Resources for Disability Pride Month

The Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council (MODDC) works hard to create equity in the lives of people with disabilities. 

We celebrate Disability Pride and we want people with disabilities to:

• Love themselves.
• Share their experiences.
• Share their gifts and talents.

MODDC believes people with disabilities should be:

• Treated fairly.
• Seen and heard.
• Welcomed.
• Respected.
• Supported.
• Valued.
• Included.

 

MODDC knows there needs to be more changes made so people with disabilities can live the lives they want.

MODDC celebrates Disability Pride Month to show:

• How important it is to include people with disabilities.
• All the great things people with disabilities give to their community.
• The rich experience and gifts of living with a disability.

 

Disability Pride Month is celebrated in July. It is also the month the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. It happened on July 26, 1990. The ADA is one of the most important civil rights laws in history.

The ADA is a law that protects people with disabilities. The law makes employers and businesses:

• Treat people with disabilities fairly.
• Include people with disabilities.
• Find a different way to do the work. If people with disabilities cannot do the work like everyone else, they have to find another way. This is called an accommodation.
• Find a different way to provide a service. If people with disabilities cannot be included in business, they have to find another way. This is called an accommodation.

 

Laws like the ADA have changed the lives of those with disabilities. The passing of the ADA is not enough. We have to change how people think about the disability experience. Then people with disabilities will experience social justice. Social justice is the idea that everyone should have the same basic rights.

People with disabilities are a natural, beautiful part of life. They are a rich part of all of our cultures and communities. People with disabilities show up in our:

• Neighborhoods.
• Economy.
• Arts and cultures.

 

MODDC recognizes:

• The long history of people with disabilities hidden from others.
• People with disabilities are not treated fairly.
• People with disabilities do not have the same opportunities.
• People with disabilities continue to fight for their rights.

 

MODDC celebrates:

• The disability experience.
• Disability culture.
• The rights and opportunity of the ADA.

 

And we know this is just the beginning. More work has to be done for people with disabilities to live equitable lives.