Writer: Siena Iwasaki Milbauer
July is Disability Pride Month, a time to uplift the beauty, resilience, power, and brilliance of our disabled communities and community members. Disability Pride Month is also a great opportunity to debunk some mainstream misconceptions about disability.
A lot of people’s concept of what disability is and means are super limited, failing to reflect the vibrant diversity of disabled communities. For one thing, there is a mistaken idea outside of disabled communities that the words “disability” and “disabled” are insulting and shouldn’t be used. The truth is exactly the opposite.
Vanderbilt University Professor Anjali Forber-Pratt, who was part of a six-member team of disabled scholars and psychologists who collaborated on a 2019 paper about disability identity, explains: “Decisions about language have important sociocultural meanings in the disability community, and erasure of the term ‘disability’ can evoke fear and frustration among those who claim a disabled identity and align with disability culture…Disabled people are reclaiming our identities, our community, and our pride. We will no longer accept euphemisms [such as ‘differently-abled’, ‘physically challenged’, ‘special needs’, or ‘handi-capable’] that fracture our sense of unity as a culture.”
“Disability is not a dirty word. These [euphemisms] actually diminish and erase disability from the picture…Having a disability is not something to be ashamed of, and such euphemisms deny the existence of disability and reinforce the stigma surrounding disability rather than embracing it as a valued aspect of diversity.”
Mainstream ideas of what disability looks like are also narrow and out of touch with reality. This not only contributes to stereotypes and misinformation, it can minimize disability representation, and it can limit disabled folks’ ability to access community. For example, roughly a quarter of Americans have a disability, but only a small percentage actually identify as disabled.
A disability can be physical or mental, visible or invisible. Some specific disabilities are very rare, and some are incredibly common. This diversity of disabled communities is a tremendous strength, but is currently all too rarely celebrated.
This Disability Awareness Month, let’s fight back against harmful disability stereotypes and able-ism. More importantly, let’s uplift the powerful voices of disability advocates!
-Learn about and encourage your Congressperson and Senators to support the The SSI Restoration Act of 2021. This bill would provide critical assistance to elderly and disabled folks struggling with poverty, potentially improving the lives of millions.
-Seek out the powerful work of disability justice advocates and organizers! Some Asian American disabled leaders you should know include:
Lydia X.Z. Brown (Website, Twitter @autistichoya)
Chella Man (Instagram @chellaman)
Mia Mingus (Blog, Instagram @mia.mingus, Twitter @miamingus)
Alice Wong (Disability Visibility Project Website, Twitter @SFdirewolf)
Sources
Bogart, Kathleen, “Disability Pride Month: Disability Is Broader Than You Think”, Psychology Today, 1 July 2021. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/disability-is-diversity/202107/disability-pride-month-disability-is-broader-you-think. Accessed 8 July 2021.
Brasher, Joan, “Disability is not a dirty word; ‘handi-capable’ should be retired”, Research News @ Vanderbilt, 23 April 2019. https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2019/04/23/disability-is-not-a-dirty-word-handi-capable-should-be-retired/. Accessed 8 July 2021.
Justice in Aging, “The SSI Restoration Act of 2021”, Justice in Aging, 15 June 2021. https://justiceinaging.org/congress-introduces-the-ssi-restoration-act-of-2021/. Accessed 8 July 2021.
Miranda, Gabriela, “A chance to ‘amplify one another’: What is Disability Pride Month?”, USA Today, 2 July 2021. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/07/02/how-disability-pride-month-started-and-what-means/7840560002/. Accessed 8 July 2021.
Photo via https://shona.ie/happy-disability-pride-month-by-naoishe/