Disability Pride Month is observed in July to commemorate the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 1990. It allows us to celebrate and honor the history and experiences of those who have fought for disability inclusion and our continued goal to make the world accessible for all.
4 Simple and Effective Ways to Promote Accessibility
- Design Accessible Websites – From the very beginning, create a website with accessibility in the forefront instead of an afterthought. Do you want to find out if your website is accessible to everyone? Connect with TPGi.
- Add Alt-Text to Images – Adding a short description to images you include in websites, social media posts, and digital documents allows screen-reading software to read the image description aloud for the blind and vision impaired.
- Learn About Assistive Technology – Learning about available assistive technology benefits teachers, business owners, parents, HR professionals, and many more. Once you find out how easily technology can be used to make school, work, and everyday life accessible for those with disabilities, it will help to break down barriers and limitations that people without disabilities may inadvertently place on disabled people.
- Share Your Experiences – Sharing your experiences using assistive technology, adapting everyday activities or items to make them accessible, and tips you found useful can help others feel more connected and less isolated, and give them ideas on how to make adaptations in their own lives. People who have become disabled suddenly, are adapting to a changing disability, or are separated by distance or circumstances may feel alone and not sure where to start to continue doing the things they love. Hearing, reading, or seeing experiences of others in similar situations can positively impact their life.
Colors of Disability Pride
What do the colors of the Disability Pride flag represent? Each color has a different meaning and correlates to a different disability, so all are represented.
- Green – Sensory disabilities, including blindness and deafness
- Blue – Emotional and psychiatric disabilities
- White – Invisible disabilities or those that have not yet been diagnosed
- Yellow – Neurodiversity
- Red – Physical disabilities
Celebrate Disability Pride Month
For 33 years, Disability Pride Month has celebrated the unique qualities of disabled people, brought awareness to the need for accessibility in all aspects of life, promoted equity, and highlighted the need for inclusive design to be implemented in physical and digital environments.