July Heritage & Cultural Highlight: Disability Pride Month 
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About 

Disability Pride Month is celebrated every July and is an opportunity to honor the history, achievements, experiences, and struggles of the disability community. On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), landmark legislation that broke down barriers to inclusion in society, was officially passed. That same year the first Disability Pride Parade took place in Boston, and the celebration has only grown. The more than 1 billion people worldwide living disabilities deserve to live full, self-determined lives. “This month serves as a reminder that disability is a natural and integral part of human diversity. By raising awareness and celebrating disability pride, we can challenge societal stigmas and promote a more inclusive and equitable environment for everyone. Disability Pride Month encourages us to shift our perspectives, understand the unique experiences of individuals with disabilities, and appreciate the many ways in which they enrich our society.” - Embracing Disability Pride Month - OTEHM Student Community (otehmseo.co.uk) 

Equitable Well-Being Recommended Activities 

The Office of Equitable Well-Being, alongside our HR Department, now host five Employee Resource Groups, including our disability focused group called Thrive As You Are. It is their mission to provide, "a supportive Thrive As You Are ERG (2) community for teammates living with disabilities, their loved ones, and community members, empowering them to seek the resources they need while raising awareness of diverse experiences". Thrive As You Are hosts regular Member meetings every 3rd Wednesday of the month from 9-9:45am. These will be primarily held virtually. Complete a Membership Form* and follow the Team Channel to learn more and participate.  

*ERG Membership has great benefits, including: 

  • Up to 4 hours per month of paid time to engage in ERG activities and events; 

  • Access to the ERG Member-specific Teams Channel to share ideas and information with other members, and receive the most up to date information about the ERG; 

  • Opportunities to impact the goals and activities of the ERG; 

  • Additional learning and professional development opportunities.

Join us alongside Jennifer Jamsky, our Library Accessibility Services Coordinator, at the Durham County Library's Main location to learn about all of the services and resources that are here to support Autistic individuals and disabled individuals in our community. (For subtitles, watch directly on YouTube.) 

Connecting  

Whether you want to learn more about ADA, disabilities, find tools and community, or make your workplace more disability-friendly, check out these organizations. 

Learning 

Learn stories of people with disabilities by visiting The Arc Storyhub

Learn about the treatment of people with disabilities throughout our history, including key moments from UC Berkley’s archive on disability rights.

Watch and read media that has been created by and with people with disabilities, such as Crip Camp, CODA, Demystifying Disability, and Disability Visibility.

Try out a new book:

  • Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens edited by Marieke Nijkamp

  • Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century edited by Alice Wong

  • Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law by Haben Grima 

  • Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah Taussig

  • We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby

  • The Pretty One by Keah Brown

  • The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais

Doing 

  • Make sure that no matter where you work, you hire people with disabilities. Right now, 85% of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are unemployed. Research shows that disability inclusion is a proven good business decision. Read these stories from employees and their employers. 

  • Do you have a disability or love someone who does? Use social media for good and share your videos, pictures, or written answers on using hashtags #DisabilityPride and #DisabilityPrideMonth, #TheBarriersWeFace, #WheelchairLife, and #ActuallyAutistic. 

Conversation Starters 

Here are some questions to start conversations with others about Disability Pride Month. For leaders, try building in time in supervisions or team meetings to prompt staff conversations about Disability Pride Month. Options could include: 

  • Did you learn anything new about people with disabilities this month?  

  • Have you made any new personal or professional connections this month that can help you support disabled individuals? 

  • Did you learn anything new about specific disabilities or the experience of disabled people this month? 

  • How did you participate in Disability Pride Month?  

  • How can things you learned or did for Disability Pride Month impact how you do your job?