At the Intersection of Pride and Love

I recently attended the Pride Parade in San Francisco, a day filled with color, revelers noise and joy. It was a perfect intersection of wide swaths of humanity with an international kind of celebration, with folks from all cuts of life bouncing off each other in a mad scramble to be seen, appreciated and understood. In the midst of all the merchants, parade viewers and participants, there were many people from the streets, looking for assistance, financial and otherwise.

Many times over I saw impoverished people in wheelchairs, and I wondered, in a setting where we were out to be celebrating Pride, that we had an intersection here of humanity that needed our help, to help make their lives better. I saw no one coming to their aid, so where was the celebration of our disabled brethren in that? How do we go about lifting up their lives? How do we help to drop the barriers that are keeping those folks from living their best lives possible?

To help smooth out that frustration I visited the Arc of Marin in San Rafael, where I met Jeff, who works with his clients, his participants as he likes to call them, from around the region, helping them to find activities and volunteer duties to do outside of the walls of their very busy facility. I heard stories about his clients' successes, how they learned various skills, like filling commodity bags at the local food bank, or helped groom horses at a nearby equestrian center, or how they learned how to ride local transit independently, or how they would work with non-profit agencies who taught them how to keep facilities clean and tidy.

I had a chance to meet a number of his charges that day before I left. They were filled with smiles and a kind of peaceful energy that comes from a day filled with work well done. It had been a full day for them. They had a chance to sit with a member of Marin County Free Library's outreach team earlier in the day to listen to stories, on top of their other activities that had them working with a regional theatrical group on top of a bit of time at the park. I finally felt less restless with my assignment, as I finally found what I was looking for: a source of pride and joy of being put to work with people with boots on the ground, dedicated folks providing services and helping to build skills that their clients and their families could be proud of.

When planning a big event like Disability Pride Month, I thought it must be hard for organizers, with one Pride month following another, but after meeting with Jeff and his team at the Arc I saw things a bit differently. I found, like with celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, celebrating the disabled community is much in the same vein, much in the same spirit. As people we all want to live happy, productive, inspired, joy-filled lives. We want to have support, be understood, appreciated and cared for. We want government agencies to assist us, protect us, provide laws to ensure that others, who might not be so enlightened, leave us to our own devices, leave us to live our lives in a sort of quiet and peaceful bliss.

When I think of people in my life who have disabilities, people that I knew who just did their best to blend into their work worlds, their volunteer scenes and their public and private lives, I think of how lucky I have been to have known them, to have had them in my life. And that in itself is worthy of celebration, that is my source of pride on this month of Disability Pride month.

How to Celebrate Disability Pride Month

Disability Pride Month is observed in July each year. It commemorates the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 1990. This month celebrates the achievements, experiences, and challenges faced by individuals with disabilities. It also raises awareness about disability rights and promotes inclusion and accessibility for all.

• Connect  
  • Spend time learning from people with disabilities in real life and online.
  • Watch for disability-led stories in the news.
  • In everyday life, just say hi. Representation and connection start with visibility and respect.

• Learn Disability History and Culture  
  • Learn about key moments in the disability rights movement from UC Berkeley’s archive and The Arc’s history.
  • Learn from people with disabilities through media like Crip Camp, CODA, Demystifying Disability, and Disability Visibility.
  • Follow disabled activists on social media and listen to what they share year-round.
  • Explore books, events and resources at your local library.

• Advocate for Disability Rights and Inclusion  
  • Email your elected officials. Tell them disability rights are non-negotiable.
  • Donate to organizations led by and for people with disabilities such your local Arc chapter.
  • Talk to disabled people in your community. Ask what matters most—and back them up.
  • Challenge ableism. Push back on harmful language and outdated thinking every time you encounter it.
  • Teach the next generation. Use age-appropriate tools like this one from Cincinnati Children’s.

Contributed by Catarina de los Santos