Happy Disability Pride Month from the Accessibility Advisory Committee! July 26, 2022, marks the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), also known as National Disability Independence Day. The disability community celebrates the ADA, a historic piece of legislation, throughout the month of July.

About the Americans with Disabilities Act

The ADA was passed on July 26, 1990, and was broadened with the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA), which went into effect on January 1, 2009. The ADA has five titles to provide protections for individuals with disabilities. These titles cover the workplace, state and local government entities (such as Shoreline Community College), places of public accommodation, telecommunications, and some miscellaneous circumstances such as protecting people from discrimination if they file a disability-related complaint. Want to learn more? Watch our “What is the ADA?” video on YouTube!

The Disability Pride Flag

Did you know that there is a Disability Pride Flag? Check out the image attached to this newsletter! The Disability Pride flag was designed by artist Ann Magill, a disabled woman, utilizing feedback from the disabled community. The flag features a black background with five lines (colored blue, yellow, white, red, and green) slashing across diagonally. According to Stony Brook University’s article on July Is Disability Pride Month, “Each color on this flag represents a different aspect of disability or impairment,” while the black field “is to represent the disabled people who have lost their lives due not only to their illness, but also to negligence, suicide, and eugenics.” As of October 2021, the flag changed to its current design, with parallel lines, rather than its former design, which had lines in the shape of a lightning bolt.

Ways to Celebrate

Disability Pride Month and the ADA Anniversary will be celebrated at a variety of events throughout the region, nation, and virtually. Many in the disability community take to social media in July by adding hashtags such as #ADA32 and #ThanksToTheADA to their postings. Join the virtual celebration by adding these hashtags to your own social media posts! Drop by the Student Accessibility Services office in Room 5226, Mondays-Wednesdays, to pick up some disability-themed stickers for your windows, laptops, or water bottles.

Resources

• Accessibility Advisory Committee YouTube Playlist – The AAC YouTube playlist is now live, and more videos will be coming soon! Let us know about specific topics that we might develop into videos.
• ADA Anniversary Tool Kit – Ideas for how to celebrate; links to ADA publications and fact sheets.
• Timeline of the Americans with Disabilities Act – A timeline from the ADA National Network depicting major moments in the disability movement
• An Overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act – Fact sheet from the ADA National Network
• Disability Pride Month July – Article on intersectionality by Forbes
• ADA Anniversary Webinar Series from the Northwest ADA Center – Free webinars every Tuesday in July!
• More resources on Sharepoint