With the anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26^th, the month of July is becoming widely recognized as Disability Pride Month in the US and around the world. Many communities are celebrating with events from libraries and bookstores hosting talks with authors with disabilities to pride parades and fairs in parks. Events like these increase the visibility of people with disabilities in the community and offer opportunities to talk about disability and advocate for inclusion.

If you are planning Disability Pride events in your community, check out these resources from NIDILRR grantees to help participants learn about, talk about, and advocate for full inclusion of people with disabilities:

• Get the facts about disability in your community! The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Rural Solutions to Strengthen Disability Community Capacity (RTC: Rural) Disability Counts project shows disability data in the US down to the county level. The RRTC on Disability Statistics and Demographics webinars take viewers on deep dives into stats on employment and participation in the community.
• Learn about disability rights and civic engagement! The ADA is one of several laws protecting the rights of people with disabilities. The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living and Participation of Individuals with Serious Mental Illness has resources to learn about civil rights, voting rights, and civic engagement.
• Put your work on display! The RTC: Rural offers Sharing Your Success: Using Photovoice to Document and Communicate the Impact of Independent Living Services, a how-to guide with strategies for centers for independent living and other organizations to show the impact of their services on the community.
• Show your disability pride with posters! The Great Lakes ADA Regional Center worked with the Disability EmpowHer Network to design the In My Disability Rights Era poster, celebrating the 34^th anniversary of the ADA. They also created a Spanish poster, Cuanto Más Cambian Las Cosas, Más Siguen Siendo Las Mismas (which translates to “The more things seem to change, the more they stay the same”), to promote disability awareness among the Spanish speaking communities. You can download and print these posters or order print copies from the center for free (limited supply).
• Spread the word about disability history! The Northeast ADA Regional Center has sharable infographics about historic moments in disability rights, key figures in the disability rights movement, rights of students with disabilities, and much more.
• Talk about parenting with a disability! People with disabilities have the right to be parents and create families, without barriers to caring for their children and making a life in their community. The National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities shares parenting tips and strategies from parents with disabilities. The National Center for Disability and Pregnancy Research also has resources for pregnant people with disabilities, and those planning for pregnancy.
• Teach kids about disability inclusion! The Northeast ADA Regional Center has produced a series of animated videos for kids to teach about disability and disability inclusion, like this one about how everyone can play baseball. Join the July 16^th webinar to learn how these videos are made and the curriculum that goes with the program.
• Write about disability – the right way! Stories about disability in the media are important to increasing visibility and understanding, but how we write or report about disability matters. The ADA Network Knowledge Translation Center shares guidelines for writing about people with disabilities, including emphasizing ability, avoiding offensive language and condescending euphemisms, and using the preferred language of your subject (person-first versus disability identity).

You might also like these resources from elsewhere in the disability community:

• Find a disability pride event near you! The Arc gathered some of the events happening across the US and virtually, and shared the history of disability pride month and resources for celebrating.
• Learn about disability pride history! This Wikipedia page has a brief description of the origins of Disability Pride and worldwide celebration of disability rights and culture, including the Disability Pride flag.
• Show kids with disabilities they belong in science! The Department of Education hosted a discussion on designing and adapting science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs, utilizing assistive technology, and fostering a supporting learning environment for students with disabilities. Use passcode 13ZpuyY* to view the video.

How is your community celebrating Disability Pride Month? Share your event below, or tag us on Twitter (X), Facebook, or LinkedIn with #DisabilityPride and #DisabilityPrideMonth!