Answered Questions is a monthly resource for the Spanish language Disability Community that fills an information need. This month’s question is: I recently learned that July is Disability Pride Month. I am a person with a disability and would like to learn more about it and related events in my community. Where may I find information about the history of disability pride and resources to help my Spanish-speaking community celebrate? This edition of Answered Questions includes items that discuss the history and objectives of Disability Pride Month; the work of the Community Living Equity Center; a study on how disability pride protects self-esteem; a study primary language and participation outcomes in Hispanics with traumatic brain injuries; a civil rights 101 webinar series; traveling to the US for Disability Pride Month; and more. More about Answered Questions.
Disability Pride Month History:
WAPA, a television station in Puerto Rico, recently released a segment on the history of Disability Pride Month in the US and Puerto Rico. Presenters discussed the Disability Rights Movement in the US and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), along with the history of Disability Pride Month in the US and how that movement has migrated to Puerto Rico and other parts of the Spanish-speaking world. Presenters discussed the objective of Disability Pride Month is to remove barriers for people with disabilities and to highlight the diversity within the Disability Community.
NIDILRR-Funded Projects:
The ADA National Network of regional centers support the Spanish-speaking community in learning about their rights and responsibilities under the ADA. The network provides resources and publications in Spanish and Spanish-speaking information specialists are available at centers in New England, the Northeast, Great Lakes, Southwest, and Great Plains. Find the center serving your community.
The Community Living Equity Center (CLEC) (90RTCP0006)) examines how systematic racism, ableism, and xenophobia in the US produce significant inequities for people of color with disabilities, including Latinx with disabilities. CLEC generates detailed new knowledge about participation disparities in community living; develops and identifies effective systems that reduce disparities in community living and participation; and serves as a national resource for community living and participation research that recognizes the unique challenges faced by people with disabilities from traditionally underserved communities.
From the NARIC Collection:
The article, Disability pride protects self-esteem through the rejection-identification model (in English), discusses a study that explored whether the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (IFC) factors predict disability pride, and assessed whether disability pride mediates a relationship between stigma and self-esteem, supporting the rejection-identification model (RIM). The study revealed that ICF personal and environmental factors, such as stigma, social support, and being a person of color, but not disability factors, predicted disability pride. The findings from this study suggest that disability pride is a promising way to protect self-esteem against stigma.
The article, Primary language and participation outcomes in Hispanics with traumatic brain injury: A traumatic brain injury model systems study (in English), examined the relationship between primary language and participation outcomes in English- and Spanish-speaking persons with complicated mild-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) one year after injury. The study found that Hispanics with TBI whose primary language is Spanish may require greater assistance integrating socially back into their communities after their injury. The study also found that potential cultural differences in value placed on various social activities must be considered. The authors suggest that potential cultural bias in existing measures of participation should be investigated in future studies.
Research In Focus:
The article, Latina Family Caregivers in Rural Areas Turn to Their Community to Support Young Adults with Disabilities in Transition, discusses a NIDILRR-funded study that looked at what factors helped or hindered Latina immigrants in a rural town involvement in their children’s transition planning. Researchers identified several common themes in the participants’ experience: the importance of family, strained school relationships, language and citizenship challenges, and the importance of Latine community connections. The authors noted that Latine immigrant families of young adults with disabilities may face unique challenges that can limit their children’s prospects for employment and community participation after high school. This article is also available in English.
Discuss Disability:
Disability Pride Month: Let’s Talk About Disability!, a recent post in NARIC’s Spotlight Blog, shares resources from the NIDILRR grantee community to help participants in Disability Pride Month events learn about, talk about, and advocate for the full inclusion of people with disabilities. The post also discusses finding Disability Pride Month events near you, resources on disability pride history, and helping kids with disabilities know that they belong in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs. This post is also available in English.
Civil Rights:
In honor of Disability Pride Month, the Civil Rights Department of the State of California (in English) will host a series of free monthly webinars in Spanish titled “Civil Rights 101” in July, August, and September that are focused specifically on addressing disability discrimination. The series answers questions about the application of civil rights laws in California. Upcoming topics include protections for employees with disabilities, civil rights related to housing, and employment 101, among other topics.
Resources:
- The State Council on Developmental Disabilities (CEDD, acronym in Spanish) in Puerto Rico published an article, Let’s Celebrate Disability Pride Month! The article provides a brief history of Disability Pride Month, shares information about the Disability Pride Flag, and a brief video from staff on celebrating Disability Pride Month in their communities.
- VisitTheUSA.mx provides information in Spanish on travel to the US for Disability Pride Month. The website includes information related to Disability Pride Month events throughout the US, including parades, marches, and group activities.
- Would you like to learn more about some of the leaders of the disability rights movement? The Siegel Rare Neuroimmune Association (SRNA) published an article, Disability Pride Month: The Anonymous Heroes of the Disability Rights Movement. The article provides a brief history of the disability rights movement and shares brief biographies of disability rights leaders, such as Judy Heumann, Justin Dart, Jr., and Brad Lomax.
Further Research:
REHABDATA:
PubMed:
Each month, we look through the searches on our blog and through the information requests made by our patrons who speak Spanish and pick a topic that fills the largest need. Each resource mentioned above is associated with this month’s information need. We search the various Spanish language news sources and feeds throughout the month to bring you these articles. With the exception of the NIDILRR Projects, From the NARIC Collection, and Further Investigation, all the linked articles and resources are in Spanish – any that are in English will be clearly marked.
