Itās almost July, and many of you will be tempted to call it wrath month. And youāre right, it is a month of wrath. but not for queer people
July is disability awareness month in the US. Queer people are very much in the public eye right now, with some places strengthening protections for us while others roll them back. Itās a scary time for us, and June is important for us to maintain our visibility and fight for our lives
But disabled people donāt have that. Weāre forgotten by a world that is hostile to us. We have less rights than other people (limits on how much we can have in our bank accounts, losing our income if we get married, etc.) and even the few protections we have are routinely ignored. Businesses and government offices find every loophole they can to avoid accessibility requirements. We are treated as an inconvenience at best, and often subjected to policies driven by eugenics.
so yes, this is a month of wrath, but it is the wrath of the disabled.
July is actually not Disability Awareness Month. It's Disability Pride Month.
It's an easy mistake to make, but i think its important one to correct. We dont just need awareness, although thats important too. Just like queerness, disability has long been stigmatized and moralized. Treated as taboo and hidden away. Treated as something unsightly and unwanted, a problem to solve. We celebrate Disability Pride Month for the same reason queer people celebrate LGBTQIA+ Pride Month. Because we've been made to feel ashamed of who we are, and pushed out of society. We've had to fight just to have the rights we do.
That's why we have Disability Pride Month. It celebrates the ADA being signed into law. And do you know why we have the ADA? Because of the Capitol Crawl. Disabled activists demanded protections for disabled people. To symbolize accessibility barriers, they abandoned their mobility aids and started crawling up the 63 steps to the Capitol. Within a few months the ADA passed. We've fought for every right we have, even if it meant crawling up thes steps to the capitol, one stair at a time.
Awareness is a fantastic start but its not enough. We need real change. Fight for accessibility in your community, vote for people who are committed to bringing us equal rights (this means voting in your local elections too!) and speak up when you see ableism. Pay attention to bills related to disability rights, and call your representatives to support them when they come up. Talk to disabled people in your life about their needs and experiences, and really listen to what they say. Pay attention to where accessibility needs aren't being met, and speak up.
July is Disability Pride Month. Bring the same energy you bring for LGBTQIA+ Pride.
