Disability Pride Month celebrates disability activism and the culture, identity and contributions of the disability community (CANVA STOCK/University of Windsor)
By Kate Hargreaves
With its colourful and muted stripes, the Disability Pride flag is itself an example of accessible design.
First created by Ann Magill in 2016, the original flag featured brighter colours in a lightning bolt pattern but inadvertently had a strobing effect for some with migraines and seizures. In true inclusive fashion, Magill listened to the community and redesigned the flag, leading to its current version of muted colours and diagonal stripes.
The story of the Disability Pride flag’s redesign highlights some of the key messages of Disability Pride Month, including the importance of listening to those with lived experience and coming together in solidarity and celebration across disabilities.
What started in the United States as a recognition of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in July 1990 has since become the internationally recognized Disability Pride Month each July.
At the University of Windsor, staff in the Office of Human Rights, Conflict Resolution and Mediation (OHCRM) and Student Accessibility Services (SAS) reflect on the importance of Disability Pride not only in July but all year long.
Kari Scott is the director of the Centre for Student Learning Excellence, which houses SAS.
“Just as people celebrate aspects of their identity such as culture, language or heritage, Disability Pride encourages people to recognize disability as an important part of identity to be respected and valued, not something that diminishes a person's worth,” says Scott.
“Many people with disabilities face misconceptions, discrimination and social barriers. Disability Pride is important because it recognizes disability as a natural part of human diversity rather than something to be hidden, pitied or ashamed of.”
Joyceln Lorito, an accessibility advisor and learning strategist in SAS, echoes the importance of Disability Pride in subverting harmful deficit messaging around disability.
"Disability Pride Month encourages us to move beyond viewing disability solely through a lens of accommodation in the sense of a medical model and instead recognize the strengths, perspectives and lived experiences we see through the lens of a social model that enriches our campus community,” she says.
“At Student Accessibility Services, we believe that disability is an important and valued part of student diversity.”
The diversity of the disability community is itself central to the symbolism of the Disability Pride flag, with the coloured bands each representing a different part of the community.
Red is for physical disabilities while cognitive and intellectual disabilities and neurodivergence are represented by gold, invisible and undiagnosed disabilities by white, psychiatric or mental health disabilities by blue, and sensory disabilities by green. The diagonal orientation of the stripes symbolizes cutting across barriers, and the black field that makes up the background is symbolic of mourning and anger against ableist violence.
For Cherie Gagnon, accessibility specialist in OHCRM, Disability Pride Month is a time for both celebration and reflection.
“Disability Pride Month is especially meaningful to our family as we have two adult sons with very different disabilities,” says Gagnon.
“This month provides an opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the diversity that enriches humanity, including the wide range of minds, bodies and lived experiences. It is also a time to recognize that people with disabilities are valued members of society who deserve respect, inclusion and equal opportunities to fully participate in our communities.”