Colonial Life’s Post

July is Disability Pride Month! On July 26, 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. Today, according to the ADA National Network, there are 54 million Americans living with a disability. Every July, we recognize Disability Pride Month by raising awareness, normalizing disability, reclaiming public visibility, and rejecting ableism. Learn more: https://hubs.la/Q02DSmnY0

Today we celebrate National Disability Independence Day, which commemorates the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law in 1990. The ADA has had a profound impact, but we still have much work to do to continue building a culture that not only protects disability rights, but also celebrates disability pride. Here are three ways you can help to create a more accessible workspace: 1. Use captions in your virtual meetings, and when/where appropriate, save a recorded transcript for later distribution. 2. Provide agendas for meetings so those needing more time to process information to successfully share ideas have that space. 3. Include alt text on online images that describe what’s happening in the photo for those who may not be able to see.

"To be sure, some progress has been made, but the fight for disability rights is ongoing. Issues of disability rights in the past still leave an impact on the present." This #DisabilityPrideMonth, we honor the progress made by the early advocates, the changemakers who fought for disability rights to bring us the laws and policies we have today. Check out this informative history of disability rights by Allan I. Bergman, "Bending the Long Arc of Disability History," published in Impact: Disability Rights, Disability Justice from the University of Minnesota: https://bit.ly/4cGfJ0b

Happy July - Disability Pride Month! 🎉 Disability pride is defined as "accepting and honoring each person’s uniqueness, and seeing it as a natural and beautiful part of human diversity." Disability pride is an "integral part of an inclusive crusade and, furthermore, a direct challenge to systemic ableism and stigmatizing definitions of disability." Learn more about Disability Pride Month and how and where to celebrate at https://buff.ly/4cIrX8u! [ID: A black graphic with the colors of the disability pride flag going from left to right, top to bottom. In white text, it reads "July Is Disability Pride Month."]

Happy Disability Pride Month! ⭐What is Disability Pride? Disability Pride Month honors the history, achievements, experiences, and struggles of the disability community. It acknowledges seen and unseen disabilities and the role of society in eliminating ableism. Its a reminder to uplift and amplify the disabled community's voices, and to celebrate each person's uniqueness as a natural part of human diversity. AND it's a time for learning professionals to reflect on how we can iterate toward more inclusive learning spaces, speakers, materials, and measurement. ⭐Why July? July marks the anniversary of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that seeks to break down barriers to inclusion in society. ⭐Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gMnEWVWS

July is Disability Pride Month, have you heard of it? This month was introduced to celebrate and amplify disability activists, elevate disabled voices, and rally against ableism in all areas of society. It also seeks to change the way we think about and define disability, promoting that it is a natural part of human diversity to be proud of. So let’s celebrate and amplify disabled voices! Let’s call out ableism where we see it in society. And let’s reassess our perceptions of disability. https://lnkd.in/dUbcXYVh

When people ask me what I am most proud of at work I always say that what has been the most meaningful to me is planning Accessible KWESTs. I routinely missed out on global experiences in college because of my disability. I can't tell you how many times I heard that there was nothing that could be done to make programs accessible because they were "optional" or "co-curricular." Over the last two years here is what I've realized: 1) Global co-curricular travel programs absolutely can accommodate students with disabilities who want to participate, many times with little or no additional cost to the program through prioritizing accessibility from the beginning rather than as an afterthought. 2) Setting goals and communicating that your program needs to be broadly accessible (mobility, hearing, vision, sensory, etc.) makes it easier to be agile when specific needs you may not have planned for present themselves. 3) Programs planned from start to finish with broad accessibility in mind are not only attractive to students with disabilities but to ALL students. Because providing enhanced access and removing barriers is a benefit to everyone. 4) Including students with disabilities on global co-curricular experiences challenges students who do not have disabilities to think differently about their peers and others with disabilities. This is especially true when non-disabled students are also introduced to the social model of disability (people aren't disabled, environments are disabling). I can't wait to see how we can make KWEST and all our programs more accessible in the future!

🌟 Celebrate Disability Pride Month with us! 🌟 At BISM, our mission is to support the blind community by providing stable and rewarding career opportunities, innovative rehabilitation programs, economic and personal independence, and appropriate resources for training and education. We believe that disability is not a sign of inability or weakness; it's a unique strength. Join us in recognizing and honoring the incredible achievements and resilience of individuals with disabilities. Together, we can create a more inclusive and empowering world. (Image Description: Light Blue border with dark blue text: "Disability is not a sign of inability or weakness; it's a unique strength." Photo of a group of STAR students.)

Honored to have played a part through our supplier diversity efforts and, more broadly, proud of the collaborative approach we have taken at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island with our #CSR team led by Carolyn Belisle and her team to intentionally leverage this work! Thank you Disability:IN for recognizing this work! Disability-Owned Business Enterprises (DOBE’s) Employ People with Disabilities at a rate 10x of non-DOBEs 1 in 4: Adults in the United States lives with a disability. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) 32.5 M: Number of estimated small businesses in the United States. (U.S. Small Business Administration ) 2x: People with disabilities are twice as likely to be self-employed.

In 2023, Disability Rights California achieved some significant victories in the courts and in the Legislature as we continue to prioritize disabled people from the most marginalized communities and their families. Among our victories, DRC staff responded to 21,187 requests for assistance, conducted 1,435 outreach events and trainings, analyzed 816 bills directly impacting persons with disabilities, and took positions on 156 bills. Learn more about the work Disability Rights California accomplished in 2023, here: https://lnkd.in/g4KEmNB3