Recognizing Disability Pride Month

student in a wheelchair receives his masters hood at graduation ceremony

July is Disability Pride Month, aligning with the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in July 1990. Disability Pride Month is a time to empower individuals with disabilities and be mindful of creating a more accessible, inclusive and equitable society.

disability pride flag
Disability Pride Flag

History of the Disability Rights Movement and Pride Flag

According to the CDC, 1 in 4 adults in the US have a disability.

While the rights of people with disabilities are now legally protected by the ADA, it took decades of activism and advocacy to reach this level of federal protection.

In 1978, 19 individuals in Denver, Colorado, inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, protested discrimination against people with disabilities by positioning themselves in their wheelchairs such that it prevented buses (then an inaccessible means of transportation) from leaving their stop. The protest lasted for 24 hours.

While there had been previous protests in other parts of the country, this event was integral to the Disability Rights Movement and the passage of the ADA.

Following the ADA, Chicago hosted the first Disability Pride Parade in 2004 and the Disability Rights Movement continued/continues to experience both backlash and landmarks.

In 2019, Ann Magill in 2019 designed the Disability Pride Flag, which was updated in 2021.

Each colored stripe holds its own meaning: red – physical disabilities; gold – neurodiversity; white – invisible disabilities and disabilities that haven’t yet been diagnosed; blue – emotional and psychiatric disabilities; green – sensory disabilities. The black background represents mourning for the deaths, violence and mistreatment experienced by those in the disabled community.

Year-Round On-Campus Resources for Students with Disabilities

Fresno State is committed to creating an equitable and inclusive campus community. Below are resources currently available throughout the year to students with disabilities.

  • Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD)
    • SSD provides reasonable accommodations, auxiliary aids and services to students with disabilities. SSD works collaboratively with students and the campus community to provide an inclusive and equitable educational environment for all students.
  • TRIO Student Support Services – Disabilities (TRIO SSS-D)
    • TRIO SSS-D  is a college retention and undergraduate program that helps students with disabilities develop academic, professional, and personal skills necessary to successfully pursue and complete a college degree.
  • The Student Health and Counseling Center (SHCC)
    • SHCC strives to be a focus of total health and wellness for the entire Fresno State student community. The health center can assist students with diagnoses, prescriptions, counseling and more.
  • Wayfinders
    • Wayfinders is an inclusive, postsecondary, independent living program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Students in the program increase their independence by experiencing university life in an age appropriate setting along with their university peers through facilitated and non-facilitated interactions. Students take classes that are focused on preparing them for transition into an independent living arrangement of their choice after graduation.
  • Literature and Media
    • The Fresno State Library is an inclusive space that offers an array of books, media and other information/resources that explore disabled history, theory, literature and art. 

Learn more about the history of the disability rights movement and its activists here.

by MARISA MATA

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Share your story

Do you have news you would like to share with the community? Let us know! Contact our Communications Coordinator Marisa Mata at 559.278.6560 or marisamata@csufresno.edu to get started!

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