July is Disability Pride Month!

Posted by Nora Barnett on July 23rd, 2024 Posted in: Blog
Tags: Disability Pride Month

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July is Disability Pride Month! More than 1 in 4 adults in the United States have some kind of disability. Disability pride is defined as accepting and honoring each person’s uniqueness and seeing it as a natural and beautiful part of human diversity. Many disabilities are “invisible,” meaning you can’t tell just by looking at someone that they have a disability. Disabilities can affect people of any age, and it’s not always apparent from their appearance.

To Start

• Discover what ableism is and how to recognize and avert ableism.
• Learn about person-first vs. identity-first language. While person-first language is popular with those working with people with disabilities, some disability communities prefer identity-first language. It is important to know about the community you are working with.
• Try these tips for communicating with and about people with disabilities. Keep in mind the “nothing about us without us” saying in its popular form originated in disability communities when working with people with disabilities.

Healthcare Workers

• Take steps to make your medical office more accessible for people with disabilities.
• Modernize healthcare to improve:
  • physical accessibility
  • accessibility for people who are blind or have low vision
  • accessibility for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• Promote health equity for people with disabilities.

Librarians

• Promote equal access through universal access.
• Make your library ADA-friendly, not just ADA compliant.
• Create accessible spaces/programs/services by engaging with disabled patrons and staff.
• Look Beyond ADA Compliance because accessibility and inclusion benefit everyone.

More from NNLM

• Check out NNLM Reading Club’s Disability Health page, which has featured books on the topic of disability health, links from the NIH and CDC, videos, and more.
• Explore April 2024 Reading Club: Neurodiversity.
• Webinar Recordings:
  • Inclusive Disaster Planning: Considering the Needs of People with Disabilities
  • Neurodiversity, Invisible “Disability”, & Unconscious Bias: The Primary Obstacle of Neuroinclusion
  • Understanding Social Determinants of Health through a Disability Lens
  • “Cure” From a Disability Perspective
  • Disability in the Workplace: Let’s talk about accommodations and boundaries

Blog posts

• Neurodiversity in the Workplace
• Rural America: Impact of Disability on Poverty and Health –
• What is Ableism and how is it a part of the everyday language we use at the library?
• How can Project ENABLE (Expanding Nondiscriminatory Access by Librarians Everywhere) make a difference at your library? 

Funded Project 

• Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor: Accessible Recreation and Physical Activity