Honoring Disability Pride Month 2025
July 17, 2025
Every July, communities across the United States and around the world come together to celebrate Disability Pride Month—a time to honor the history, achievements, experiences, and struggles of people with disabilities. It’s a month that reminds us that disability is not a flaw or something to be “fixed.” Instead, it is a natural and valuable part of the rich diversity that makes up humanity.
What Is Disability Pride Month?
Disability Pride Month is an annual observance that recognizes the vital contributions of people with disabilities and commemorates the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 1990. This landmark legislation was a historic step forward in the fight for civil rights and accessibility for people with disabilities.
The first Disability Pride Day was held in Boston in 1990, the same year the ADA was signed into law. Chicago followed with the first Disability Pride Parade in 2004. Today, Disability Pride events are held across the country, celebrating disability culture, history, and community pride. These gatherings challenge the harmful notion that people with disabilities must conform to fit into society. Instead, they assert that disabled lives are full, valuable, and worthy of respect—no more, no less.
Why It Matters
More than 1 in 4 adults in the United States—over 70 million people—live with a disability. Worldwide, that number reaches an estimated 1.3 billion people, or 1 in 6 people, according to the World Health Organization. Yet despite these numbers, people with disabilities still face significant barriers to full inclusion in education, employment, health care, and public life.
Disability Pride Month is not just a celebration—it’s also a call to action. It challenges us to break down ableism, the discrimination and bias that people with disabilities face every day. It calls on everyone to promote inclusion and ensure people with disabilities are accepted exactly as they are—without conditions or caveats.
2025 Theme: “We Belong Here, and We’re Here to Stay”
This year, The Arc’s National Council of Self-Advocates has chosen a powerful theme for Disability Pride Month: “We Belong Here, and We’re Here to Stay.” In a time when disability rights are facing renewed threats, this theme is a bold reminder that people with disabilities are a vital part of every community—not someday, not conditionally, but right now.
This message pushes back against any attempt to erase, ignore, or push aside people with disabilities. It affirms that they belong in every space—schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, and public life—and that they deserve to be seen, heard, and respected.
Moving Forward Together
As we mark 34 years since the ADA was signed into law, let’s celebrate how far we’ve come—and recommit to the work still ahead. Let Disability Pride Month remind us that disability is not a deficit, but an essential part of the human experience.
Together, we can build communities where people with disabilities can live authentically and proudly—because we belong here, and we’re here to stay.
United States Census Bureau. “Disability Rates Higher in Rural Areas than Urban Areas.” U.S. Census Bureau, 6 June 2023, https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/06/disability-rates-higher-in-rural-areas-than-urban-areas.html#:~:text=Examining%20disability%20rates%20across%20geography,ACS). Accessed 15 July 2025.
World Health Organization. “Disability and Health.” World Health Organization, 1 March 2023, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health. Accessed 15 July 2025.
The Arc. “Why and How to Celebrate Disability Pride Month.” The Arc, 1 July 2023, https://thearc.org/blog/why-and-how-to-celebrate-disability-pride-month/. Accessed 15 July 2025.
United States Department of Justice. Americans with Disabilities Act. ADA.gov, https://www.ada.gov/. Accessed 15 July 2025.
How to Celebrate Disability Pride Month
Connect With People With Disabilities
• Spend time learning from people with disabilities, both in real life and online.
• Visit The Arc’s Story Hub and Instagram Reels to hear directly from disabled people.
• Watch for disability-led stories in the news—check out features from Good Housekeeping, USA Today, and PBS NewsHour.
• In everyday life, just say hi. Representation and connection start with visibility and respect.
Learn Disability History and Culture
• Understand the roots of Disability Pride by exploring disability rights movements and cultural contributions.
• Learn key moments in the movement through UC Berkeley’s archive and The Arc’s history.
• Watch and read works by disabled creators: Crip Camp, CODA, Demystifying Disability, and Disability Visibility.
• Follow disabled activists on social media and listen to their stories—year-round, not just in July.
Advocate for Disability Rights and Inclusion
• Disability rights are under attack. Speak up: email elected officials and remind them disability rights are non-negotiable.
• Donate to The Arc and other disability-led organizations.
• Connect with disabled people in your community—ask what matters and back them up.
• Wear your support: gear from The Arc’s store sparks conversation and shows pride.
• Challenge ableism when you see it and teach the next generation using resources from TODAY.com, HuffPost, and Cincinnati Children’s.
