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Disability Pride Flag and its Meaning

Disability Pride Month is celebrating its 32nd year, Once the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed on July 26, 1990, Boston held the first ever Disability Pride Day and Disability Pride Month was born. It’s a time to celebrate how disability is a natural part of human diversity. This pride month isn’t as well known as others, but it’s an important one and it even has its own pride flag.

The flag was created to encompass all disabilities and was designed by Ann Magill, a member of the disability community. The flag has a black background and has five zig zag lines across it that are considered to be a lightening bolt. This lightening bolt represents how people with disabilities must navigate barriersand demonstrates their creativity in doing so.

Each color represents something unique about the disability community. The black background represents mourning for those who have died or suffered from abelist violence and serves as the color of rebellion and protest. The five colors represent the variety of needs and experiences: red is physical disabilities, yellow is cognitive and intellectual disabilities, white is invisible and undiagnosed disabilities, blue is mental illness, and green is sensory perception disabilities.

The parallel stripes represent solidarity among the disability community, despite our differences.

Disability Pride Month is a time to be loud and proud of who you are, and let your voice be heard. But we should also be advocating the rest of the year. This flag gives us the opportunity to lift up the disability community and shine the spot light on the people who are often marginalized, forgotten and discriminated against.

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