Disability Pride: Living Out
Loud!
What is disability pride? Disability pride means being proud, not ashamed, of your
disability. Having a disability is your own private business,
but a person who has disability pride has no problem educating people about their disability when they
need to. People who have disability pride are some of the
coolest people we know. They don’t let others stop them from
living the life of their dreams.
Have you ever heard someone say that you’re too
disabled to live on your own? Have you ever heard someone say
that you are too disabled to get married and have kids? Have
you ever felt that maybe someone you like won’t like you back because you have a
disability? These are common experiences for a lot of
young people with disabilities. A lot of people feel
ashamed when they have these experiences.
The truth is that disability is not a bad
thing. Your disability is not YOUR problem.
The truth is that the world around us needs to
change and accept our disabilities! Disability is NORMAL and
people need to learn that. We have to work together to
educate them that diversity is beautiful and that people with disabilities can achieve anything they
want.
It can be hard to feel proud of your
disability, especially if you feel like nobody around you feels proud of your disability. The truth is that YOU have to make the difference. You have to be the one who steps up and says, “I have a disability and
this is what I need.”
Having disability pride can also help you
protect your rights. As Sarah Triano writes at
www.disabledandproud.com, “What good is an
Americans with Disabilities Act, an Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or Section 504 if people
will not exercise their rights under these laws because they are too ashamed to identify as being
disabled?” If you can’t tell anyone you have a disability,
you may find that no one respects your rights.
Remember, you are not alone. There are THOUSANDS of people who have disability pride! You just have to get out there and start meeting them.
Check out this website! Disabled and Proud
at http://www.disabledandproud.com/.
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Access Living Youth Center
All Rights Reserved
