Celebrating Disability Pride: Honoring Diversity, Dignity, and Community                                                                                 

By Elissa Larkin and Laura Kinsey

Disability Pride Month, celebrated every July, offers an opportunity to highlight the voices and achievements of people with disabilities while celebrating and advocating for equal rights and access. The annual Chicago Disability Pride Parade is a culminating community event with the mission to:

• Change the way people think about and define “disability;”
• Break down and end the internalized shame among people with Disabilities; and
• Promote the belief in society that Disability is a natural and beautiful part of human diversity in which people living with Disabilities can take pride.

On July 26, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (SRAlab) team members, current and former patients, and patients’ family members — celebrated Disability Pride Month by participating in the 22nd Annual Disability Pride Parade in downtown Chicago. Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s presence at the parade was organized by the hospital’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Action (IDEA) Council. SRAlab Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who serve as are members of the SLP Cultural Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (SLP-CDIAR) Task Force also attended in support.

The parade concluded in Daley Plaza, where Shirley Ryan AbilityLab hosted a booth featuring giveaways and information about the organization’s clinical and community programs, including adaptive sports. The booth offered an opportunity to connect with parade participants and attendees, and to share Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s focus on advancing human ability and fostering access across all aspects of community life.

The work of building awareness and Disability Pride continues — not only through policy and advocacy, but through moments like the parade, where people come together to celebrate identity, visibility, and community. Next year, SLP-CDIAR members hope to attend again and help spread the word to fellow current and future Speech and Hearing colleagues (students welcome!) and individuals with disabilities whom we serve. If you are interested in joining us or would like more information, please email cdiar@sralab.org.