Disability Pride Month: What Disability Pride Means to the AS Community

You may have seen on social media posts, or you may be unaware: July is Disability Pride Month! It is a time for those who are disabled to share their stories loud and proud! Some cities, like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City, even hold disability pride parades.

Disability Pride NYC's mission statement says that the goal of these parades, and Disability Pride Month at large, is to "promote inclusion, awareness, and visibility of people with disabilities, and redefine the public perception of disability."¹

We asked our community members a question recently: "What does disability pride mean to you?" Here are some of their answers.

What does disability pride mean to you?

Some people shared a positive outlook

"It means not being ashamed or embarrassed about your limitations. Especially when you begin to use walking aids like a cane, walker, then a wheelchair. It also means not being ashamed of using the handicapped parking space, holding your head up, and smiling at people that glare at you because they think you look fine."

"It doesn't matter what other people think. It's your body, your cross to bear very well. Fight the good fight."

"I'm happy to be alive and walk by people with my walker with a smile on my face just to say hello. It's a struggle sometimes. One day at a time, I will make it!"

"Not being ashamed or afraid to use mobility aids."

Others were honest about how hard it can be

"I’m struggling. It is so hard for me to get around like I used to, and I’m embarrassed that I can’t. It is really frustrating, so I don’t do things that might bring attention to my disease issues."

"An endless road of poverty where you can’t earn enough to pay for proper treatment and medicine."

"I am ashamed to use walking aids..."

Read more about disability and ankylosing spondylitis

You can read more about our advocates' experiences with ankylosing spondylitis by reading the articles below:

• Why Do I Call Myself Disabled?
• I Was Ignorant to Disability Until I Became Disabled
• Yes, I'm Disabled
• My Trip To The Zoo: An Accessibility Learning Experience
• Caring For a Disabled Person as a Disabled Person
• Young and Disabled
• What Being Dynamically Disabled Means to Me
• 4 Responses to Stigma Against Disability