July EDI Corner - Disability Pride Month!

July is celebrated as Disability Pride Month to commemorate the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in July 1990. ^1-3 Disability Pride is about “accepting and honoring each person’s uniqueness and seeing it as a natural and beautiful part of human diversity.” People with disabilities are the largest and most diverse minority representing all abilities, ages, races, ethnicities, religions, and socio-economic backgrounds. It's crucial to acknowledge and respect the intersecting identities of individuals with disabilities, and work towards creating a more inclusive and accessible society for all. Disability Pride is an integral part of movement-building and a direct challenge to harmful stereotypes and discrimination.

Here are some strategies that can be used in public health planning to promote equity, access, and inclusion for people with disabilities:^4-6

• Accessible Communication: Provide written materials in alternative formats such as braille, large print, and audio files. Use clear language and simple messaging.
• Physical Accessibility: Ensure facilities, equipment, and digital platforms are accessible and usable.
• Inclusive Planning: Involve people with disabilities in the planning process to ensure programs meet their needs and priorities.
• Training and Education: Provide disability awareness training for staff and volunteers to promote understanding and empathy.
• Partnerships and Collaborations: Collaborate with disability organizations to leverage resources, expertise, and networks.
• Accessible Technology: Use accessible technologies like video remote interpreting, captioning, and audio descriptions. Ensure websites and digital tools meet accessibility standards such as WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).
• Accommodations and Support: Provide reasonable accommodations and support services, like sign language interpreters, note-takers, and assistive devices. Establish clear procedures for requesting and providing accommodations.
• Data Collection and Analysis: Collect and analyze data to identify disparities and track progress towards inclusive health outcomes.

Other ways to celebrate and honor Disability Pride Month include:

• Learn about inclusive language: person first vs. identity-first language
• Learn strategies for writing about people with disabilities
• Amplify disabled voices, e.g., use the disability pride flag as your background
• Share your story: use #DisabilityPride and #DisabilityPrideMonth
• Follow activists with disabilities: disabilityvisibilityproject by Alice Wong
• Learn strategies to dismantle ableism. Ableism is prejudice against people with disabilities based on society’s constructed norms of what is considered "normal.” Like racism and sexism, ableism structures opportunities to advantage some and disadvantage others.
  • Dismantle ableism
  • Teach children about disability, at every age
  • Dismantle Ableism, Accept Disability: Making the Case for Anti-Ableism in Medical Education
  • Training for faculty who work with students with disabilities
  • Guidance on web accessibility.

References:

1. Disabled World. (2015). Disability Pride: Definition, Awareness, Flag
2. Disability Community Resource Center (DCRC). (n.d.). Disability Pride
3. The Arc. (2014) Why and How to Celebrate Disability Pride Month
4. National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). (n.d.). Health and Disability. 
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (n.d.). Disability and Health Inclusion Strategies. 
6. Rural Health Information Hub. (2020). Implementation Considerations for Advancing Health Equity among People with Disabilities in Rural Communities.