Disability Pride Month

As Disability Pride Month comes to a close, I was honoured when Lauren asked me to share my reflections on this occasion as a person with a disability.

Disability Pride Month can be challenging for many of us due to a general lack of awareness. It certainly brings up many thoughts and feelings for me — because disabled people deserve equal opportunities, reasonable adjustments, love, awareness, safe living, good healthcare, and access to all shops, restaurants, and leisure activities. Most importantly, we deserve the same government support as our non-disabled peers.

What Is Disability Pride?

I first encountered the term “Disability Pride” in a casual conversation after moving to Brighton. Despite being a disabled heterosexual woman, I initially assumed it referred to LGBTQ+ disabled individuals. Interestingly, many others I spoke to shared that same assumption. However, Disability Pride Month was established to raise awareness of all disabilities, encourage self-love, and break stigmas.

What Pride Means to Me

For me, the word “pride” signifies strength.

I often speak about transforming negative experiences into positives. People are quick to “feel sorry for disabled people,” when in reality, we’ve been given a unique perspective on life. We are resilient, strong, brave, powerful, and empathetic — all despite our disabilities.

Whether being proud of your disability means discussing your struggles, understanding your limits, or accepting a new diagnosis, remember that it can take time to develop that mindset. But you will get there. It certainly took me a while, but now I take great pride in my disabilities and the strength required to overcome the endless challenges and setbacks that come with them.

On Disability Acceptance

Disability Pride Month can be particularly difficult for those still working towards accepting their disability. That’s something most of us go through — so please remember you are not alone.

Things began to shift for me the moment I accepted, “This is it.”

It’s perfectly normal to mourn the loss of your teenage years or grieve the life that could have been. I often feel jealous when I see my peers doing things I can only dream of, without the consequences of ill health. But then I remember the things I can do and the experiences I’ve had because of my disabilities — and that helps.

For me, Disability Pride also means acknowledging that it’s okay to feel negative, angry, or resentful about your disabilities sometimes. I frequently feel frustrated by how we’re treated as members of society. I feel anger at casual ableism, annoyance at the inaccessibility of the world around us, and embarrassment that I still sometimes feel the need to hide away.

A Celebration of Us

Disability Pride is about celebrating the people our disabilities have helped shape us into — while also remembering all the amazing qualities we possess as individuals, regardless of our disabilities. Whether you’re a friend, a daughter, a dad, a teacher, a good cook, or someone’s shoulder to cry on — those things are worth celebrating too.

It’s a time to smile as we reflect on everything we’ve overcome to get to where we are now. It isn’t fair — but it is powerful. It’s amazing to witness the small but meaningful progress we’ve made toward a more inclusive world. The little steps — pardon the pun — like a shop installing a permanent ramp or hiring a disabled model, are always steps in the right direction.

Final Thoughts

People with disabilities need to be normalised within society. We are not scary. We are powerful. We are loved. We are worthy. I cherish the community our disabilities have helped us build.

So let’s keep going.

EDUCATE. ADVOCATE. EMPOWER.

I love you for who you are — you only get one “you.” Remember, this journey can be difficult, so don’t rush. I’m still learning too.

Thanks for reading — Emma x

—

🔗 Useful Links

Disability Pride Month Resources:
www.scope.org.uk/disability-pride-month

Follow Lauren:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/laurenandlena
Instagram: www.instagram.com/alittlepoorlylauren