O’Hara Aging + Accessibility’s Post

July is Disability Pride Month 🥳, a time dedicated to celebrating and raising awareness about the experiences of people with disabilities. It's crucial to acknowledge that many are unaware of this significant month, highlighting the importance of increasing visibility and understanding in the coming years to strive for equality. As someone who grew up with a disability, I understand the struggles and self-doubt that can accompany such experiences. Feeling isolated and hoping for a change, I longed for representation and connection with others who shared similar stories. The power of media visibility during Disability Pride Month cannot be underestimated in fostering a sense of belonging and acceptance. While disability awareness should be a year-round effort, designating July for this cause allows for a broader platform to advocate for equality. The journey towards equal access to transportation, employment opportunities, healthcare, assistive technology, and more is ongoing. By advocating for these rights and sharing our stories, we pave the way for a more inclusive future for all. Let’s continue to raise awareness and promote acceptance this Disability Pride Month. Together, we can work towards a more equitable society, ensuring that future generations have access to the support and services they deserve. #disabilitypridemonth #awareness #humanrights #equality

🌟 Celebrate Disability Pride Month with Buell Realtime Reporting! 🌟 Please join us in the #BeCounted campaign as we honor the strength, resilience, and diversity of the disability community. Disability Pride Month is a time to amplify voices, celebrate achievements, and advocate for inclusivity and accessibility. 🔹 What is #BeCounted? The #BeCounted campaign encourages everyone to recognize and celebrate the contributions of individuals with disabilities. It's a call to action to ensure everyone is seen, heard, and valued. 🔹 How to Participate: Share Your Story: Use the hashtag #BeCounted to share your experiences, challenges, and triumphs. Your story can inspire and empower others. Promote Inclusivity: Highlight the importance of accessibility in all aspects of life. Advocate for change and support policies that promote inclusivity. Celebrate Achievements: Recognize the incredible achievements of individuals with disabilities in your community. Share their stories and successes. At Buell Realtime Reporting, we're committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. Let's come together to celebrate Disability Pride Month and make sure all voices #BeCounted! #DisabilityPrideMonth #Inclusion #Accessibility #BuellRealtimeReporting

Introducing the ten things employers like you need to know about Disability Pride Month! Today we are talking about the origins of Disability Pride, its rationale, and the Disability Pride flag. ·   What is Disability Pride? Disability Pride Month is a yearly event that celebrates the diversity and intersectionality of disability, raises awareness of different disabilities and the societal barriers that hinder people from living independently, and encourages positive conversations. ·   When is it? Disability Pride Month is celebrated every July, having grown from a single day’s observance to a month-long festival of events and advocacy. ·   Where did it originate? Disability Pride was first celebrated as a stand-alone day in 1990 in Boston in the same year as the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed. It has since become a global movement, with the first Disability Pride Month being celebrated worldwide in 2015. ·   Why Disability Pride? People with disabilities encounter discrimination and ablest behaviour in their daily lives, intentional or otherwise. Disability Pride Month is an opportunity to focus on the unique skills and achievements of the community. It’s also an opportunity to educate people outside of the community about the inequalities and discrimination that still exist in our society today; especially about the inaccessible design of goods and services. For others, Pride Month represents a chance to celebrate their identity and be their authentic selves free from stigma. ·   Is there a Disability Pride Month flag? Yes. Its first incarnation was designed by Anne Magill in 2019. It featured a zig-zag design, comprising five bright colours, on a charcoal background. However, the brightness of the colours and the zig-zag design made the flag inaccessible to some disabled people and an updated version with more muted colours and a straight diagonal banner was designed in 2021. Stay tuned to learn more about Disability Pride and how you can be an inclusive supportive employer. #DisabilityPride #WeWantALifeLikeYours #InclusiveEmployers #ProudToBeDifferent

