Aside from summer arriving and sporting feats galore, July is extra poignant because we celebrate Disability Pride Month.

An opportunity to encourage conversations and awareness around differences and equalities, individuality and community, Disability Pride Month is a global event. It’s believed that Disability Pride Month originated in the USA, to mark the introduction of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in July 1990. Arriving in the UK in 2015, the movement has been gaining support and momentum ever since.

The Disability Pride flag has evolved from Ann Magil's original zig-zag design and is now a collaborative design which symbolises different sub-communities and identities. The flag's charcoal grey represents mourning and protest while the range of colourful stripes represents physical disabilities (red), neurodiversity (gold), non-visible and undiagnosed disabilities (white), emotional and psychiatric disabilities (blue) and sensory disabilities (green).

With approximately 16 million people in the UK with a disability, we believe that this flag should be waved far and wide! So, this year, we’ll be sharing plenty of stories, insights and advice from our wonderful team of Ambassadors. All about acceptance, joy-finding and learning to feel proud of your disability and the disabled community.

Best of all, this month is a time to celebrate acceptance and advocate for better. If you’d like to make your mark this Disability Pride Month, here’s six ways to get involved:

1. Take time to celebrate and salute the remarkable disabled community

You can show your support by helping to amplify the voices of other disabled people and supporting disabled creators. Listen and learn by engaging with disability activists on social media and share what they have to say with your friends. Our Ambassadors are very active on social media and would love to have you follow along as they share insights into their daily lives and adventures.

You can also show support by purchasing books by disabled authors. We’ve compiled a list of some non-fiction page-turners that will introduce you to a range of wonderful disabled voices. Discover more here.

And if podcasts are more your vibe, then there are plenty of brilliant podcasters making waves. Offering a range of voices from everything to disability history, healthcare and the world of accessibility, podcasts really can offer a sense of emotional connection. The majority of these podcasts, as well as those hosted by Apple, offer transcripts too. lABLEd, DISabled to Enabled and not forgetting our very own AccessAble podcast provide fresh perspectives and life stories, covering everything from identity and representation to myth-busting and barriers still being faced. Well worth a download and a listen!

2. Share your experience proudly

If there’s one thing Disability Pride Month is ideal for, it’s changing the conversation about disability. This is a movement; a moment to feel empowered to educate and enlighten and even feel liberated by an acceptance of your identity. 

Take the opportunity to change perceptions by opening others’ eyes to the tough days and joyful days of living with a disability. Some bloggers go into detail, documenting their struggles and the ableist attitudes they face, while others choose to focus on adventures and advice. Your voice is unique to you and how you are feeling at this time in your life. So, only share what you feel comfortable with and in a space that you feel safe in.

You could consider hosting a talk at work or school, joining a panel discussion or podcast chat to offer your expertise. You could also start writing a blog about your experience or perhaps make a video to share your story of acceptance on social media. Your experience is personal and it’s not always easy to open up to strangers on the internet. Sometimes just writing down your feelings, and reminding yourself of your achievements and the challenges you’ve overcome can be all you need to feel a lovely burst of pride.

3. Advocate for better inclusion and understanding

Raising awareness and challenging stigmas is very much part of the agenda this month. What better time to call for change? With celebration comes reflection, a chance to recognise how far we’ve come but also how far we still have to go. There's no doubt that transformative change is needed to implement further equality legislation, tackle discrimination, narrow the employment gap and improve accessibility on a global scale. Everyone should have the right to earn, learn, be cared for and feel included and represented.

You can help lobby for change by joining a Disability Rights forum or by volunteering or fundraising for organisations like Sense and Disability Rights UK. Be part of the movement by promoting practices and policies and helping to campaign for enhanced accessibility. If there isn't currently a community advocacy group near you then this could be the perfect time to host your own, providing an all-important support network and focusing on social matters important to you.

Disability Pride events, art exhibitions, festivals and parades are also growing in popularity throughout the UK. Join in the fun in Birmingham, Chester, Leeds, Cardiff and more.

4. Experience something new

If you’ve been lacking in joy lately, use this month as a time to make yourself feel good by venturing beyond your comfort zone. Say yes to something you've been putting off because of worry or fear. Take this month to remind yourself of how capable you are, and how many inclusive places there are out there ready to offer you wonderful memories. Planning an adventure to somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit, trying out a new restaurant or watching your favourite comedian live, are all ways that you can live in the moment, and have a day out to remember.

At AccessAble, we understand that visiting a place or space for the first time can be daunting. That’s why our Detailed Access Guides are packed full of the information you need to feel prepared and confident about travelling to somewhere you haven't been before. Simply, head over to our home page and search by type of venue and location, to feel inspired to explore somewhere new this summer.

5. Have your voice listened to

We truly value the opinions and lived experiences of our users. The only reason we can provide such quality access information is because for the past 24 years disabled people have told us what is important to them. In 2018, we conducted the Accessibility and You survey. The results from this survey gave us powerful statistics and insights into disability and accessibility, which have since helped AccessAble to create even more positive change. 

Our latest survey will be closing very soon but it’s not too late to share your voice and wisdom with us. The survey contains multiple-choice questions where you choose your answers from the list provided, and also open-ended questions where you can share anything you wish to about the topic in your response. 

Help us to provide a more informed service and to tell companies what you need to access more places. Take part here.

6. Become an AccessAble Ambassador

Our Ambassador family is a brilliant bunch of disabled people, passionate about educating and campaigning for better. They enable us to share and learn from a diverse range of lived experiences. Each of our Ambassadors provides a fresh and unique perspective. 

Our 35-strong network of AccessAble Ambassadors was originally established in 2018. Since then, more than 10 members of the AccessAble Ambassador network have been included on the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 List.

Ultimately, the role of an AccessAble Ambassador is to help us support even more disabled people. Our website is used by over 6 million people every year, and through the power of the collective networks of our Ambassadors, we are able to grow that further.

Get in touch to find out more - we’d love you to join us!

Whichever way you choose to celebrate Disability Pride Month, we hope you have plenty of fun and take great pride!