Disability Pride began as a day, July 26, 1990, to commemorate the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Over time, that single day grew to a month of celebration, resulting in July being recognized as Disability Pride Month. It’s a worthy upgrade, but most important, a great start. Because there’s no reason to limit Pride to a single month out of the year. Here, activist Emily Ladau, author of Demystifying Disability leads us through the history of the movement and how we can make Disability Pride an essential part of our lives—and communities—year round.
Image by Ann Magill
Emily Ladau
Emily Ladau is a passionate disability rights activist, writer, storyteller, and digital communications consultant whose career began at the age of 10, when she appeared on several episodes of Sesame Street to educate children about her life with a physical disability. Her writing has been published in outlets including The New York Times, SELF, Salon, Vice, and HuffPost and her first book, Demystifying Disability, was published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House, in September 2021. Emily has spoken before numerous audiences, from the U.S. Department of Education to the United Nations. Central to all of her work is a focus on and harnessing the power of storytelling as a tool for people to become engaged in disability and social justice issues.