This is a video, but at Zain, disability isn’t limited to one day; It is the Masters ERG: empowering people with disabilities to lead, shape their own experiences, and make their voices and contributions visible throughout the whole year, not just one day. It is WeAble: our disability inclusion initiative, a strategic effort to ensure people with disabilities receive equal rights and the support they need. It is the IDE team: ensuring all experiences are inclusive and that everyone, regardless of their disability, is recognized and included. It is Zain as an organization: embracing people with disabilities as they are and providing support across all departments to help them succeed. Disability used to be a dream for us as people with disabilities, but Zain made this dream a reality. This video highlights the latest event we worked on: empowering 15 people with disabilities from 8 different countries through training on self-advocacy, disability awareness, and presentation skills. But this is just one event. We don’t just celebrate—we continuously raise awareness of disability every single day through a range of initiatives, events, and activities. Throughout the year—and over the years—we’ve worked tirelessly and passionately to ensure disability isn’t just a term. Disability isn’t December 3; it’s embedded within our culture. It’s about going beyond traditional practices to drive meaningful change through empowerment. Maryam S. Lina Shammas Jumanah Al Mutawa Marilena di Coste Sally Helweh AlHanouf AlHenaki Marwa AlQattan Salim Al Kindi Abdulrazaq AL-zaabi Mohd Edwan @suhailalnashash Khetam Abuawad Abedalhaleem Ghaith Mansour Almuqati Hussein Ziyad Gangawar Basheer Nagham Sattar Ghadeer Joad Kim Bany Joak Victoria Dobili almalik abdelaziz Brendan Roach Kate Nash OBE 💜 Jürgen Menze Aria Tung #WeAble #ImpactThroughInclusion #TheMasters #Disability #Awareness #ERG

Happy Disability Pride Month! Disability Pride Month celebrates disabled persons and our contributions to society, while challenging the ableism that we face in all areas of society. As a disabled (blind) person, I have been repeatedly told that I am a problem. Either stated outright or implied, my presence in certain places, spaces and positions has evoked confusion at best and exclusion at worst. And I am beyond tired of it. This is why a few weeks ago, I delivered a keynote at the Government of Canada’s annual Canadian Congress on Disability Inclusion entitled “I am not the problem: Understanding disability and reimagining accessibility and accommodations in the workplace and the world.” I am sharing a short clip from the keynote here and I have linked the full video in the comments to this post. The video will be available for the entirety of Disability Pride Month. I hope you enjoy it and watch the whole keynote. But most importantly, I hope you will share my name with organizations looking for speakers for Disability Pride Month and DEIB and accessibility advisors to support year-round programming. Because, as disabled people, we cannot live on platitudes and praise. We are not inspiring for existing nor are we to be pitied for persisting in the face of obstacles. Our work is valuable and it adds value. To make accessibility and disability inclusion alive and electric in every facet of society, we need people with disabilities leading this work. So hire us in leadership roles. Include us in all areas of society. Pay us equitably and fairly for our expertise and work. Dismantle ableist systems and barriers. Tell inclusive stories. Prioritize accessibility and disability inclusion. Share our names in rooms we are not in. Anything less than this is unacceptable. #DisabilityPrideMonth #disability #accessibility #inclusion #equity #diversity #DisabilityInclusion #DisabledPerson #PersonsWithDisabilities #disabilities

July is Disability Pride Month - it's time to build products and places of work with our eyes wide open to the needs of people with disabilities. Disability Pride Month happens every July to mark the ADA’s anniversary, which was passed on July 26, 1990. The first celebration was a Disability Pride Day that took place in Boston in 1990. Although Europe has its own laws on disability equality, the EU Accessibility Act 2025 will come into force next year and really clamp down on businesses whose products, services and places of work do not serve people with disabilities. Many companies are already on their journey. Others, have not started. It's no longer acceptable to design and build with your eyes wide shut. Not only is it good for people, it's good for business. - Access to more customers - Increased brand loyalty - Getting ahead of your competition It's time to take action. Not sure how? Sign up to Leaders for Accessibility to get access to education, community, specialists and solutions to start your journey to a more equitable world. Alt text: A picture of a handsome black man in his 20's looking straight into the camera with huge pink eyelashes attached to his face, glitter and beautiful eye-makeup. He is wearing earings and a very floral shirt with bright purple background. The image signifies paying attention and opening your eyes to the differences in everyone. #Accessibility #DisabilityPrideMonth #DisabilityInclusion

July is Disability Pride Month, celebrating the history, achievements, and experiences of the disability community, and marking the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), passed on July 26, 1990. This month symbolizes progress toward inclusivity, beginning with Boston’s first Disability Pride Day in 1990 and Chicago’s first parade in 2004. Although Disability Pride Month is an annual event, its message should resonate year-round. Here’s how you can take action: 📓 Educate Yourself About Ableism Ableism assumes people with disabilities need fixing, leading to discrimination. Use "people with disabilities" to prioritize their humanity and read books to deepen your understanding of disability pride. 🙋 Participate in Disability Pride Month Join parades and celebrations, whether you have a disability or not. Your participation helps create a more inclusive world. 🤗 Embrace Disability Pride Every Day Promote inclusivity, awareness, and empathy daily. Support physical and digital accessibility for all abilities. Let’s build a world where everyone can thrive. ID: Five vertical bars run down the left side of the graphic in the colors of the Disability Flag, from left to right: red, yellow, white, blue, and green. To the right of the bar reads, "There Is Ability in Disability" in large, black font. A thin line runs underneath it. Directly under reads, "Every July, we celebrate Disability Pride Month to honor the history, achievements, and experiences of the disability community. This month marks the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), landmark legislation passed on July 26, 1990, that broke down barriers to inclusion." in smaller, black font #DisabilityPrideMonth #DisabilityAwareness

