Disability Pride Month is celebrated in July to commemorate the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act by President George W. Bush on July 26 in 1990. This landmark civil rights law prohibits discrimination based on disability and ensures equal opportunity in public accommodations, employment, transportation, and more.
The first official Disability Pride Day was celebrated in Boston the year the ADA was signed, and since then has evolved into the month-long celebration we know today.
It was only recently that there was a flag designed to represent Disability Pride, which was originally designed in 2019 by Ann Magil, who has cerebral palsy. The first design featured colored zigzag stripes on a black background, which was chosen to represent the how individuals with disabilities must navigate around the barriers they face. However, it was found that this design caused problems for those with visual sensitivities, so it was redesigned to be more accessible.
Each color represents a different part of the disability community:
- Red – physical disabilities
- Gold – neurodiversity (intellectual and cognitive disabilities)
- White – invisible and undiagnosed disabilities
- Blue – emotional and psychiatric disabilities, including mental illness, anxiety, and depression
- Green – sensory disabilities, including deafness, blindness, lack of smell, lack of taste, audio processing disorder, and other sensory disabilities
The black background represents mourning and rage for victims of ableist violence and abuse
The current version still reflects the same colors, now just muted with straightened lines. Additionally, the stripes were reordered to accommodate those with red-green blindness. The meaning behind the flag is still the same, just with improved inclusivity.
The redesigned version is now widely accepted and used during Disability Pride Month and other disability rights events, symbolizing unity, diversity, and pride within the disability community.
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