Disability Pride Month 2023

Disability Pride Month is celebrated every July. It is an opportunity to celebrate the Americans With Disabilities Act. July 26th will mark the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. A lot has happened since the ADA was signed into law. In theory it prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government’ programs and services. Unfortunately, we have a long way to go in practice. 33 years later we have Section 752 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. This signals a new chapter in the pursuit of digital accessibility for federal agencies.

“The federal government can be the exemplar and catalyst for private- and public-sector accessibility by continuing to prioritize the employment of people with disabilities while providing the appropriate accessible infrastructure that facilitates our success.”

Anil Lewis, executive director of blindness initiatives for the National Federation of the Blind

And just as with June’s Pride month, organizations should ensure that any gestures they make aren’t performative, empty ones. Sheri Byrne-Haber made a great list of Dos and Don’ts. 10 things to think about before organizations “celebrate the ADA” July 26th.