Disability Pride Month 2023

July 01, 2023 - Announcements

Dear AMDA Community,

July is Disability Pride Month, where we celebrate people with disabilities and recognize and honor disability as a natural and valued part of diversity. We also commemorate the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) being signed into law in July 1990. This historic Act won disabled people protection against discrimination in employment, public service, and accommodation.

The ADA was and remains an important step towards full accessibility and inclusion for disabled people, and we also recognize that there is much more work to be done, including:

- Actively pushing to dismantle the narrative often placed on disabled people that their disabilities are the cause of their struggles; rather, highlighting the ways that society creates barriers and working to dismantle them

- Lifting the voices of disabled people and empowering them to tell their own stories and have an active hand in creating the policies that affect them

- Reclaiming the rights of disabled people to be in spaces from which they have historically been excluded

Here are some ways you can celebrate Disability Pride Month, educate yourself on the history of disability rights and justice, and support disabled performing artists:

- Learn about how disabled Americans and their allies fought for their civil rights during the last century. Brush up on the 504 Sit In, the wide-reaching brush of the ADA, and the victories that have been won since the passing of the ADA.

- Consume media created by people with disabilities. Try perusing the Disability Visibility Project, which has a library of interviews, books, and podcasts, checking out the Superfest, a disability film festival, watching performances by integrated dance companies like Kinetic Light or AXIS Dance, or checking out currently running Broadway plays and musicals that feature disabled performers or explore disability-related themes.

- As you move through the world and create art, keep accessibility and inclusivity in mind. Caption your videos. Write image descriptions for your photos on social media. Choose to support businesses that welcome and make their services accessible to everyone. Speak up when you notice ableist language and policies. Listen and learn from your disabled friends, classmates, and colleagues.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with us at OEDI@amda.edu.

Sincerely,

AMDA’s Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion