Happy Disability Pride Month and the 34th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act!
Happy Disability Pride Month and the 34th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act!
Happy Disability Pride Month from the Accessibility Advisory Committee! July 26, 2024 marks the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), also known as National Disability Independence Day. The disability community celebrates the ADA with great pride as this is an historic piece of legislation, throughout the month of July.
About the Americans with Disabilities Act
The ADA was signed on July 26, 1990 by President George H.W. Bush, and was broadened by the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA), signed by President George W. Bush 18 years later and went into effect on January 1, 2009. The ADA has five titles to provide protections for individuals with disabilities. These titles cover the workplace, state and local government entities (such as Shoreline Community College), places of public accommodation, telecommunications, and some miscellaneous circumstances such as protecting people from discrimination if they file a disability-related complaint. Want to learn more? Watch our “What is the ADA?” video on YouTube!
How did the ADAAA Help People with Disabilities?
The ADA Amendments Act was pivotal in that it adjusted and clarified the definition of the word “disability.” Imagine an hourglass: The original ADA significantly helped people with disabilities, but as time went on, lawsuits occurred, and discrimination continued, that definition narrowed severely. The country recognized this and broadened that definition again, more explicitly including individuals with episodic disabilities, such as epilepsy, those with reproductive barriers, and more. The ADAAA is clear that they have a non-exhaustive list of disabilities. Under the ADA, an individual is considered to have a “disability” if that individual either (1) has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of that person’s major life activities, (2) has a record of such an impairment, or (3) is regarded by the covered entity as having such an impairment. The determination of whether any particular condition is considered a disability is made on a case by case basis.
The Disability Pride Flag
Did you know that there is a Disability Pride Flag? Check out the image attached to this newsletter! The Disability Pride flag was originally designed by artist Ann Magill, a disabled woman, utilizing feedback from the disabled community. The flag features a black background with five lines (colored blue, yellow, white, red, and green) slashing across diagonally in a lightning bolt shape. This shape was found to activate some people’s symptoms and it was not friendly to some who had color blindness, so the artist refined the flag’s design. Now, the disability pride flag has muted tones, the colors are in a different order, and the zig zag pattern is no longer used.
Each color on the disability flag has a particular meeting in this movement. Red on the flag represents physical disabilities; the gold represents intellectual disabilities and neurodivergence; blue represents mental illness; green represents sensory disabilities; and white represents non-apparent disabilities. The black field on the disability pride flag represents mourning for all of those disabled members of our community who have been lost due to ableist violence, eugenics, and suicide.
Ways to Celebrate
Disability Pride Month and the ADA Anniversary will be celebrated at a variety of events throughout the region, nation, and virtually. Many in the disability community take to social media in July by adding hashtags such as #ADA32 and #ThanksToTheADA to their postings. Join the virtual celebration by adding these hashtags to your own social media posts! Drop by the Student Accessibility Services office in Room 5226, Mondays-Wednesdays, to pick up some disability-themed stickers for your windows, laptops, or water bottles. We want to hear from you, too! How has the ADA impacted your life or that of someone you care about?
Resources
Accessibility Advisory Committee YouTube Playlist – The AAC YouTube playlist has a variety of videos, with PowerPoints, presentations performed by members, and recordings of past workshops at Shoreline. Let us know about specific topics that you think would be interesting for us to develop into videos!
Please submit feedback about the information that the Accessibility Advisory Committee shares to Miranda Levy via email at mlevy@shoreline.edu so that the committee can review together and serve the campus community better.
