What Does Disability Pride Mean to Me?

July is Disability Pride Month. Rachel Adams-Duffy is a Disability Advocacy Advisor at the ICI. The following blog post was written by Rachel.

In my experience, disability pride means accepting and honoring that I have differences. It means embracing these differences and accepting them as they are. I have always viewed my pride as a natural, beautiful example of human diversity. Disability pride is also celebrating the community, which in turn has given me a sense of belonging. It creates an environment that is accepting and meaningful for all involved. This pride is what has allowed me to grow as an accomplished individual. In the past three years, I went from developing a disability advocacy presentation to working for ICI as a disability advocacy advisor. Disability pride, the acceptance of the community, and the ability to navigate through challenges has allowed me to become an accomplished individual.

Being a self-advocate within the disabled community has been one of my most rewarding experiences. I learned how to use my voice to speak up for myself and others. I learned so much about myself, my community, how to create a meaningful life for myself, and how to support my community by using my voice. Sharing my story, my experiences, and the experiences of others is incredibly important to me. My advocacy journey helped me learn to be proud of my own capabilities, which in turn deepened my disability pride as a whole. I am proud to use my voice, to be vulnerable when talking about my experiences, and to be a voice for those who cannot be a voice for themselves. Most importantly, I am proud to say I am a member of the disabled community.

A disability is not an easy thing to navigate, and it requires resilience. As a community, we need to take pride in the hard times just as much as we do the happy ones. Pride doesn’t always have to be a happy thing. As I always say, “tough times don’t last but tough people do.” There are certain moments that I face where I think about and constantly wonder what it would be like if I wasn’t disabled. There are simple thoughts I have that other people do not experience. For years, I have reminded myself that although this life can be tough, I hold so much pride because of that toughness and because of my ability to work through it. My resilience is a powerful thing.

Looking back and reflecting on the negative emotions of experiencing a disability is a difficult thing to do. Vulnerability plays a large role. Expressing and honoring my vulnerability is tough to do. As people, we need to take pride in all our emotions because they are not easy to navigate. My vulnerability has deepened my pride in a few ways. Firstly, by giving me the space to be open about my frustrations. Secondly, by then giving myself space to reflect back on my experience. Being vulnerable allows me to open up to others and deepen my connection within the community. If we are all vulnerable with each other, we can create an accepting community.

Everyone has a place here in the world, and no one should feel left behind. Disability pride means sharing our vulnerabilities so that no one feels alone. It means sharing with others that our struggles are uniquely important, and they truly do matter. I believe wholeheartedly, especially for someone like me who has lived experience, that there needs to be a time and space where we as a whole community are allowed to highlight accomplishments, pride, and strengths.

The disability community has always been a safe space for me, but being able to expand further into the larger community would help us all to grow together. In my opinion, I have always believed that disabled and able-bodied people should be held to the same standards when it comes to pride and community. My belief behind this statement is that disabled lives matter just as much as everybody else’s. We are all capable of being empathetic and accepting individuals. There is space for us all to share in our accomplishments and joy together. Disability pride is what pushes me to continue to strive for changes in the larger community. We need to take transformative and meaningful steps for individuals to contribute and empower us to thrive without a single barrier.

I am proud of being disabled because it has given me many opportunities that I wouldn’t have if I weren’t disabled. I am proud of my accomplishments, and my ability to be resilient through the most difficult days. I embrace and accept my differences, and I am proud to belong within the disabled community. Disability pride is being a proud advocate. Disability pride is being resilient and facing the tough days, head on. It is a vulnerability. It is supporting others and having others to lean on. Disability pride is community. Its empathy. It’s love. Disability pride is being unapologetically yourself and unapologetically a disabled individual.