Wednesday, July 02, 2025
Each July, communities across the country recognize Disability Pride Month, a time to celebrate the diversity, strength, and resilience of people with disabilities. This month commemorates the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 1990, a landmark civil rights law that continues to shape our national commitment to inclusion, equity, and accessibility.
What is Disability Pride Month?
Disability Pride is about more than legal rights or accommodations. It’s about visibility, community, and embracing disability as a natural and valuable part of human diversity. It’s an opportunity to recognize the voices and contributions of people with disabilities, challenge stigmas, and push back against prejudice in all forms.
Why It Matters
It is estimated that 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. live with a disability, representing a wide spectrum of experiences across physical, sensory, intellectual, and mental health conditions. People with disabilities are leaders, employees, caregivers, artists, innovators, and advocates. They are essential to every community, and yet they continue to face barriers in housing, healthcare, employment, education, and public life.
Disability Pride Month is a reminder that true inclusion requires more than awareness; it requires action. That includes ensuring accessibility in our physical spaces, digital tools, services, policies, and attitudes.
A Lifespan Perspective on Disability
Disability can be present from birth or acquired at any stage of life. Many people become disabled through illness, injury, or the natural process of aging. As our population grows older, the number of people living with disabilities continues to rise.
At AgeGuide, we recognize that aging and disability often intersect. Older adults may experience changes in mobility, vision, hearing, cognition, or mental health that affect their daily lives. Our role is to ensure that aging services are inclusive and accessible and that older adults with disabilities are empowered to live with dignity, independence, and pride.
Moving Forward Together
Pride Month calls on us to listen, learn, and lead with inclusion. Whether you are a person with a disability, an ally, or simply someone who believes in equity and access, there are meaningful actions you can take:
- Support Accessibility: Advocate for accessible infrastructure, transportation, public spaces, and digital platforms. Ensure that older adults with disabilities have equal access to resources and services.
- Raise Awareness: Educate yourself and others about the challenges faced by people with disabilities. Share stories, information, and resources to promote understanding and empathy.
- Promote Inclusivity: Encourage inclusive practices in workplaces, schools, community organizations, and public events. Respect and celebrate the diversity of experiences and abilities.
Additional Resources
