Disability Pride Month
You may or may not be aware, but July is Disability Pride Month. This has been celebrated in the UK since 2015 and its aim is to raise awareness of disabilities and celebrate the diversity and differences of the disabled community. It began in the US back in 1990 with the introduction of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
So, let’s cover some basic questions, what is a disability? The Equality Act 2010 states that a disability is when you have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on your ability to do normal activities. 1 in 5 people in the UK has a disability.
To celebrate this month there is a Disability Pride Month flag comprising of 5 colour stripes representing physical disabilities (red), neurodiversity (gold), invisible and undiagnosed disabilities (white), mental illnesses (blue) and sensory disabilties (green), the flag was created by Ann Magill in 2019.
So, you may wonder why do disabled people need a month? And what are we celebrating? Disability is often seen as a negative thing, even the equality act refers to it as being negative effect on your life. So why celebrate being disabled? I’d like to change this thinking, and pose the question – what is so bad about being different? Aren’t we all different? I know people often use the phrase normal to describe a majority of a population, but does that mean they are all the same? No!
The definition of normal is to conform to a standard that is typical or expected. But what does standard look like? I know I’m getting a bit deep with this thinking, but when you think of a standard of living what are your expectations? Or what is the minimum you would expect? Running? Walking? Being able to go out independently? Making friends? Having an education? Working? Playing sports? Partying? Drinking?
So I can do 6 out of 9 of those things. Does that make me normal or disabled? Or is it both? The point I’m trying to get at is that we’re all individual and should be allowed to do whatever we want in life, why do we have to conform? Why is someone’s life deemed boring or unfortunate if they cannot do something that others can? If you’ve ever watched the Paralympics it is proof that disabled people can play sports, you will see people with very different disabilities taking part in all kinds of sports, they just might need an adjustment. Blind runners have a guide, some compete in wheelchairs while others may use a prosthetic. But they’re all still playing sport in their own way. Likewise I know plenty of people who aren’t disabled who don’t do sport.
So instead of viewing someone with a disability as someone who cannot do things, why don’t we view it as someone just doing something in a different way. Again, why do we assume there is a norm in how sports are played, or how someone lives their life, whether it’s going out to parties, shopping, working. Disabilities come in all shapes, sizes, and varieties. Disabled people do not want your pity, or your condolences, what they want is to be able to live their lives the same way everyone else does.
There are a lot of invisible disabilities as well, with people often getting accused of faking these as they may require different mobility aids depending on their needs. One day they may need a stick, another a wheelchair. It doesn’t make them more or less disabled. Similarly with neurodevelopmental conditions, such as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) or ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), these along with other neurodivergent conditions are classed as a disability, but they are just differences. Differences in the way people think, how they process things and how they act. It doesn’t mean it’s wrong or weird. It’s just different.
Let’s celebrate Disability Pride Month, let’s celebrate all the disabled people in the world, and all the differences we see in the world around us. We can all make a difference and try and make the world a more inclusive place for everyone.
Fighting Fit 