In July 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law. This is a law that prohibits discrimination against those that have disabilities in all areas of public life. This includes schools, jobs, transportation, and the public and private places that are open to the public.
Disability Pride Month was created as a time to honor the diversity of each individual with a disability. Disability Pride Month is not yet nationally recognized, but the disabled community has upheld the tradition of celebrating the month with festivals, parades and educational discussions in order to bring awareness.
Locally, Active Re-Entry has been celebrating Disability Pride Month in a variety of ways. In early July, Active Re-Entry groups commemorated the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Participants painted rocks and distributed them throughout Price City’s Main Street. Those that find the rocks are encouraged to snap a photo and tag Active Re-Entry on social media.
The updated Disability Pride Flag was created by Ann Magill in 2021 to further recognize the disabled community. The parallel stripes of the flag are said to represent solidarity between different types of disabilities and each color works to represent a specific type of disability. Red is physical, yellow is cognitive and intellectual, white is invisible and undiagnosed, blue is mental, and green is sensory perception. The dark grey field of the flag represents those that have suffered ableist violence.
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- Photos courtesy of Active Re-Entry
