acknowledge the barriers people with disabilities face.
Promote inclusivity
Educate yourself about ableism

Resources:

Ablesize: Disability Directory of Information, Mobility Aid Services and Advice

The Arc: Why and How to celebrate Disability Pride Month

Equal Lives: What is Disability Pride Month

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