🌟 Welcome to Disability Awareness Month! 🌟 This July, we're diving deep into intersectionality, accessibility, and the lived experiences of those with disabilities. In our latest article, we explore why Disability Awareness Month is so crucial and share personal reflections on living with dynamic disabilities like spinal stenosis and fibromyalgia. ✨ What's Inside: An overview of the importance of Disability Awareness Month Insights into intersectionality and accessibility Personal stories and reflections Inspirational quote from Neil Marcus: "Disability is an art. It’s an ingenious way to live." Spotlight on the trailblazing artist and activist, Neil Marcus 💬 Call to Action: Share your own stories of resilience and intersectionality with us using #DecolonizeWithDez Your experiences are valuable and can inspire others while fostering a deeper understanding of the diverse realities faced by disabled individuals. 👉 Support Equity in Education: To continue receiving valuable content and supporting our mission to create equity in education, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your support helps ensure that our resources remain accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial situation. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eHTJ8nEU Join us on this journey, share your stories, and help us make a difference. Together, let's celebrate the resilience, creativity, and diversity of the disabled community. 🌈💪 #DisabilityAwarenessMonth #Intersectionality #Accessibility #Inclusion #LiberationEd #DisabilityRights #CommunitySupport #EquityInEducation #NeilMarcus #DecolonizeWithDez #DesireeBStephens #makeshifthappen

Happy National Disability Independence Day! This month is Disability Pride Month and we're celebrating today's significance with a message from Felicia Jadczak, Co-Founder, Co-CEO, and Head of DEI Programming at She+ Geeks Out. 🙌 "Celebrated every year on July 26, this day commemorates the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. This landmark law prohibits discrimination against those with disabilities and assures access to economic and civic opportunities. Today, we celebrate the power, resilience, and independence of people with disabilities. As someone who is partially deaf and proudly identifies as disabled, I know firsthand the strength it takes to overcome challenges and the joy of breaking barriers and stereotypes. Let's keep working together to further advance disability inclusion, share our stories, and support one another in creating a world where everyone is included and empowered." ❤️ Description: Titled "Happy National Disability Independence Day" bordered by the disability pride flag in red, yellow, white, blue, and green. There are three rounded squares under the title that read from left to right 'Always advocate for accessibility' with an illustration of a megaphone, 'Understand the impact of ableism' with a stack of books, and 'Avoid assumptions and ask questions' with two chat bubbles. The SGO icon logo is at the bottom right corner in maroon. #DisabilityIndependenceDay #DisbailityPrideMonth #DisabilityAwareness #Diversability #Inclusion #InclusiveWorkplaces #WorkplaceEquality #WorkplaceInclusion

🌟 Celebrating Disability Pride Month! 🌟 July is Disability Pride Month—a time to honour the history, achievements, experiences, and struggles of the disability community. This month is a reminder of the importance of inclusivity, accessibility, and recognising the diverse talents and perspectives that people with disabilities bring to our workplaces and communities. At BPP, we are committed to fostering an environment where everyone can thrive. Here are a few ways we are celebrating and supporting Disability Pride Month: 🔹 Education and Awareness: Hosting workshops and seminars to educate our team about the experiences and challenges faced by people with disabilities. 🔹 Accessibility Improvements: Continuously working to ensure our physical and digital spaces are accessible to all. 🔹 Support and Resources: Providing resources and support for employees with disabilities, including assistive technologies and flexible work arrangements. 🔹 Highlighting Stories: Sharing stories and achievements of individuals with disabilities within our organisation and beyond, celebrating their contributions and resilience. Let's take this month to reflect on the progress made and the work still needed to ensure equity and inclusion for people with disabilities. Together, we can create a world where everyone feels valued and empowered. #DisabilityPrideMonth #Inclusion #Diversity #Accessibility #Pride #Equity