Happy Disability Pride Month!
Every July, we recognize Disability Pride Month in honor of the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. Why is this so important? The ADA “prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life.” In other words, the ADA makes sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as people without disabilities.
Before the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed:
- A business could refuse to serve a person with disabilities.
- Individuals with a disability could legally be paid less despite doing the same work as non-disabled workers.
- Any place of employment could refuse to hire a person because of their disability.
- A person in a wheelchair would have to leave their wheelchair behind to ride public transportation.
The ADA was the first comprehensive list of laws specifically outlining the rights of people with disabilities. By passing this law, the United States government officially defined the rights of people with disabilities.
While Americans with disabilities enjoy more freedoms and rights today than before the passage of the ADA, it is important to recognize that there are many areas that still remain inaccessible to people with disabilities. One of those areas, as you might be able to guess (Hint: it's in DSHN's name!), is sexual health. In 2020, Campbell et al. explored the intersection of sexual health education and disability. They concluded two things.
- Many formal sex education programs are inherently ableist. They position "disabled people as non-sexual” (Campbell et al., 2020).
- Lack of access to sexual health enforces feelings of shame, stigma and isolation in the disability community. “The failure to provide disabled people with adequate formal sex education negatively impacts their opportunities for sexual expression insofar as it compounds experiences of shame, stigma and isolation by reinforcing the expectation that sex occurs between two non-disabled, heterosexual persons” (Campbell et al., 2020).
While it is important to celebrate Disability Pride Month and commemorate the passing of the ADA, we should also remember that the fight for equality and inclusion is not over. Sex education should be accessible and available for all!
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New Resources Alert!
- Pelvic Exam Social Story: Pelvic Exams are a common physical exam, but they can be scary and uncomfortable if you don’t know what to expect. This social story walks you through the process of a pelvic exam and includes a glossary that breaks down terms like pelvis, uterus, vagina, and more! This social story was designed by SexEdVA in collaboration with the Health Education Design Group (HEDG), both programs at the Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services at James Madison University.
- Spanish sexual health resources: Spanish resources have been added to Healthy Understanding of our Bodies (HUB).
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Resources throughout the newsletter are labeled as follows:
[t]=text [v]=video [a]=audio [l]=list [w]=website
[w] Why and How to Celebrate Disability Pride Month 2023
[v] Disabled Young People Answer: What is Disability Pride?
[l] Moments in Disability History Disabilityhistory.org provides this list of disability-related events dating back to BC
[w] Disability Pride Month: A Quick Guide
[w] What Does ‘Disability Pride’ Mean To People With Disabilities?
[a] If you don't mind me asking... A series of webisodes and podcasts featuring disabled voices answering questions about living with disabilities
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Tip: Use YouTube's media player controls to make videos more accessible. Find out how at the links below:
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Ideas for Celebrating Disability Pride Month
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Learn about ableism.
Ableism is a dangerous and prevalent form of discrimination that privileges non-disabled bodies over disabled bodies. It manifests in many different ways, some of which are easier to recognize than others such as a lack of wheelchair ramps or braille on signs in buildings. While some forms of ableism are easier to recognize than others, all forms of ableism are dangerous, discriminatory, and hurtful.
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Be aware of your language.
In recent years, disabled authors and activists have spoken out about language surrounding disability and people with disabilities. Some individuals prefer "person-first" language (i.e. person with a disability) while others like disability-first language (i.e. disabled people." The ADA Network has a guide to disability language, but it is always best to ask each person what they prefer.
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Use Alt text when you post images on social media
'Alt text' or alternative text is text that is used to describe an image. This text helps make images accessible to all social media consumers. Alt text helps screen-reading tools describe images to individuals with visual impairments. Most social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter) automatically generate Alt text, but it often incorrect or difficult to understand. It does not take long to write your own Alt text to ensure your content is accessible for everyone! For guidance on writing Alt text, check out this article from Harvard on digital accessibility.
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Explore media by disabled creators.
Media can play an important role in raising awareness and dispelling misinformation and stigmas around disability. Here are some disabled content creators to check out this Disability Pride Month!
Julian Gavino is a model, actor, writer and trans disabled activist (they starred in our film Follow You, Follow Me)
Ruby Allegra is a non-binary, disabled artist who shares their work and experiences as a queer disabled artist.
Dom Evans is a trans disabled filmmaker, father, gamer, writer, and founder of the FilmDis Annual Study on Disability Representation on TV.
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